Feb 19, 2019 | Low Carb Diets
The New Atkins Diet is an updated version of the diet that became explosively popular in the late 90’s and into the 21st century. Since the original was starting to show wear and many people who had been following had discovered its flaws, this new version promised improved successes.
The New Atkins Diet’s book “New Atkins New You” became wildly popular, with the promise on its cover “Lose up to 15lbs in 2 weeks”. The book declared that the weight would be very easy to lose in this form and that it’s healthy, too. Of course, with claims like that, it’s not difficult to understand why it has also been the target of substantial criticism.
What is the New Atkins Diet?
The New Atkins Diet is the strategy outlined in a book written by three doctors: Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Jeff Volek, and Dr. Eric Westman. Drs. Phinney and Volek were both members of the Atkins Science Advisory Board. The purpose of the book was quite basic: to offer a new and updated version of the original strategy created by Dr. Robert Atkins with astounding popularity.
What most critics had expected to find from the New Atkins Diet book was that they would need to cut carbs, but not quite as dramatically as the original version. They also figured that while they would be encouraged to eat protein and fat, there would be a greater focus on healthy fats, while avoiding saturated fats. This was not the case.
The main difference between the original and the New Atkins Diet strategies was that there was less science applied to the methods, but that there was a substantially larger amount of practical advice available to the dieter. This meant that while the problems associated with the concept of the original diet were mainly still there, it did become easier for dieters to understand in a way that they could apply to their real lives.
The New Atkins Diet’s 4 Phases
Like the original diet, the New Atkins Diet also has four phases which must be followed by the dieter. The book offered the same guidelines regarding the quantity of carbohydrates permitted during each phase. That said, the book also offered more practical information to help the dieter actually achieve that goal in a realistic way.
Unfortunately, the same concerns remain throughout each phase of the New Atkins Diet. By following this guidance, it is still very easy for a dieter to lose track of nutrition in favor of focusing on his or her macro balance. With very little focus on consuming fruits and vegetables, for instance, it would be quite simple for a dieter to avoid eating many of the nutrients he or she should be consuming every day. Fiber intake would also likely fall, leading to a range of challenges including likely constipation.
Jan 7, 2019 | Gluten Sensitivity/Celiac Disease Diets, Low Carb Diets, Paleo Diets
The Bulletproof Diet was created by Dave Asprey. Asprey is the founder of the Bulletproof company, which was launched in 2013. Briefly, his story says that he had been very unhealthy and then started following a diet very different from the traditional weight loss strategy. This included melting butter into his morning coffee, among other changes.
That said, Asprey claims that following his Bulletproof diet helped him to lose 100 pounds of fat, eliminated the signs of six chronic diseases – which were not identified – experienced increased energy and productivity and he even claims that his IQ spiked by 20 points. To be clear, aside from the weight (not necessarily fat) loss, none of the additional claims are verifiable. Therefore, it’s very important for dieters to take a much closer look at this diet and to talk to their doctors before starting this type of dieting.
The Bulletproof Diet Rules
There are ten rules someone is supposed to follow if they are using the Bulletproof Diet to lose weight. They are mainly a matter of eliminating certain foods because they are “toxic” according to Asprey.
- Cut out all sugar – This includes natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.
- Replace any sugars with healthy fats – Therefore, where you’d usually eat sugar, honey or maple syrup, you should include grass fed butter or any of the pricy branded Bulletproof fat products.
- Eliminate anything other than “clean” meats – Clean meats are grass fed meats and wild caught seafood. This will likely present a barrier to anyone whose grocery list is made on a budget.
- Eliminate grains and gluten – Asprey believes that gluten has “many negative effects”. That said, most doctors disagree, and some studies show that people who eliminate gluten when they do not have celiac disease or another specific tolerance have an increased risk of heart disease.
- Eliminate all artificial colorings, flavorings and other additives.
- Eliminate all legumes except for sprouted legumes – Sprouted legumes are permitted, but only if you must have them. They’re best cut out as well, according to the Bulletproof Diet.
- Eliminate all processed, pasteurized and homogenized dairy – Only full-fat raw dairy is permitted with the Bulletproof Diet. This will prove difficult for the millions of people living in areas where it is illegal to sell raw dairy to the consumer.
- Switch to organic fruits and veggies.
- Gently cook foods – Ideally, they should not be heated to more than 320ºF, should not be fried and should not be microwaved.
- Eat only 1 to 2 servings of fruit per day – Ideally, fruits should be low-sugar options. The Bulletproof diet recommends berries and lemons.
The Bulletproof Diet is typically considered to be a form of extreme dieting.
