Doctors' group urges Atkins diet ban

Washinton Times ^ | August 22, 2003 | UPI

[Cincinatus' Wife]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Nutritionists are urging the top 10 U.S. hospitals to ban the Atkins diet, reports said Friday.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine announced Friday in Washington it hopes the hospitals will emulate England's Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, which is eliminating the controversial diet from its menus, fearing a link to kidney damage.

[diotima]

I follow Atkins primarily because I am hypoglycemic. I went off of Atkins around Christmas time, and haven't been very good about getting back on the wagon. I started watching my carb intake again last week.

Here is what I have found: SPLENDA doesn't effect my blood sugar. Aspertame has been known to effect blood sugar although, YMMV. The sugar alcohols also are reported to effect people.

I would highly recommend Splenda: you can cook with it, unlike aspertame and it taste much better than aspertame or "the pink stuff."

You can buy Splenda in most grocery markets now. When I started Atkins, Splenda wasn't approved in the US and I had a friend send it to me from Canada. I've been watching my carbs for about six or seven years. Many products contain Splenda: most Atkins products do, Diet rite cola does (but not Diet Vanilla Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, or Coke. GRR) sugar free candy along with Sugar alcohols, and many sugar free syrups like DaVinci.

I would suggest that your wife try the Splenda and see if that has any effect. I haven't heard of many problems using it.

[Wright is right!]

"You know, I actually heard a BEM (Booger Eating Moron) say, "If the Atkins diet is so healthy, why's Dr Atkins dead?" My response was, "A healthy diet simply can't protect your head from blunt force trauma, you idiot!"

Wife and I went to a wedding Saturday evening (YAY! I love weddings...) and at the reception we sat with some pipple my wife knows professionally and I know personally. Most had not seen me in a couple of years, so they remember how I looked then. To a one, they ran on about how great I look. One asked me how.

"Atkins," I replied. Boy did that start a conversation. And it resulted in TWO conversions!

But as soon as I said "Atkins," the husband of one lady said "Atkins is dead." It seems that a lot of pipple are spreading the fantasy that the diet cannot possibly be any good because the guy is room temp. It's also amazing that seemingly NO ONE knows HOW he died. I quickly corrected them.

I'm at the stage where I will allow myself one high-glycemic carb per week, but I almost never finish the serving on my plate. I'm never hungry and eat all I want at mealtime and never gain an ounce. Periodically, I'll get out the electronic scale and weight myself - it's always exactly 176. I'm 5'11" male, turning 59 in Oct.

Michael

[carlo3b]

DELICIOUS CREMINI MUSHROOM FRITTATA

A favorite dish throughout Italy, and making a big play in smart Low Carb kitchens in your neighborhood!

• 1 pound Cremini mushrooms*
• 1/4 cup pure olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 3 tablespoons Italian (flat) parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 large eggs

1) Clean ** and prepare the mushrooms, and slice.
2) In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil.
3) Add the garlic and sauté until it releases its aroma.
4) Add the mushrooms and sauté until softened.
5) Add 2 tablespoons parsley and continue to cook. Remove from heat and set aside.
Season with salt and pepper.
6) Whisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper. Add the mushrooms and combine.
Heat a non-stick pan drizzled with olive oil. Add the egg mixture and allow to set on medium heat, careful not to brown the bottom. Cover the pan, and allow to cook completely.
Remove from the pan onto a platter.
Cut into wedges and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley. Serves 4

*Cremini mushrooms, similar in size and shape to common cultivated white mushrooms, have a more pronounced flavor and a rich brown skin concealing creamy tan flesh.
**Cleaning mushrooms are easy, softly remove any particles using a damp paper towel, or soft brush.

[1L]

I don't know that I agree with the high fat portion of Atkins, but the low carbs IS the ticket. We've gotten fatter during the last 30 years due to carbs, not fat. As far as kidney and osteo, heart disease (i.e. current dietary situation) is MUCH more common and dangerous. And if you drink enough fluids, you don't have the kidney problems.

[Right Wing Professor]

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a LEFT WING POLITICAL ORGANIZATION, not a medical organization.

It also has direct links to PETA.

[Coleus]

I'm an animal lover too.

They taste delicious.

[katana]

My understanding of why these types of diets work isn't based on Atkins but on a European diet book called "Eat and Grow Thin". The basic premise is that foods high in lipids (fats) can only be converted into stored body fat through chemical synthesis with blood glucose (sugars). The index of supporting research in the back of the book was extensive and very impressive.

