Basics Of The Atkins Diet Articles | Low Carb Lifestyle Pages

By: Darren Williger

Contrary to what most people think, the Atkins diet is not a new fad. This diet was introduced in the 70s and has been running strong since then. The basic reason why this diet gained popularity was because it did not have the low fat rule that most diets of that time had.

That is the reason why many people accepted the Atkins diet, which resulted in a lot of unwanted publicity too. Here are some things about this diet that you might want to know.

The basic premise of the Atkins diet is a study into why we get fat accumulated in our bodies. Dr. Atkins established a direct relation between the carbohydrates including the sugars that we consume and increase in body weight. It is not the calories that we put in our bodies that's important; it's the way the body breaks them down that matters. Dr. Atkins brought forward another term, the insulin resistance. He maintained that people who do not have properly functioning cells in their body are more prone to have weight gain than others.

When carbohydrates enter the body, the body assumes that there is a danger level looming. That triggers the pancreas to release more insulin in order to utilize these carbohydrates. This converts the sugar into glycogen which is stored in the liver and the muscle cells as a reserve for energy. But there's a limit for this storage. When this limit is crossed, the dam literally bursts and the carbohydrates begin getting stored as fats.

People who have inherent insulin resistant characteristics will have more problems in utilizing the carbohydrates. With more insulin releases, the body becomes immune to it, and that causes a poor metabolism of the carbohydrates in the body. Fats begin building up.

However, insulin resistant individuals have an even harder time of using and storing excess carbohydrates. The more insulin that your body is exposed to, the more resistant it becomes. Overtime, the pancreas releases more insulin and cells become insulin resistant. The cells are trying to protect themselves from the toxic effects of high insulin. They create less glycogen and more fat.

These are the reasons why people who become resistant to insulin gain more in weight. Instead of providing energy, the carbohydrates get converted into fats. This may also cause other side-effects such as fatigue, inability of focusing on things, hypoglycemia, bloating of the intestine, drowsiness and depression.

For people who are resistant to insulin, the best diet is a diet that is low in carbohydrates. This is what the Atkins diet is. This diet prohibits foods such as simple sugars in cookies, sweets and sodas and the complex sugars present in breads, rice and grains. The Atkins diet also puts a restriction on oatmeal and whole wheat bread, which are otherwise considered healthy.

The permissible amount of carbohydrates with the Atkins diet is 40 grams per day. This allows the ketosis to begin where the fat in the body gets metabolized. The ketosis also improves the production of insulin and protects the body for further fat accumulation. The Atkins diet reduces the urge for carbohydrates that most people feel.

It may be difficult to live through the Atkins diet initially, but with this program you can stabilize your lifestyle with healthy eating habits. Usually, people try to bring in some carbohydrates in their diet slowly at a later stage so that they keep their nutrients in a state of equilibrium.

Several diets have come and gone; many of them have used the Atkins principles too. But the Atkins diet remains a very effective diet for people who are insulin resistant.