My Blog – Now with half the carbs!

OK. It was ridiculous six months ago. Now it is far beyond absurd. This Atkin’s thing is just not healthy. Not for our bodies. Not for our economy and culture.

Bakeries are literally going out of business because of this pop-culture craze. I recently read an article about Krispy Kreme losing stock and closing stores because of this popular diet (Wasn’t Krispy Kreme the big fad not three years ago?).

The deli where I work just started offering a low-carb lunch wrap.

It just makes me cringe any time somebody says they are on the Atkin’s diet. I just want to scream out, “NO! It is NOT healthy!” Don’t these people realize what they are doing to their bodies? The theory, I realize, is this: Our bodies burn carbohydrates before they burn fat. Eliminate the carbs, and our bodies won’t hold any of the fat we eat.

Boy, if it were only that simple. It doesn’t take a genious nutritionist to look at the food pyramid and think, Hmmm carbohydrates are supposed to be the single largest part of my daily diet. They must be important. I’ve heard countless times that as soon as somebody re-introduces carbs to their body after a time on the Atkin’s, their body is so shocked by it that it will absorb every single gram of carbohydrate and fat that it can. Why? Because it’s been starved of what it needs!

Atkin’s is simply a way to starve yourself while filling your stomach at the same time. Isn’t this just some grotesquely glamorized version of an eating disorder? I do not understand how countless thousands of people can be so brainwashed by a simple fad. It never ceases to amaze me that we are, in fact, sheep.

Well not me. Give me loaf of french bread, and let me smother it in butter and garlic!

Posted in life

4 Comments

  • the Sage
    I agree with you that Atkins is unhealthy, but not because of the food pyramid. The pyramid was exposed long ago as not being based on any scientific evidence, but the result of pressure from the (then strong) agricultural lobbies. My wife and I have been eating, more or less, according to the Zone diet for about five years now. It's a much more sensible approach, because it was designed for overall health, not just weight loss, although most people who follow it (and exercise properly) do lose or control their weight. It's based on a good balance of protein, carbohydrates (preferably from low-glycemic sources like vegetables), and "good" fat at every meal, spread evenly through the day. The idea is to keep your insulin levels steady throughout the day. When we're eating that way consistently, we have observed that we feel better, are more mentally alert, and hardly ever get sick.
  • the Sage
    This is a link to an article about the Zone and the food pyramid.
  • mb
    My Mom went to the dentist recently and they mentioned she looked like she had lost weight. They asked her if she was doing the Atkins diet and replied, "Are you kidding? I get my hands on any carbs I can." I also eat very un-Atkins like food and over the past two plus years, I've lost 30 pounds. Mostly based on the fact that I exercise now, and that's the thing, carbs aren't bad if you burn them off. Distance runners load up on carbs before a race. Since so many Americans are obese and not exercising, they aren't buring carbs like they should anyway, so cutting carbs seems logical to them.
  • SarahJane
    Amen to all that's been said! It is my lifelong goal to destroy the Atkins mentality for all of the reasons you listed, Keith. it's so unhealthy for you and I know so many people who tried it and put the weight back on immediately when they added carbs back into their diet. It's so sad... if we just were a little more active like we're meant to be (we have appendages for more reasons than sitting at our computer and typing, or stretching out on the sofa for tv), health might abound just a little more.

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