The diet "plan" was to never eat carbs and fats in the same meal and always wait a minimum of three hours between meals. High carb meals (bread, grains, pasta, etc.) were fine but you couldn't, for example, put butter or sour cream on a potato. The idea was keep blood glucose level to a minimum while processing fat through the blood stream and the fat simply won't be stored. I lost 65 pounds on that diet over the course of six months and never felt better in my life.

[ironman]

I'm down around 3% body fat. Because of the volume and intensity of my training I need a lot of carbs. For the ironman your fueling plan (drinking and eating) is very important. Through the training your body learns how to absorb huge quantities of liquids and calories without (hopefully) having stomach discomfort.

[Hank Rearden]

Thanks for posting the recipes, Carlo; some inspiration there!

Have you found a good source (online preferred; I live in the boonies) for Splenda? Here at the local Safeway, it's pretty expensive to buy the bulk box. The 200-pc individual packets are 9 bucks, which do last a while, but replacing sugar with bulk Splenda in recipes is expensive!

[Nachum]

Thank you for this recipe! We will definately try this one out this week.-

Oh, By the way. I had a HUGE scare this weekend I thought I might have had a kidney stone. I was fearing that this diet was to blame. I found out that it was only a urinary tract infection- and my doctor said that Atkins was OK. His only problem with it was that people reverted back to their old eating habits and gained the weight back.

[RikaStrom]

Let me know, I have an indonesian fish recipe that is easy and yummy too! Let me go hunt it up.

[nepdap]

Atkins has ice cream, and there is brand called LeCarb but not widely available.

In our area (southwest Houston), you can buy LeCarb at WalMart Supercenters.

[conservcalgal]

Ok, all! School starts Monday and I'll be back on Atkins! On the last thread someone mentioned an Atkins Friends chat or message board, maybe? Can anyone direct me there?

here's my fav
http://forum.lowcarber.org/

Since April, I'm down from a size 12 to 6!!!!

[diotima]

www.atkinsfriends.com

[carlo3b]

The 200-pc individual packets are 9 bucks, which do last a while, but replacing sugar with bulk Splenda in recipes is expensive!

WHAT 200=9 bucks!!!Thats cheap..LOL I have something else that I use that really works, but I haven't any idea if I will drop dead next week because I use it..Haha
I use it when I am testing it on the new low carb recipes, and it tastes like the real thing. Granulated SugarSlim, and Xylitol.. they aren't cheap either, but they are great. I am paying about $7 a pound! SugarSlim is equal to sugar 1c=1c, Xylitol 3/4=1 c sugar.

[carlo3b]

Thank heaven it was just a scare.. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop with Atkins, but I think the results are in. If there were one confirmed case of a real problem it would be headlines everywhere.

[SouthParkRepublican]

"I've switched from Bud to Mic Ultra."

Yessir. 2.2 Grams per bottle and after the first 5 you cant tell the difference anyway.

[RJayneJ]

I've been getting my keto stix from the Atkins online store and they are longer than the ones I used to buy years ago when I was on Atkins. The longer wand makes them much easier to use if you are female. http://www.supplementsstore.com/store.asp

[SamAdams76]

Well you asked for before and after pictures of me. I just had a picture taken of me today on a fishing boat. So here goes...

This is me last September with my sons Brian and Christopher. This is in front of Nathaniel Hawthorne's house near the North Bridge in Concord. At the time, I was in the neighborhood of 285-290 pounds and I remember that day well. I was hot, tired and hungry. Right after this picture was taken, we stopped at an ice cream stand and I had a huge ice cream sundae. A few months later, I would be at 300 pounds.

This picture was taken this afternoon during a fishing trip. Here I am in Gloucester Harbor with my son Christopher (Brian is taking the picture). I had a vigorous 5 mile walk this morning and I am just full of energy in this picture. I am down to 228 pounds this morning and believe it or not, I intend to lose at least another 20.

[Okies love Dubya 2]

You look great :) How tall are you--you sure don't look like you weigh 228! FWIW, my own husband has lost 40 pounds since April and is contemplating losing just a little more. He is 6'3" and at his heaviest weighed 260. I have cut my carbs some just from him following Atkins and I shed the last of the weight from our second child. I am now down to my prepregnancy weight of 115 (5'5")