Latter-day Saints question benefits of Atkins

By Stephanie Sonksen NewsNet Staff Writer - 3 Mar 2004

http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/48850


Jonathan Williams, a sophomore from Orem, takes a bite of his bunless 2/3 pound hamburger. The Atkins diet requires high-protein, low-carb eating habits.

Dr. Robert Atkins made a name for himself in 1972 with his book "Diet Revolution." His proposal targeted carbohydrates as the enemy and fat as OK, and the nation began its quest for low-fat everything.

After 30 years of ridicule, the Atkins way of thinking has swept the nation.

Although the diet has become revolutionary in the way people view fat and carbs, it has attracted controversy.

The diet, recently renamed the Atkins Nutritional Approach, says it is not how much people eat, but what they eat that causes weight gain.

The approach begins by eating only protein for the first few weeks, which allows the body to convert carb burning to fat burning. Vegetables are limited and fruit is off-limits at first. After the first phase, carbs and fruits are slowly reintroduced.

When ideal weight is achieved, the diet goes into the final phase of lifetime maintenance, which includes limiting carbs and eating plenty of protein.

Though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has never provided an official stance about the Atkins diet, many members of the church believe the diet violates the Word of Wisdom, which advises people to eat meat sparingly and eat everything in moderation.

Dr. Robert Eckel of the American Heart Association said people on high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have the risk of heart disease.

Elise Cannon, a sophomore majoring in biology, has seen positive results from the low-carb diet she began a month ago. She doesn't feel the diet contradicts her personal beliefs.

"I don't have an opinion until the church has an opinion," she said. "For right now, I'm staying with it because it is the only diet giving me results."

Lisa Fraser, a senior from Centerville, majoring in English, said she believes the diet is against the Word of Wisdom and damaging to the body.

"It's really bad for you," Fraser said. "What it does is it puts your body in an artificial diabetic stage. Your liver is getting damaged."

Fraser said people try Atkins as a way to lose weight quickly, but the method is unhealthy and difficult to maintain.

"Just because you lose weight doesn't mean you're healthy," she said.

Fraser said she feels people are disobeying counsel given in the Doctrine and Covenants by eating excessive amounts of meat and harming their bodies in the process.

"When are we going to learn that God knows what he's talking about?" Fraser said.

Fraser said she also relies on scientific research showing the negative side effects of a low-carb diet.

"Aside from the Word of Wisdom, it's really bad for you," Fraser said. "If you care about your body, you won't do that to it."

Curtis Heyman, a senior from Mesa, Ariz., majoring in advertising and marketing, said he believes Atkins works and does not view it as going against the Word of Wisdom. His parents have been doing the diet for six months and have seen dramatic results.

"I think your physical body affects your spirit," Heyman said. "My parents are happier people physically, therefore, they are happier people spiritually."

Heyman advised people not to become caught up in the idea that diets provide the solution.

"People are getting so into these diets they forget they need to exercise," he said. "Diets don't solve everything."

Ace Halverson, a junior from Provo, said he believes low-carb diets are against the Word of Wisdom, and the answer to weight loss isn't found in eating excessive amounts of protein.

"I've seen a lot of people complain about their weight at the same time as eating chips," Halverson said. "So they go on these diets because they have no self-control."