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-   -   Low-carb South Beach diet gains a strong following (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=175009)

ellemenno Fri, Mar-26-04 01:39

Low-carb South Beach diet gains a strong following
 
Almost...

Low-carb South Beach diet gains a strong following

Los Angeles Times
Mar. 25, 2004 07:25 PM


Veteran dieter Louise "Cookie" Witham never considered trying the Dr. Atkins' diet that promises followers they can eat plenty of steak, cheese, bacon and eggs and still lose weight -- provided they give up almost all carbohydrates.

Not only would she have had to cut out bread, pasta and potatoes, but also fruit and most vegetables. "It just never appealed to me, eating all that red meat and high fat," Witham said.

But last Thanksgiving, Witham's 29-year-old daughter, Erica, a physical trainer who has always been the thin one in the upstate New York family, brought home a copy of "The South Beach Diet" and urged her parents and two siblings to try it. They're now believers.

Word-of-mouth success stories such as the Withams' have quickly propelled "The South Beach Diet" to the top of the best-seller list -- with more than 5.5 million hardcover copies flying off shelves since its April release. Its popularity -- along with several other new diet books such as "The Good Carbohydrate Revolution," "Living the Low Carb Life" and a less-restrictive version of the Atkins diet that allows more of the so-called "good carbs" -- has helped push the low-carb craze mainstream.

More than three decades after Dr. Robert Atkins introduced his controversial, but intermittently popular, no-carb diet, Americans are changing how, and what, they eat.

Essentially a modified version of the high-protein Atkins diet, the eating plan developed by Miami cardiologist Arthur Agatston seems healthier and more palatable for the long term, its supporters say, with unlimited quantities of nonstarchy vegetables and salad. Although it allows no fruit or whole grains in the first two weeks of the plan, small amounts are allowed afterward. The diet also allows reasonable portions of protein and fats, though it urges leaner meat cuts, reduced-fat cheeses and monounsaturated olive and other oils.

Since the Withams went on the diet Jan. 2, Cookie Witham, 53, has dropped 20 pounds; husband Steve, 60, has shed 18; daughter Christie, 32, has lost 26; and son Steve, 26, has sloughed off 45 pounds. Much to their surprise, the diet hasn't been hard and they no longer crave the foods they gave up.

"Everybody's happy," said Cookie Witham, who still intends to drop several dozen more pounds, as do her two children. "Though the weight is no longer falling off as fast, that's fine. We're learning to eat better."

Whether such diets are truly healthier and more effective than traditional diets remains to be seen. There has been little long-term research on them so far.

But the South Beach diet, in particular, is a step in the right direction, health experts say. It builds on Atkins' principles, and even with its limitations, is seemingly more health conscious and easier to follow for long periods.

"For the first time in a long time, one of the most popular weight-loss books is recommending a healthy diet," the Center for Science in the Public Interest wrote in its January-February Nutrition Action newsletter.

Dr. Frank M. Sacks, a prominent professor at Harvard University's nutrition department, says he recommends the South Beach diet to people who ask him about it. "It's a lot better than Atkins for the low-carb approach, in that it doesn't emphasize such a continuing intake of meat and has many interesting, healthy recipes."

Whereas fats were seen as the primary enemy in America's battle of the bulge for the past two decades, carbs are now being branded as the main villain. White foods -- such as flour, rice, pasta and potatoes (which just a few years ago touted their "zero-fat" benefits) -- are now verboten.

Many nutritionists and health experts have been saying for years that Americans have been consuming far too many carbohydrates, particularly "high-glycemic" processed products containing an abundance of refined sugars, corn syrup and flours that cause an insulin rush and trigger hunger. But now a number of forces have joined the low-carb movement, pushing the low-fat emphasis aside. Many experts think it's more than just a fad. By endorsing the South Beach diet, the Center for Science in the Public Interest itself seems to be shifting direction, after long advocating that low-fat diets were the way to go.

"It's a cumulative effect," Sacks says. "I've had a lot of colleagues who strongly supported the standard, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets that now are gradually coming around to thinking that if people are not going to eat standard low-fat diets, then maybe a Mediterranean diet -- which, like South Beach, includes fish, poultry, lean meats, monounsaturated oils, lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains -- is the way to go."

In the last few months, food manufacturers have introduced hundreds of low-carb products and are flaunting them in new ad campaigns, with no slowdown in sight. After all, more than 17 percent of the 10,000 U.S. households surveyed recently by marketing research giant ACNielsen reported that someone in their residence is currently on a low-carbohydrate diet.

"We're seeing a convergence of food companies, consumers and the government all coming to the conclusion that the way America eats isn't good," concludes Phil Lempert, a Nielsen analyst.

Dollar sales of fresh potatoes, instant rice, orange juice, white bread and cereal have dropped, Nielsen says, while sales of eggs, nuts, bacon and meat snacks have surged.

To be sure, not everyone is buying in. Dr. Tomas Silber, a specialist in teen obesity and eating disorders at the Children's National Medical Center, says he's seen "at least 50 famous diets arise and die" in the past 30 years.

Although restricting kids' carbohydrates can help because it makes them less hungry, they need counseling and support to stick with any diet.

