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magine a world without pasta, pancakes, bagels and even some fruits and vegetables. Imagine steak and eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Such is the world many are beginning to explore through two high-protein, low-carbohydrate fad diets – the Atkins diet and the new South Beach diet.
With any new fad, controversies arise, and these two diets are no exception. Some people question if the diets are really what they are hyped up to be. Two University of Maine food and nutrition experts say absolutely not. Both Atkins and South Beach are similar in that they promote restriction of carbohydrates, through phases of eating almost none to slightly increased levels. UMaine’s resident dietitian Laura Honeycutt said neither diet is good, but South Beach is better than Atkins because it promotes eating healthier proteins, such as chicken and fish, versus eating any proteins, such as red, fatty beef.
“I definitely don’t consider Atkins healthy,” Honeycutt said.
According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), in the final stage of Atkins – the maintenance stage that people are encouraged to do for up to a lifetime – the body’s intake is supposed to be 45 percent fat. The American Dietetic Association suggests people’s fat intake should be less than 30 percent.
Also in the maintenance stage of Atkins, dieters should consume 834 milligrams of cholesterol per day. The ADA suggests people should consume fewer than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. Cholesterol is a contributor for heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes.
In the maintenance stage, Atkins permits 116 grams of carbohydrates per day, versus the ADA’s suggested 275 to 325 grams of carbohydrates per day for an average 2,000-calorie diet.
Honeycutt said carbohydrates are needed for the body to function. To survive, the brain needs 100 to 125 grams of carbohydrates each day. Without this minimum, a person will die, she said. When people are on low-carbohydrate diets, such as Atkins and South Beach, the body still needs to burn carbohydrates for energy, so it takes them from muscles in the body – including the heart – which is why people suffering from anorexia often die from heart disease.
“It’s not just acutely dangerous. It seems to be not wise to eat less than 100 grams of carbohydrates per day,” Musgrave said.
According to an article on the Physicians Committee Web site, titled “Deadly dieting: The truth behind the Atkins plan” by Patrice Green, M.D., Atkins has numerous negative side effects, such as bad breath, constipation, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, irritability and lightheadedness. Kidneys can be damaged due to the protein overload and calcium is “leached” from the bones, the article states. Digestive tracts can also be damaged through the application of the diet, according to the site.
Although Atkins has been around since the 1970s, no long-term research has been done to determine its health effects.
“I wouldn’t want to do that to my body without having adequate research to know it’s safe,” Honeycutt said. “I wouldn’t want to take that chance.”
Honeycutt said “ketosis” is induced within the first phase of Atkins. Most often found with starvation and uncontrolled diabetes, ketosis is an unnatural stage for the body that occurs when there are no carbohydrates for it to use for energy, so the body turns to fat instead. Honeycutt said this first stage is where the most weight loss occurs.
“The first eight to 14 pounds is water, which is why the weight is lost quickly,” Honeycutt said.
Healthy weight loss, according to the ADA, is an average of one pound per week.
“Immediate results of either diet are almost spectacular, and people get a feeling of control,” said UMaine professor of food and nutrition Katherine Musgrave.
“It can backfire very quickly,” Honeycutt said. “Very rarely does the weight stay off.”
Some are able to keep the weight off after going off a fad diet like Atkins, but these people are in the minority, according to Honeycutt.
When people cut a food group from their diet, good health is compromised, Honeycutt said.
UMaine fourth-year student and communications major Jennifer Wendell used the South Beach diet for two weeks, and said she experienced some of the negative effects of decreasing her carbohydrate intake.
“I am very active and after not having carbohydrates even for just one day I barely had strength to get up four flights of stairs – something that had never been a problem in the past,” Wendell said.
Wendell said she would often get tired in the middle of a day at a time when she would normally have had a sandwich or something that included carbohydrates.
“Taking out sugars from my diet really weakened me and made it very difficult to function with everyday life,” Wendell said.
In addition to the health risks of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, there is also controversy about the hype surrounding the diets.
“It’s a money-making ploy if there ever was one,” Green wrote in the article from PCRM. “Unfortunately, Americans seem to be eating it up by the pound.”
Honeycutt said the appeal in these fad diets is the “quick fix” factor.
“People fall for these diets because it’s not easy to change your behavior,” Musgrave said. “It’s so much easier to think that if you just eat certain foods you will lose weight. But there is no magic food.”
Atkins and South Beach appear to be everywhere in America today. The dieting industry stepped up promotion of weight-loss plans around the beginning of the year because people tend to set goals to lose weight, according to Honeycutt.
Restaurants have added “Atkins-friendly” meals to their menus. Grocery stores sell “Atkins” labeled food products. Magazine covers tell which superstars have done which of the two prominent diets and how much weight they have lost in a short amount of time. Other stores showcase the new South Beach and Atkins books near checkout lines to catch people’s attention. To Musgrave and Honeycutt, this is just another phase that will pass and come again in future years.
Honeycutt said people need to remember there are benefits from carbohydrates. They provide a good source of fiber, are important for digestion, lower cholesterol and help people feel more full and satisfied after meals.
“Carbohydrates aren’t bad. Too much of anything is bad,” Honeycutt said. “Carbohydrates aren’t the villain – it’s total calories.”
Musgrave said unhealthy, easily accessible food is leading to a nation filled with obesity.
“We have hyperactive appetites in hypoactive bodies,” Musgrave said. “We don’t exercise a lot and we just like to eat. We just have gone crazy about food in this country, so as a result we have a real epidemic.”
Wendell said South Beach taught her what types of carbohydrates were more nutritious to eat.
“So many Americans eat too many carbohydrates, and it was good to see that you don’t have to rely on them every time you’re hungry,” Wendell said.
Approximately 65 percent of the American public is trying to lose weight or maintain weight, Musgrave said.
“Americans don’t need bogus and potentially dangerous diet plans to lose weight and stay healthy,” Green wrote in the article from PCRP. “They just need to follow good, old-fashioned common sense: Cut fat and cholesterol, add fresh fiber-rich foods, exercise regularly, get familiar with vegetarian foods, and never fear carbs again.”
