The Atkins Diet is a leap a way from prevailing theories. It claims that there are two main factors that go unnoticed about western eating habits. The diet argues that the main cause of Obesity is eating refined carbohydrates, mainly focusing on sugar, flour, and high fructose corn syrups. Secondly it states that saturated fat is overrated as a nutritional problem and that only trans fats from foods that contain hydrogenated oils need to be avoided. Another major concept behind the diet is that Dr. Atkins rejects advice of the food pyramid, instead asserting that tremendous increase in refined carbohydrates is responsible for the rise in metabolic disorders of the 20th century. He believes that dietary fat has actually contributed to the obesity problem.
Atkins restricts net carbs, carbs that have an effect on blood sugar. Net carbohydrates can be calculated from a food source by subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber from the total amount of Carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols are treated with caution because even though they convert to glucose at a slower rate, they can be a good source of glycemic load and therefore slow weight loss.
The Atkins diet involves the restriction of carbohydrates so that it can lower the intake of unnecessary carbohydrates, not to cut the out completely. The purpose of this is to switch the body’s metabolism from burning glucose to burning fat primarily stored fat. This process is known as lipolysis begins when the body inters a state of ketosis, as a consequence of running out of excess carbohydrates to burn.