He notes that the first thing the teens have to do is give up the "empty calories" they down by the hundreds in soda, juice and junk food.

The American Heart Association also does not endorse low-carb diets, advocating that individuals should consume about 250 grams of carbohydrates, or a bit more than 10 percent of their daily calories, with an emphasis on whole grains, fruits and vegetables because they are "chock-full of protective nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and fiber," with the fiber enhancing the sensation of fullness. It says long-term studies have found a strong association between diets rich in complex carbs and a lower risk of heart disease.

It's not only perennial dieters who are cutting back on carbs. Many people who aren't overweight have been incorporating low-carb principals into their eating habits, forgoing bread, pasta and potatoes and eating more protein, olive oils, beans and nuts.

But many consumers are likely to make the same mistakes that they did with low-fat concoctions -- paying too much attention to the carbohydrate content and not enough to the calorie count. For example, Low Carb Enchantments chocolate chip cookies boast only 2.3 grams of net carbs per cookie -- a controversial figure that subtracts the amount of fiber (3 grams in this case) and sugar alcohols (6 grams) from the amount of carbs (11 grams), to come up with net carbs. Yet, each cookie is far-from low-calorie, containing 130 calories, 80 of them from fat.

Most health experts, including South Beach's Agatston, still agree that one must burn more calories than one consumes in order to lose weight.

Agatston credits Atkins with having the right idea -- that high-glycemic carbohydrates, particularly refined sugar and flour -- cause big swings in blood sugar that lead people to crave more carbohydrates, and lead them to eat more. In contrast, proteins and fats tend to keep diners more satisfied.

But Agatston just couldn't conscience urging his at-risk heart patients to indulge in artery-clogging saturated fats such as butter, fatty steaks and Brie.

Rather than referring to his South Beach diet as "low-carb" -- even though it is -- Agatston prefers to refer to "good carbs" (such as the ones that come from nonstarchy vegetables, some fruits and beans) and "bad carbs" (those that come from flour, sugar and non-whole grains).

He views his diet as being easier to stick to for life because one doesn't need to count calories, or measure portions, like other diets require.

South Beach doesn't quantify what it terms as reasonable portions of protein and polyunsaturated fats such as oils. It recommends that followers eat until they are no longer hungry.

And the diet could become boring.

Fruit -- with the exception of berries, citrus and melons -- continues to be highly restricted, even in the maintenance phase of the diet, and can't be eaten for breakfast.

Pasta must be whole grain even in the maintenance phase, and foods such as bananas and baked potatoes -- which can be as low as 100 calories and contain potassium -- are off limits, because they have natural sugars or starches that Agatston contends cause hunger.

Sacks, of Harvard, contends that these restrictions may be taking it a bit too far.

"Pineapple is very healthy, with loads of fiber and potassium. And I wouldn't run down bananas," which have been shown in studies to lower blood pressure and are high in potassium and fiber.

Some competitors are predicting that low-carb diets will be too hard to stick to for those who crave variety. Weight Watchers is running "Welcome Back" ads for those who want to try to get the weight off with a more inclusive diet that allows almost any food, provided it is compensated for by limiting other calories during the day.

ellemenno Fri, Mar-26-04 01:45

Quote:
Word-of-mouth success stories such as the Withams' have quickly propelled "The South Beach Diet" to the top of the best-seller list -- with more than 5.5 million hardcover copies flying off shelves since its April release. Its popularity -- along with several other new diet books such as "The Good Carbohydrate Revolution," "Living the Low Carb Life" and a less-restrictive version of the Atkins diet that allows more of the so-called "good carbs" -- has helped push the low-carb craze mainstream.
Living the Low Carb Life by Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S. is not actually a LC diet book, but is a book about LC diets. I know that sounds contradictory, but read the book and it will make sense, honest. There are several other points I could make to shred this article, but it's all been said before. Had the author actually read this book instead of simply making reference to it, he (or she, I found no name) might have learned something about low carb diets. He's close, but not quite right on the money.

K Walt Fri, Mar-26-04 06:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by ellemenno

Many nutritionists and health experts have been saying for years that Americans have been consuming far too many carbohydrates, particularly "high-glycemic" processed products containing an abundance of refined sugars, corn syrup and flours that cause an insulin rush and trigger hunger.


Baloney. Dieticians NEVER said that. They always said FAT was the enemy. They're just backpedaling now.

woodpecker Fri, Mar-26-04 06:51

The article does support LC for the most part. which is refreshing. However, I am not sure the math is right.

"individuals should consume about 250 grams of carbohydrates, or a bit more than 10 percent of their daily calories"

If a gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, 250 grams equals 1,000 calories. If that's 10% of daily intake, good luck on the diet.

JL53563 Sat, Mar-27-04 11:07

Quote:
Originally Posted by woodpecker
The article does support LC for the most part. which is refreshing. However, I am not sure the math is right.

"individuals should consume about 250 grams of carbohydrates, or a bit more than 10 percent of their daily calories"

If a gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, 250 grams equals 1,000 calories. If that's 10% of daily intake, good luck on the diet.



Hmmm, a diet where you can lose weight on 10,000 calories a day. I'm surprised it's not more popular. LMAO


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