I was pleased to see Balance, hosted by Dr. Marla Shapiro feature Dr. Atkins today He explained that trans fats are bad, saturated fats have never been proven to be harmful except when consumed with a high carb diet. He also talked about how diabets used to be fed a diet low in carbs until the diabetes association changed it without a study ever being done. Unfortunatly I had to go back to work so I missed the "Ask the Expert" segment where he was to be featured.

The Dr. Robert Atkins Tribute Show

Friday, April 18
By balancetv.ca


Today we bring you a very special episode of Balance -- a tribute to Dr. Robert Atkins.

As many of you know, on April 8, best-selling author, diet guru and alternative medicine expert Dr. Robert Atkins slipped and fell on his daily walk to work, suffering injuries to his head. Sadly, he did not recover and passed away from the severe head trauma caused by his accident.

We visited him in New York recently for what would turn out to be his final television appearance, to learn more about the man behind the world-famous meal plan.

For more, visit Dr. Atkins' Web site.


The Atkins Way of LIfe

Monday, October 20
By Balancetv.ca




Balance Television host Dr. Marla Shapiro visited New York City to talk with Dr. Robert Atkins and Colette Heimowitz from the Atkins Center about the controversial Atkins diet.

In the induction phase of the diet, you are severely limiting carbohydrates which means only about three cups of vegetables a day, Heimowitz said. This phase last two weeks with a limit of 20 grams of carbohydrates each day. There is no fruit at this point, it's introduced later on.

"We tell people to eat enough that they're not hungry," Atkins said. "That's very dramatic because the appetitie will really fall down when you cut out junk food."

In the next stage you move up the carbohydrate ladder, Heimowitz explained, adding the most nutrient-dense vegetables. You can typically start adding berries, seeds and nuts at this stage.

Following that stage you can add more vegetables and even pasta, as long as it's low-carbohydrate pasta.

"The important thing is that you need to understand that there is a balance of fats, like monounsaturated and saturated and poly and it's important not to have too much of one kind of fat," Heinowitz said.

The Atkins folks have provided us with this tasty recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

For more detailed and specific information about the Atkins diet and its stage, visit the Atkins Centre Web site at www.atkins.com.

I don't know about the change without a study, but I do know that 25-30 years ago diabetics were treated much better than they are now.

When I was in school and working we had plenty of diabetics. Some followed their diets, where a "sweet treat" was something like a 1"cube of angel cake, and some didn't. MOST used sacharine (?sp)....at least at home. When first diagnosed, if not admitted (very common until the early 80s or so), and after discharge if they were, patients were sent for education classes. At each appt, they met with nurses, had their BS, BP, weight, etc checked, and then they sat down and asked how things were going, how were they adjusting to the diet, how's the family....etc, etc, etc. At different appts, they met with nutritionists, and had access to social workers, therapists, other specialists. After finishing a program that typically was spread out over several weeks, patients weren't followed as closely, but they were taught how to take care of themselves, so unless there were problems, they didn't need to be seen as often.

They get (if they're lucky) a few days of education, periodic appointments with their primary doc, and are sent to specialists as needed. If they don't follow the diet, no one talks to them about why....they simply get admonished about how important it is....and then they dose is increased! There are programs available, depending on where you live, but patients are not encouraged to get into these unless they have complications....and by then it's usually too late!

It really irritates me that the number of diabetics in this country is blamed on us....the public. But we're not the ones who wrote the nutritional guidelines. We're the ones who believed them and got fatter and developed diabetes, heart disease, etc. And it irritates me to see how diabetics are being mis-treated, and then blamed for the complications that are surely going to happen!