The Difference Between The Atikins Diet And The South Beach Diet
Dr Robert Atkins first developed his diet in 1972
, but it didnt really become popular until the 1990s. Dr Arthur Agatson, also a cardiologist, but from Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Centre in Florida, is known as the founder of the South Beach diet, developed his diet in 2003 when it was published as a book.
Both these diet plans advise that losing weight should be achieved by reducing carbohydrate consumption, and both consider the importance of long term maintenance to avoid lost weight being regained.
Both diet plans start with so-called induction plans that help to get the body attuned to a different kind of diet, and both come with a list of suggested foods that can be eaten. Since the introduction of the diet plans there have been a number of books giving a variety of different recipes that fall within the guidelines whilst enabling people to have variety in their meals. One reason why diet plans often fail is that they are too restrictive to be adhered to long-term.
The Atkins diet advises people to stay away from bread, fruit, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, nuts and legumes. People on the South Beach diet are also advised to keep off bread, fruit, pasta and vegetables, and, in addition to also avoid potatoes, cereal, rice, and corn, especially during the induction period. After this they can be slowly re-introduced into the diet in small amounts. The idea behind both plans is to re-program the body to accept a healthier diet that can be maintained without difficulty or hardship.
While both diets restrict carbohydrate intake, the South Beach diet distinguishes between good and bad carbohydrates, forbidding only the latter. Dr Agatson maintained that hunger cycles are triggered, not by carbohydrates in general, but by carbohydrate-rich foods that the body digests rapidly, creating a spike in blood sugar. Such foods include the heavily refined sugars and grains that make up a large part of the typical Western diet.
Dr Agatsons South Beach diet says that these foods must be avoided in favour unprocessed carbohydrates from, beans, vegetables and whole grains. These are carbohydrates which are complex, requiring longer digestion and not causing sudden swings in blood sugar level. They also contain much more fibrewhich is an important aid to the process of digestion.
Dr Agatson was also at pains to point out that there are good fats and bad fats. The latter are trans-fats that should be avoided completely, and saturated fats which should be consumed only in moderation. Although foods rich in these bad fats do not contribute to the hunger cycle, they do have an effect on increasing LDL cholesterol and therefore on heart disease. It is suggested instead that foods rich in unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids should be eaten, as these are much healthier.
It would seem that the Atkins diet can help people lose weight by restricting carbohydrate intake, but may expose them to increased heart disease risks because of the saturated fat consumption. The South Beach diet would seem to be a well thought out, less restrictive and more varied diet, likely to appeal to a greater number of people.
by: John O Toole
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