Atkins Pros and Cons

As with many fad diets, there are plenty of pros and cons to the Atkins Diet. Essentially, the diet works by restricting the body of a foodstuff which the body needs, i.e. the complex carbohydrates, forcing the metabolism to use up the body's fat as fuel.

Atkins Benefits

Much has been said by the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine about the benefits of the Atkins diet, and for many people that have lost weight on the diet, the evidence speaks for itself.

You can carry on eating all those things that you would normally enjoy... cream, cheese, plenty of meat and other food high in fat are actively encouraged!
Particants have been known to experience a decrease in cravings for food, something that many people have problems with on a low fat diet.
There have been claims that a low carbohydrate diet eaten regularly is more beneficial to the body's systems, as relatively speaking, grains such as rice and wheat have been eaten by humans for a much shorter period of time through our history than those of vegetables and meats that our very early ancestors dined on, and that our bodily systems have not had as much time to learn to cope with digestion of these foods.
The diet itself is very easy to follow. There is no 'weighing' of food, counting of calories and the complicated meal plans have been thrown out of the window.
The Atkins diet's list of permitted foods is fairly varied and substantial, much more so than other lo-calorie diets, therefore it is very doubtful that you would want to cheat by eating the odd 'bad food'.
A low carb diet is thought to provide a better insulin function with a greater level of blood sugar control than those people on a low calorie diet.
One of the most attractive benefits of the Atkins Diet is the fact that it is doubtful you would get hungry; as long as you stick to the list of permitted foods, you can eat as much or as little as you want!

Atkins Cons

Extensive research into the negative effects of the Atkins Diet has been undertaken since the diet took the world by storm.

With the massive lack of fibre in the Atkins Diet, it is not uncommon to suffer from problems with constipation, and in rare cases, chronic bowel disease. Excess wind is also experienced with many people on the diet.
Once you're on the diet, you have to stick to a low-carb diet indefinitely, and you need to learn how to eat meals with lower levels of carbohydrates than you may be more familiar with.
Many dieters on the Atkins plan experience problems with bad breath. This occurs as ketones are produces substances in bodily fluids including saliva, and have a distinctive odour not unlike 'pear drops' sweets.
On the Atkins diet it is not uncommon for participants to experience symptoms of nausea and also fatigue, due to the ketones produced when in the early stages of the diet plan.
It is thought that due to the increased amount of saturated fat in the Atkins diet, there is a risk that the high cholesterol levels can lead to cardiac illnesses in a small percentage of participants.
The increased production of Ketones in the body's system can increase the level of uric acid, a waste product in the blood that is a end product of purines. Uric acid has been linked to gout and kidney diseases.
It may be quite difficult, especially in the early stages of the diet, to eliminate the foods that you normally take for granted, such as breads, potatoes, grains and cereals, and coffee (decaffeinated excluded).
If you're a caffeine addict, you may find that you experience withdrawal symptoms from the sudden lack of coffee, which can cause headaches. This, however, should pass within a few days of cutting out coffee from the diet.