I'LL STICK TO ATKINS DIET - SAFE OR NOT

Jul 22 2003

By Clare Raymond

link to article

AS I tucked into bacon and fried eggs, I opened the newspapers and read the latest scare story about The Atkins Diet.

Apparently, thousands of Brits are increasing their risk of developing kidney stones by following the low-carbohydrate, high-protein eating plan.

This is just the latest in a series of almost daily warnings about the controversial "muscle-wasting" diet that is taking Britain by storm.

If you believe everything you read, you are also risking kidney damage, lowering your body's resistance to infection, weakening your bones and increasing your chances of a stroke. You may even be upping the risk of developing cancer, especially of the breast.

Side effects include constipation, bad breath, lethargy and mood swings. And, of course, the pounds will pile back on as soon as you eat normally again.

I've been told all of these things while I've been on the Diet of Death for the past three weeks, but I'm going to stick with it.

Why? Because I've lost more than half a stone and unlike any other diet it has been easy - the food is tasty, I haven't been hungry and I feel great.

The only nasty side effect is that it has turned me into an Atkins Diet bore - and there are a lot of us around. The latest edition of Dr Atkins's book is selling 150,000 copies a month in the UK and has been No.1 in the bestseller list since March.

For every person doing the Atkins Diet there are a dozen scaremongers. And I can't blame them. How is it fair that I tuck into a cooked breakfast, a whole roast chicken, chunks of cheese and a burger and STILL lose weight while they detox and count WeightWatchers' points?

I THINK the confusion lies in the fact that the first fortnight of the diet is decadent enough to make Michael Winner balk.

Atkins encourages dieters to fill up on meat, fish, eggs, cheese and full-fat cream. You are allowed just one medium salad a day. Fruit is banned and vegetables are severely limited.

Of course, it would be dangerous if you did that for ever. But you're only supposed to eat like this for two weeks.

If you follow the plan sensibly and correctly, you move to the second phase and slowly reintroduce carbs, fruit and nuts.

The diet encourages you to limit your alcohol intake and to drink plenty of water. I've banned crisps, chocolate and biscuits from my shopping trolley.

I've cut out potatoes, rice, cereals, pasta and bread - for now. But I eat more fish, chicken, lean meat and salads, broccoli, green beans and spinach. And now I've advanced to the next stage, I'm eating fruit as well.

Does that sound like a dangerous diet to you? And, unlike other diets I've tried, it didn't make me miserable or give me wind. It's easy to criticise Atkins because it seems to be riddled with inconsistencies.

You can have full-fat cream in your coffee but no milk in your tea. You can have bacon and eggs for breakfast, but you can't have an apple. You can eat cheddar but not low-fat cottage cheese.

Dr Atkins believed carbohydrates overstimulate the production of insulin, leading to hunger and weight gain. He argued that if people avoided them and instead ate limited amounts of fat and protein, the body would turn to its own fat stores for energy.

All I can tell you is that it works. I've dropped from 9st 9lb to 9st, even though I broke the no alcohol rule.

It's more straightforward than keeping track of how many calories I've eaten each day, safer than diet pills and it's far more filling and tasty than a diet shake or soup. The first two weeks were easy - the secret is not to skip breakfast so you're not tempted later in the day. I got up 15 minutes early to cook, which wasn't a chore because I love bacon and eggs.

And instead of feeling ravenous at 11am, I struggled to eat a salad for lunch at 2pm.

If I had a chocolate craving I'd eat an individual cheese portion and my hunger would wane.

And dinner was easy - a huge ham and cheese omelette, steak with roquefort cheese or ready- cooked roast chicken.

MY social life didn't suffer - it's summer and everyone is having barbecues which is perfect Atkins' fodder.

Even after several glasses of wine I stuck to the diet by having a Burger King bacon double cheeseburger and leaving the bun.

Ironically, the trickiest part was when I visited a health farm and was confronted with wholemeal quiche, rice, pasta and bowls of fruit - all out of bounds during the induction period.

Now I'm on phase two and the process has slowed down. But my diet is more varied and I'll stay on it until I've lost a few more pounds.

The Atkins Diet succeeds where other diets fail because it reaps early rewards - clothes feel looser within a matter of days.

Other slimming experts encourage you to lose weight slowly to keep it off. But watching the pounds drop off is the greatest encouragement.

Even Hollywood actresses such as Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger with their pick of the world's best nutritionists and dieticians have selected Atkins as their diet of choice.

The results of the first clinical trials into the diet were released in May and showed not only that it resulted in more weight loss than conventional low-fat diets but that it was safe. Researchers even suggested it may combat heart disease and diabetes.

The doom-merchants have got a job on their hands if they want to stem the current craze for low-carb eating. Because for all their threats of the long-term side effects, we slimmers are only interested in one thing.

It works.

Eat these..

AN unlimited amount of chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, beef, lamb, pork, veal, eggs and bacon

Fats including oils, olive oil, butter and mayonnaise. Limited amounts of cheese, olives, avocado, cream, lemon/lime juice, salad, non-starchy vegetables.

Avoid these..

ALL other carbohydrates including bread, pasta, grains and starchy veg.

Dairy products other than cheese, cream or butter. Fruit.

Chickpeas, kidney beans and other legumes, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, any medications containing sugar - speak to your GP or pharmacist.

Nuts and seeds (in the first two weeks).