The Atkins diet is a low carbohydrate diet based on the theory that excess carbohydrates, specifically refined carbohydrates, white flour and sugar, lead to excess fat storage. Therefore, the Atkins Diet focuses on protein and fat in order to prevent excess fat storage in the body. The plan takes a person through four phases of diets, beginning with all meats and cheeses and slowly adding in other food groups. The maintenance phase of the Atkins diet is based on fat, protein and vegetables, with small amounts of fruit and complex carbohydrates and oils.

Health Claims of the Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet claims that a focus on high protein and fat intake with low carbohydrate intake causes the body to use glucose (the simplest carbohydrate) as energy instead of storing it as fat. The Atkins Diet has many success stories and scientific research studies showing that its diet plan leads to successful natural weight loss, improved cholesterol levels, better energy, and decreases in certain heart disease risk factors. It has also proved to control blood sugars in people with diabetes.

Criticisms of the Atkins Diet

The main concern over the Atkins Diet is that the amount of fat and protein can lead to heart disease. While some studies show that the Atkins Diet improves heart disease risk, other studies have shown the opposite. The Atkins Diet is very different from the American Heart Association’s heart healthy diet plan and therefore many health care providers are skeptical of the high amounts of protein and fat. Another criticism is that the weight loss is not sustainable and leads to unhealthy fluctuations in weight. Additionally, people with diseases such as gout and kidney disease can have serious complications from a low carbohydrate diet plan. Lastly, certain unpleasant side effects such as muscle cramps, diarrhea, and general weakness have been associated with the Atkins Diet.

Compatibility of the Atkins Diet and the Hauser Diet

The theory of the Hauser Diet explains why there are conflicting studies regarding the benefits of the Atkins Diet. The main principle of the Hauser Diet is that there is not one proper diet plan for all people. Everyone has a unique physiology and therefore needs a unique healthy diet plan to support that physiology. A low carbohydrate diet works well for some people, mainly people who are fast oxidizers or have acidic venous blood pH, in addition to those who have an elevated Hemoglobin A1c level. These people need the Hauser Lion or Otter Diets, which are similar to the macrobiotic breakdown of the Atkins Diet. These people will experience natural weight loss, better energy, and improved heart disease risk factors on a low carbohydrate diet. However people with slow oxidation or alkaline blood pH need a more vegetarian diet plan, such as the Giraffe or Monkey Diets, and can actually have serious health complications if they follow a diet such as the Atkins Diet. Some people, Hauser Bear Diet Types, fall right in the middle and do best with a balanced approach, perhaps closer to the Atkin’s maintenance phase, but will not likely feel good during the other phases of the diet.

How does one know what diet plan to follow? Through Diet Typing! The modified glucose insulin tolerance test and hemoglobin A1c level reveals a person’s oxidation rate and snapshot of past blood sugar levels, and a fasting venous blood pH measurement shows whether or not they are in balance. The results of these tests reveal the correct Diet Type a person is and exactly what healthy diet plan to follow. Beginning a diet such as the Atkins Diet simply because you think it may work or know someone who has found success on the diet is not the best way to choose a diet plan and can harm your body. With the Hauser Diet, you can monitor your progress by rechecking fasting blood sugar levels, Hemoglobin A1c, blood pH levels, cholesterol, blood glucose levels, or other labs, to ensure you are moving in the right direction for YOU. If you want to know with confidence how to eat, give us a call and make an appointment for Diet Typing today!