The Atkins Diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that a lot of people follow, because it can lead up to a 3 percent increase in weight loss compared to other diet methods or doing nothing at all. Since the Atkins diet has become a trend and a fad, there has been a lot of myths and misconceptions out there about exactly what this diet is and how this diet works. There has been disagreements in a lot of studies and communities about specific study results related to just how successful the Atkins diet works, and this can also lead to more myths and misconceptions about just how the diet works. If you are looking for some information about the Atkins diet, then keep reading to learn about some of the most common myths and misconceptions that are spewed out about this pretty successful diet.
Atkins Is Poor in Nutrients- One of the common misconceptions about the Atkins diet is that it is poor in nutrients, which means that people believe you don’t get the needed vegetables and fruits you need for a healthy diet. That is simply not true, because a study from Downstate Medical School ended up finding that people who were on the Atkins diet ended up consuming more fruits and vegetables than they did before they began the Atkins diet. The induction phase of the Atkins diet even has you eating 5 servings of high nutrient fruits and vegetables a day, but these vegetables and fruits need to be low in sugar. After the induction phase, you add more fruits and vegetables into your diet, so there is no way that the Atkins diet is low in nutrients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only 27 percent of Americans eat 3 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day anyways, so the Atkins diet might actually help you eat more than a lot of people who are not on the diet.
Low Carb Diets Make You Tired– A lot of people think that if you are eating a low-carbohydrate diet, such as the Atkins diet, you will end up feeling tired all of the time because carbs give you energy. The fact of the matter is that overloading on carbohydrates end up making you tired, because carbohydrate overload causes your blood sugar to rise and fall which causes you to either be hyped up or crash. When you are on the Atkins diet, you will get a steady dose of carbohydrates, which means that your blood sugar will be more consistent and regular, and this stabilization of the blood sugar allows you to feel more energetic and have a better metabolism. There is the issue that once you begin losing the water weight, you will lose some salt that naturally occurs in the body, and the loss of salt can cause you to feel tired because your body is out of whack. It’s important that when you are on the Atkins diet, that you keep your sodium levels in check, and you might have to take a vitamin with calcium, potassium, and magnesium in it so that your salt levels can stay in the normal zone while your body is going through the beginning phases of weight loss.
You Only Lose Water Weight– This is one common myth about the Atkins diet, because it is true that in the beginning of this diet you will mostly be losing water weight. This however is true with about every diet that you begin, because water weight is the first type of weight to come off when you begin a new regime. Once you get through the initial first 4 or 5 days of the Atkins diet, that is when your body will begin burning off the fat, which of course is not water weight. Once you cut out your carbohydrates to a lower level, this is when your body turns to burning off the fat, and you will notice the amount of weight you lose is slower once the initial water weight is gone.
You Will Get Constipated- One odd misconception about the Atkins diet is that you will get constipated on the Atkins diet because it lacks the fiber your body needs. In reality this is just not the case at all, because you can eat a lot of fiber-rich foods on the Atkins diet, such as spinach, eggplant, and broccoli. You also can eat leafy greens and asparagus on the Atkins diet, and once you get through the induction phase, you will be able to eat more fruits and vegetables which promote fiber and promotes good digestive health. If you are worried about it, you can eat flax meal or a fiber supplement to help you go to the bathroom, but this is not an issue that happens to everyone and it’s not something that should keep you from going onto the Atkins diet. There are a lot of people out there that can maintain a healthy bowel movement schedule even when they change diets, so you should already know if you are someone who might need a little flax meal in order to help you go in the beginning of the diet or if you are someone who can go to the bathroom regularly no matter what.
There is No Long-Term Weight Loss- It is interesting that a lot of people believe you cannot maintain a long-term weight loss routine if you are on the Atkins diet for an extended period of time. The truth is that the Atkins diet promotes a healthy long-term change to your eating habits, which of course will help you lose weight and keep the weight off for years to come, but that is if you continue to follow the Atkins diet. There are four phases to the Atkins diet which allows you to consume more carbohydrates as the phases progress, which helps you find the level of carbohydrates that work well for you, and this allows you to maintain a healthy eating routine while also still losing weight. There is also the fact that when you are on the Atkins diet, you have so many foods and variety in the meals and ingredients you can use to make your meals that you will want to continue being on the diet long-term, and this helps keep you motivated and interested in the Atkins diet on a longer basis.
Atkins Diet Promotes Gallbladder Disease– The myth that the Atkins diet is high in fat which causes gallbladder disease is really unfounded in terms of evidence and data. There have been numerous studies that have shown that gall stones, which then lead to gallbladder disease, occur the most when fat levels in the body are low. Not getting enough fat in your diet leads to gallbladder issues and disease, and it’s not attributed to too much fat in the diet. If you are not getting enough fat in your diet, then the gallbladder cannot contract, which then leads to biliary statis, which means that the bile salt crystallizes into stones. In order to prevent stones from forming, you have to keep your gallbladder active, which happens when you take in fat, and therefore this myth is completely debunked. As with all diets, you need to maintain a balance in order to keep your body healthy and the organs working correctly, so Atkins diet is not full of fat nor is it void of fat needed to keep your body working.
