Attention Carnivores! Is the Atkins Diet All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
For a long time there have been heated debates about whether the Atkins Diet or a low fat diet is better for you. Recent research has revealed some new information we thought you would find interesting. A long-term clinical trial randomly assigned 307 obese adults to a low fat/low calorie diet or to a low carbohydrate diet like the high protein Atkins Diet. Both of these diet groups also participated in behavioral modification classes, and after two years, both diet groups lost 15 pounds on average.
But how did these diets benefit their health?
Interestingly enough, the Atkins dieters had a greater increase in their good cholesterol, also known as HDL. On both of these diet plans, the participants saw a reduced risk of heart disease, lower LDL cholesterol levels, and lower triglycerides. Still, the Atkins dieters that had an increase in their good cholesterol also had theunpleasant side effects of constipation, bad breath, hair loss, and dry mouth.
Is there a better way?
First of all, you’ll notice that after two whole years, the participants in the study had only lost an average of 15 pounds. This was shocking news to us because it is quite easy to lose that much weight in less than a month on the Body Ecology Diet. Even though the Atkins diet came out a winner on HDL when it was compared to a low calorie/low fat diet, it still caused unpleasant side effects. Constipation, bad breath, hair loss, and dry mouth indicate a significant loss in quality of life.
Unfortunately, the study did not compare the other two diets with the Body Ecology Diet. We would have loved to show how effectively our diet helps balance your LDL, or “bad”, levels of cholesterol while increasing the good cholesterol in your body.
Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance found in every cell in your body. It is essential to life. Without it, for example, our bodies couldn’t make vitamin D or hormones. Yes, too much LDL increases your risk of stroke, heart disease, or a fatal heart attack, but a balanced amount is healthy and quite normal. LDL levels become elevated when you eat a diet high in process foods and unhealthy fats. It’s great to learn that both the high animal protein diet and the low fat/low calorie diet lowered LDL levels in obese people and reduced the risk for heart disease, but it’s not surprising.
Obesity tends to increase your LDL levels and lower your HDL levels anyway. With a dietary change (avoiding process foods and bad fats) and with a 15 pound loss in weight, the obese participants should have automatically lowered their LDL levels. And, of course, obese people tend not to exercise. A lack of exercise also raises the “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Over 140 million Americans suffer from high cholesterol, leaving them at risk for fatalities caused by heart disease and stroke.
Why the Body Ecology Diet Is Better than the High Protein Diet
On The B.E.D., we do eat animal protein foods – if they are right for your unique body. Furthermore, we always suggest combining the animal protein with a lot of non-starchy vegetables. Ideally, a combination of veggies from the land, ocean, and those that have been fermented is the way to go. Your fish, chicken, or lamb would be kept to about 20% of the meal, and the veggies would make up 80%. The fermented vegetables will help you digest your animal protein much more efficiently and taking ASSIST for Dairy and Protein along with our new Assist SI (Coming Soon) for the digestion of protein in the small intestine will also ensure that the protein you eat will be well assimilated.
What Else Can Body Ecology Do That These Other Diets Don’t?
Luckily, Body Ecology also provides a low cholesterol diet solution in raising your levels of good cholesterol without the unpleasant side effects caused by Atkins diet food.
On The Body Ecology Diet, your cholesterol levels will improve because you will only be eating the excellent, high-quality fats we recommend: meaning the unrefined, virgin fats that your body thrives on.
As for low fat, low carb, and low calorie diets, the Body Ecology Diet is a healthy fat/low sugar diet that will replace the need to limit your calorie counting. You just aren’t eating the dangerous carbs that drain away your life force energy anymore.
If you happen to be connected to any other research group that is evaluating different dieting results, please tell them to check out the Body Ecology Diet. The results will once and for all end the debate over which diet is best for you.
Sources:
Diet: Low-Fat vs. Atkins: Parallel Results, NYTimes.com, 9 August 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/health/research/10diet.html?_r=3&ref=health
Cholesterol Statistics. American Heart Association.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4506