ATKINS DIET - WHAT IS IT AND HOW IT WORKS

Dr Robert Atkins, author of the Atkins new diet revolution came up with a simple idea to make people lose weight. It went against traditional wisdom and was called scientific heresy and potentially deadly.

What did the diet consist of? Steak with Bearnaise sauce, eggs, and bacon, fish and crabs, and sausages; cheddar cheese omelets with yolks, Roquefort dressing, and silky smooth avocado cream soup made with real cream. These fat and protein rich foods are all included in the controversial diet prescribed in Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, a best seller, and several later works.

The Atkins diet not only promised the unthinkable - weight loss without sacrificing fat and proteins, but even promised improved functioning of the body, including memory, and a good heart. The idea was to reduce carbohydrates to a minimum, and increase the intake of fats and proteins, that were supposed to be burned by the body.

His own theory was that it was the energy spent in breaking down these fats that helped in reducing weight. Thus anyone could consume oils, fats, meat and still lose weight! Dr Atkins saw his subjects lose weight in spite of eating as much as they wanted and when.

The diet became popular with some celebrity stars like Britney Spears reporting using the diet to lose weight. The critics were quick to jump, with reports of harmful consequences for prolonged use. A report cited a death having taken place.

Recently, BBC Horizon did an in depth study of the diet to find out what was going on inside the people who went on this diet. Some new facts came to light.

The key to the diet lies perhaps in the fact that eating high protein diet makes you eat less than usual, restricting your calorie intake the way you would if you were on a diet.