10 Lies About The Atkins Diet : Lie #8
Lie #8: Carbohydrates make you fat
Dr. Atkins wrote, and I quote, "Carbohydrates are
the very food that makes you fat." He also wrote, "Diets high
in carbohydrates are precisely what most overweight people don't need
and can't become slim on."
These are very misleading statements of half-truth.
The "carbs make you fat" myth is probably the
most pervasive and damaging lie about weight control ever told. It's
caused tremendous confusion and frustration to already confused and
frustrated dieters.
First, focusing primarily on any macronutrient (protein,
carbs or fat) or macronutrient ratio should be secondary to energy balance.
What makes you fat is eating too many calories.
Truth is, you can't blame all "carbohydrates"
as a group for why we are getting fatter. What type of carbohydrates
are we talking about? There are good carbs and bad carbs. The "bad"
carbs are the refined ones; white flour and white sugar products like
white bread, white pasta, sugar sweetened cereals, candy and soft drinks.
To avoid confusion, I would suggest never using the word
"carbohydrate" without putting the adjective "refined"
or "natural" in front of it.
Ironically, Dr. Atkins did make this distinction in his
book, yet he still chose to recommend removal of almost ALL carbs during
the induction and weight loss phases of his diet - even the healthy
and nutrient-dense good (natural) carbs. This creates rapid weight loss
and the appearance of a hugely successful diet right from the first
week.
Again, the real questions are: What kind of weight was
lost and can you keep the weight off for good?
A healthy, maintainable fat burning diet should be centered
on natural foods - and for most people, that includes natural carbs
in moderation - not the total removal and demonizing of all carbohydrates.
This article was provided by GHF.
Click
here to visit their site for customized exercise and nutrition programs,
hundreds of exercise instructions and video demo's, a free fitness analysis,
and much more. Members now receive FREE fitness tracking software and
unlimited fitness consulting from 34 fitness, medical, and nutrition
experts!
