Diets that restrict certain foods, such as Atkins and vegetarian, can be healthy and effective in weight management if used properly and with caution.
The Atkins diet, known for restricting the intake of carbohydrates, relies heavily on the consumption of high protein foods while limiting foods high in carbohydrates.
In the introduction phase of the diet, the dieter is only allowed up to 20 carbohydrates a day, Dr. Ken R. Wells said in the Gales Encyclopedia of Medicine Second Edition. “The Atkins diet is a high-protein, high-fat and very low-carbohydrate regimen,” Wells said. “It emphasizes meat, cheese, and eggs, while discouraging foods such as bread, pasta, fruit and sugar.”
Vegetarians and vegans, those who do not consume any animal products, cannot follow the Atkins diet because it relies heavily on proteins derived from animal products, said the late Dr. Robert Atkins, the diet’s creator, in his book Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution.
The diet has no adverse side effects according to Atkins but many other health professionals disagree.
“Opinion from the general medical community remains mixed on the Atkins diet, but is generally unfavorable,” Wells said. “There have been no significant long-term scientific studies on the diet. A number of leading medical and health organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association oppose it. It is drastically different than the dietary intakes recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health. Much of the opposition is because the diet is lacking in some vitamins and nutrients, and because it is high in fat.”
Regardless of studies, many people who follow the diet find it effective in weight loss and generally have little bad to say about it.
“I don’t believe that the Atkins diet is unhealthy,” said Julia Haxton, a business major at Old Dominion University who has been on the diet for more than two years. “I believe that when you are on the Atkins diet you should limit the amount of red meat you eat, until they know for sure the consequences. There are so many studies out there right now about Atkins that it is hard to believe any of them. I know that it works for me and I am happy with the results.”
Haxton lost 50 pounds in four months on the diet and is now in the “maintaining stage” of the diet, which allows her to eat a larger variety of foods and up to 60 carbohydrates a day, she said.
Some followers of the Atkins plan enjoy the weight loss the plan promises, but encounter some unpleasant side effects. “Going without carbs and sugars made me very fuzzyheaded and forgetful,” said Lise Cutshaw, a journalism instructor at ETSU. “It was really a sensation much like having the flu for a couple weeks.”
Cutshaw followed the diet for almost a year before taking a break and then restarting the diet, she said.
“I went off because I had heard that it’s healthier to go off and get some carbs and sugars,” she said. “A biology professor friend of mine warned me that long-term use of the Atkins diet can be detrimental to the kidneys, and that concerned me.”
Haxton, too, had some early side effects.
“At the beginning I had a few headaches, severe stomach pains, constipation and bad breath,” Haxton said. “I think the stomach pains were the worst. A few times it put me in the fetal position because it hurt so bad. The stomach pains did subside after a month or so.”
Unlike the Atkins diet, vegetarian diets allow for the consumption of as many carbohydrates as a person wants, but limits the intake of animal products. Vegetarianism forbids the eating of meat, fish and poultry, but allows for eggs and dairy, while a vegan diet forbids the intake of all animal products and byproducts.
Many nutritionists and medical professionals praise vegetarianism because it can help reduce problems often caused by high intakes of animal fats.
“Vegetarianism is recommended as a dietary therapy for a variety of conditions, including heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and stroke,” Douglas Duper said in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine Second Edition. “Vegetarianism is a major dietary therapy in the alternative treatment of cancer. Other conditions treated with a dietary therapy of vegetarianism include obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, allergies, asthma, environmental illness, hypertension, gout, gallstones, hemorrhoids, kidney stones, ulcers, colitis, premenstrual syndrome, anxiety and depression.
“Vegetarians often report higher energy levels, better digestion and mental clarity.”
Like the Atkins diet, there are some possible side affects from implementing a vegetarian diet such as anemia and weight gain, Barbara Knight, a health care educator at the ETSU clinic said. By eating a diet often high in carbohydrates, essentially the polar opposite of the Atkins plan, a person can perceivably gain weight if they do not exercise regularly and eat properly, Knight said.
“Vegetarians do not necessarily have healthier diets,” Wells said. “Some studies have shown that some vegetarians consume large amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat. Eggs and dairy products contain cholesterol and saturated fat, while nuts, oils, and avocados are vegetable sources of saturated fat. To reap the full benefits of a vegetarian diet, vegetarians should be conscious of cholesterol and saturated fat intake.”
Vegetarians, especially vegans, also must often take vitamin supplements to get nutrients they would otherwise not get due to a lack of meat consumption, said health care providers.
“I take beta carotene, B-12, and B-6 supplements everyday, occasionally I take soy protein supplements,” said Chris Coffey, a philosophy major at ETSU and vegetarian for almost a year. “So far, I have not experienced any health problems from being a vegetarian, if anything I would say that I feel a lot healthier because I’m a vegetarian.”
By eating foods high in protein and fiber, such as salad and soy products, vegetarians can stay healthy while being compassionate, said Chris Haxton, a CSCI major at ETSU and vegetarian for three years. “I eat a lot of fake meat, like vegetarian hot dogs and soy chicken, which is actually better for me than the real thing,” he said. “And I don’t feel like some animal had to die to be my dinner.”
No matter what diet a person follows, it is important that they do their research and talk to their health care provider before starting any diet regimen, Knight said.
All diets have risks associated with them, and if a person has health problems, some diets may be more appropriate than others, doctors say.
Those interested in the Atkins diet should visit the official web site at www.atkins.com, those interested in vegetarian and vegan diets should visit The Vegetarian Resource Group at www.vrg.org.

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