How It Works: The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet works by restricting processed carbohydrates such as high-sugar foods, breads, grains, pasta, cereal and starchy vegetables. Since these ingredients are usually the body's primary energy source, restricting them is designed to lead your body to burn your secondary energy source, your own body fat. Consequently, you would lose weight.

The program was first introduced in 1972 by Dr. Robert C. Atkins. It instructs you to eat nutrient-dense vegetables like beans, celery, eggplant and spinach and proteins including eggs, meat, chicken and fish. The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine insists that this is one of the most nutritional eating philosophies, since the foods you eat provide the body with essential amino and fatty acids as well as a variety of vitamins and minerals.

The Atkins diet is not just for people who are obese, according to the Atkins Center. It is designed for a variety of people with a diversity of needs. The Atkins Center suggests that, with time, everyone can reach his or her ideal weight. The diet is also designed to promote stable blood sugar. Stable blood sugar offers the following health benefits: reduction in food cravings and mood swings, increase in energy and restful sleep and prevention of chronic diseases such as asthma, adult onset diabetes, heart disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Source: The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine

Copyright 2002 by WESH.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.