Atkins diet: What is it and should I try it?

How does it work?

When a person is on the Atkins Diet, their body’s metabolism switches from burning glucose, or sugar, as fuel to burning its own stored body fat. This switching is called ketosis.

The Atkins diet avoids foods with a high glycemic load.

When glucose levels are low, insulin levels are also low. At this point, ketosis occurs. In other words, when glucose levels are low, the body switches to using its own stores of fat as a source of energy.

Before eating, a person’s glucose levels are low, so insulin levels are also low. When a person eats, their glucose levels rise. This triggers insulin levels to rise.

The glycemic index is a scale that ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100, based on how quickly they increase blood sugar levels after eating, and by how much.

Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and candy, contain high levels of glucose. They are called high glycemic foods. The carbohydrates enter the blood rapidly, and they cause insulin levels to rise quickly.

Other types of carbohydrates, such as oats, do not affect blood glucose levels so quickly or so severely. They have a low glycemic load, and they appear lower down the glycemic index.

Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols have a minimal effect on blood sugar levels. According to Dr. Atkins, the best carbohydrates are those with a low glycemic load.

To make up for the lack of vitamin-rich foods, the diet encourages adherents to use vitamin and mineral supplements.

Using the fat in the body

If there is no glucose in the body, ketosis will occur. During ketosis, the body will transfer some of the fat stores in fat cells to the blood to be used as energy.

Fish, meat, and low-carb vegetables are suitable on the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet works on the basis that a diet that is low in carbohydrates. This causes the body to burn more calories than it would on other diets, because it encourages ketosis.

Dr. Atkins suggested that a person´s saturated fat intake should be kept to a maximum of 20 percent of all the calories they consume.

For people with type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome, the Atkins diet claims to lower, and sometimes eliminate, the need for medications.

However, diabetes specialists warn that although watching carbohydrate and glucose intake are a vital part of diabetes care, the Atkins diet is not a simple solution for diabetes.