Forget Atkins, how about a chocolate and pasta diet?

Aug 20 2003

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AFTER the phenomenal success of the fry-up friendly Atkins diet, could a diet which allows you chocolate and alcohol steal the nation's heart?

Forget meat dripping with fat and plates of fried eggs, to follow the System S Diet you can have your cake, chocolate and pasta and still lose weight.

Although the Atkins diet is a number one bestseller those worried about recent reports about its bad effects on health could turn their backs on high fat and replace it with high carbs.

The System S Diet turns the high-fat, low-carbs ideal of Atkins on its head, promoting high carbs and sugar to ensure a low-fat diet.

Women are also likely to rejoice at the idea that having a little bit of what we like, such as chocolate and sugar, can equal sustained weight loss.

As dieticians, doctors and nutritionists argue about the safety and effects of the Atkins, the high-carbs system follows many of the principles of a recommended balanced diet.

Sugar, especially that in carbohydrates, has fewer calories than fat and also makes you full.

Those on high-fat diets find it takes longer to get the information that they are full.

Dr Richard Cottrell, Director-of the Sugar Bureau and public health nutritionist has carried out studies on the diet.

He said, "The easiest way to lose weight is to reduce your calorie intake, regardless of the diet.

"But in a study using the System S with taxi drivers they lost five kilos, which for most people is plenty.

"The diet uses the best available evidence that is likely to work."

He believes the best way for a healthy life is to change your lifestyle, exercise and to stop weight gain.

But he agrees that changing the way you eat is difficult, which makes it important to keep some of the pleasure, provided by sweet foods.

Though sugar can be seen by calorie counters as a bad part of a diet, it does contribute to a balanced diet.

This is the most important aspect that all nutritionists agree on, balancing your food.

However, so called faddy diets and gimmicky diets are succeeding in the market.

A spokesperson for Waterstones said it had seen a definite rise in sales of well-being books and once a new and reasonably creditable diet comes on the market sales increased.

Experts, though, are not convinced this is the best way.

Dr Cottrell claims recent research into Atkins dieters, proves that dieters are still eating carbohydrates.

But Susan Doyle, project dietician of Gwent NHS Trust, dislikes the word diet and believes balance is the key.

She said, "I think it is important to have approximately 50% of our total calorie intake as carbohydrates, 30% or less our total fat intake, 10% of which that saturates and around 12-15% of protein.

"A lot of time people just want a quick weight loss, but you have to weigh up whether you are putting your health at risk for weight loss."

Advising a loss of one or two pounds a week as healthy, Ms Doyle said those people overweight or wishing to lose weight should stick to carbohydrates with a low glycemic index.

She said, "It would be a case of choosing granary bread over a bagel, not that the bagel is bad but the former is broken down more slowly helping to control blood sugar levels."

Accredited sports dietician Karen Reid agreed that carbohydrates play an important part in diet.

She added, "There is some research which says if you have a bit of sugar it helps you comply with a low fat diet."

She suggested meringue nests as a perfect high-sugar low-fat option.

But if you must eat chocolate the best type is dark, with a high cocoa solid.

Alan Porter, managing director of The Chocolate Society said, "Dark chocolate has a limited amount of carbohydrates and sugar, but the cocoa butter reduces cholesterol.

"It also contains vitamins such as magnesium, iron and can give you a chocolate high."