Posted on 08/03/2005 7:10:46 AM PDT by summer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- More dieters are ditching carb counts and biting into baguettes with gusto these days. ...
This week's bankruptcy filing by the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins' old company provide fresh evidence of the low-carb diet's demise, a downward spiral that began early last year. But no single new diet has filled the void.
Observers say the only sure thing -- given the boom-and-bust nature of weight-loss trends -- is that something will pop up eventually.
''There isn't one single strong contender,'' said Anne M. Russell, editor-in-chief of Shape magazine. ''If you look at what the single largest trend is, it's weight gain.''
Chapter 11 filings by Atkins Nutritionals Inc. on Monday came about a year and a half after books like ''The Atkins Essentials'' rode the best seller charts, bread makers were back on their heels and Burger King introduced a Whopper without a bun.
But Atkins has been in decline since February 2004, said Harry Balzer, a food industry analyst at market researcher NPD Group. Balzer claims Atkins was one of those demanding diets that simply ran its course, going from fad to fade like so many others before it, including the Scarsdale and the cabbage soup diets.
How far and how fast did Atkins fall? By September 2004, surplus low-carb products were being shipped to food banks in Appalachia....
Ruth Kava, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health, figures it might be something like a high-protein diet.
''Somebody will come up with something new,'' she said. ''There's a lot of creativity out there in Diet World."
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On the Net:
Government dietary guidelines: mypyramid.com
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I always thought that someone should invent a chewing gum that tastes like pizza, tacos, potaoes and gravy. All the foods that cause a person to gain weight.
Most the people I know who are over weight, eat for the taste and comfort it provides. They don't have to be hungry to eat. Most the time they aren't. It's for the taste and the comfort they find in eating. As strange as that sounds.
Someone invent a chewing gum. They get the taste, the chewing as they do when eating and the comfort.
But basically, it's eat less move more. That simple. Ha!
Mrs. kevkrom and I institued a "cheat meal" policy, where we are allowed, once per month, to eat one meal without any regard for carb counts, etc. This isn't license to splurge, but is typically used for things like parties or dinner with friends, where not everyone is on the same diet (or care to stay on it for the evening!) -- major family events like Thanksgiving can thus be planned for. It also provides a nice incentive against casual cheating -- knowing you're going to that borthday party next week gives you a better chance to pass on the leftover donuts in the lunch room...
The real trick, especially on a low-carb diet, is to be extra good the next day or two after the cheat meal -- depending on what you ate, you may have to re-purge your system of the extra sugars.
Sort of. Wild fruits are very, very good for you. Domesticated, cross-bred, and genetically engineer fruits that have been developed over time to be juicier and sweeter have much more sugar and less fiber than their wild counterparts.
What folks should really be avoiding is soda..
100% agree.
I was a complete skeptic, myself. From what I heard about Atkins, I thought it was simply a crzy diet... after all, haven't we been preached to for decades that low-fat, low-calorie is the only way to go?
Well, that was until my in-laws started, and got impressive results; especially, my mother-in-law, who as an insulin-dependent diabetic, dropped her daily insulin intake by 70% after doing Atkins. Mrs. kevkrom made the decision to start the plan, and I went along with it, thinking that I'd support her by trying it for a few weeks, and then going back on a "real" diet. That was 130 pounds ago. My blood chemistry has improved dramatically. My energy level is way up.
It may not work for everybody, but that doesn't mean that those for whom it works are some sort of cultist. Dismissing people with legitimate arguments as "cultists", "like the Scientologists", or "kool-aid drinkers" is intellectually lazy and dishonest.
Actually, having been on a low carb diet for a LONG time, I can promise you it's not just taste. Texture and crunchiness etc are equally important. For instance, the best tasting gum does not compare with a piece of cake. It's not just the flavor of the cake, but the feel of it in your mouth that one craves.
However, perhaps if we could make all food taste like cardboard.... :)
susie
As far as fruit goes, most humans until recently would never have had fruit available in any large quantities all year long. I suspect we gorged ourselves with what we could find when it was available, and then did without.
The modern diet is nothing like we evolved eating.
susie
IIRC one of the original low-carb diets introduced back in the '70s was indeed named "The Drinking Man's Diet".
Excellent quote.
I have been thinking of writing up something about religion and vegetarianism. To love God also means to love others as we love ourselves. Many Christians as well as people of other faiths take this to mean mercy to all creatures - not just kindness to humans, and death to lower animals.
Here are a couple of quotes for you to consider:
"We the Christian leaders, practice abstinence from the flesh of animals to subdue our bodies...the unnatural eating of flesh-meat is polluting." --- John Chrysostom (345-407 A.D.)
"It is far better to be happy than to have our bodies act as graveyards for animals. Accordingly, the Apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and vegetables, without flesh." --- Clement of Alexandra, an early church academician (160-240 A.D.)
From Eusebius (264-349 A.D.), an early church father, quotes a previous chuch authority (Hegesippus circ. 160 A.D.) that James, accepted by many as the brother of Christ, also abstained from eating the flesh of animals.
Many early Christians (including, IIRC, Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monks) concluded that Christian love and mercy should be extended to the animal kingdom as well as fellow humans.
People can be perfectly healthy without eating meat. Why cause suffering and bloodshed when it isn't even necessary? I'm certainly not a pacificst - I enthusiastically support the death penalty when justified, and just war. But those who are innocent of any crime should be protected - such as unborn children.
The idea that animals have no souls in not supported in the Bible or other scriptures of the world. It's interesting to look at the original Greek and Hebrew words... I am NO scholar, I can only read what others have researched. But what is life? Life comes from God. The spark of life is the soul. Animals are not machines. When they die, the soul leaves. They experience suffering, fear, and pain. I don't want to be part of causing that, just to eat.
I don't talk about this much on FR... I figure if people can get to the point of not suppporting the killing of helpless unborn and invalids, then the mercy may extend to animals.
Thank you for your reasonableness! I respect your POV highly, and I certainly don't expect everyone in the world to agree with me on all issues.
Although it would be nice.
:-)
Oh I agree. Nothing beats the "crunchy" feel and sound.
I've been eating the Atkins way since 1999. Lost all my weight and have kept it off.
Yeah, but if you Google "Atkins" AND "Safe" you get over 742,000 hits, so there!
My shipment just arrived from The Better Health Store, which has about the best prices and selection I've found. It's two of my favorites, Choc/PB and PB Granola. It also has something new to me: Chocolate Chip Granola Bar. Wow, really yummy.
Dan
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