The low-carb craze is slowly dwindling away and Atkins Nutritionals, which turned millions of Americans against bread and other carbohydrates, is fading right along with it.
It seems the company has developed a new plan of action to say in the game, however. Atkins has revamped its popular “net carbs” concept by using parts of the latest trend from Britain: a glycemic-index diet. By using this diet, Atkins hopes to target U.S. food companies for products branded with the new “net Atkins count” seal. This new method is said to:
More accurately gauge a dieter’s blood sugar response to foods and subsequent weight gain.
Be more precise than the net carbs subtraction method.
But is Atkins Too Far Gone?
Mixed feelings have stemmed from this new Atkins methodology. Food analysts say that consumers look at Atkins as a passing fad that initially eliminated weight, but was unsustainable. The executive vice president with a food industry research firm explains that Atkins is so well identified with net carbs that this new diet plan may present a risk against them because it may be confusing for people. On the other hand, optimists have faith that Atkins can successfully pull off the switch, and that dieting by following the glycemic index is much more maintainable than the net-carb way.
Despite concerns, current Atkins partners HP Hood LLC and CoolBrands International Inc. are eager to come up with new product lines for the change.
Reuters March 23, 2005
Let me start off by saying that I have enormous respect for Dr. Atkins' pioneering work with nutrition. He advocated his low-carb approach despite harsh criticism from the medical establishment, which has been addicted to their drastically misinformed low-fat, low-calorie approach since the 1970s. It is no secret that I agree with the general principle that guided Dr. Atkins efforts: Carbohydrates increase the rate of insulin in the body, which in turn encourages the body to put on and store fat.
However, it is also no secret that while the bulk of Dr. Atkins' work is right on target, there are aspects of his program that fall short of helping people lose weight and permanently prevent disease. You see the Atkins Diet attempts to dish out a "one-size-fits-all" regime, with one basic program designed to meet the diverse needs of the entire population.
It is for these reasons why I am not surprised to learn that people are giving up on the Atkins diet. Two significant shortcomings of the diet include:
Dr. Atkins' diet won't do the trick for a diverse population, including one-third of the population who actually require a high-carb diet based on their body's unique metabolic type. You can learn your metabolic type now by taking the free type test and start eating the right —ratio of proteins, carbs and fats--for your individual type.
The emotional factors behind one's poor eating habits are never addressed, and the best plan in the world won't work if you can't accept the concept that you will be successful. That's why I strongly recommend learning the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), the proven energy psychology tool I use daily in my practice to address the emotional blocks that can prevent you from achieving total health and wellness.
Faulty Move: Relying on the Glycemic Index
Dr. Atkins’ new team made the same error as Dr. Agatston in the South Beach Diet in advocating the use of the glycemic index in choosing foods. In his book, Dr. Atkins says the glycemic index is "a beautiful tool" and "a highly effective system" and advocates using this tool to choose your foods not only for weight loss but also for "minimizing risk factors associated with certain diseases."
This is very misleading advice, as I have found the glycemic index to be of little value, primarily because it contains many exceptions that render it ineffective.
Fructose is a great example: Although it has a very low glycemic index and is acceptable if you follow the index standards, fructose is one of the major reasons why people are overweight. And fructose is not the only exception. Many other low-glycemic-index foods, like apple juice, chocolate and cherries, should not be eaten if your goal is to lose weight. Thus, the new “net Atkins count” diet is destined to fail, for the glycemic index is not a reliable method to lose weight nor achieve any other health-promoting state.
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