Here is some "info" on these two different diets for those who don't know
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Atkins Diet - Overview
The Atkins Diet is probably the most well known Protein Diet. It first appeared back in the early 70’s. The Atkins Diet claims you can eat all the protein and fat that you care to and still lose weight. You just need to cut out the carbohydrates to become thin. It's all explained in: Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution, by Dr Robert C. Atkins.
Atkins Diet - Simple Introduction
When you first begin the Atkins Diet, you go on an Induction Phase – this is to put you into ketosis. You cut out almost all carbohydrates except for a few greens, but you can eat sour cream and steak and eggs. Many doctors say that ketosis is bad because it puts a strain on your kidneys and may be fatal.
After the first 2 weeks on the Atkins Diet, you are permitted to reintroduce a few carbohydrates into your diet - but very few. The diet states you add until you stop losing weight - that way you will know your limit in order to lose weight effectively.
In talking with people who have attempted the Atkins Diet, I found that many couldn’t even get through the induction phase because they didn’t feel well eating like that.
Also, while Dr. Atkins claims that your cholesterol will get better – there were several that had either no improvement or their numbers became worse.
Robert H. Eckel, MD, chair of the AHA's (American Heart Association's) Nutrition Committee, is unconvinced that Atkins Diet controls cholesterol in the long term and points out that the Atkins Diet has few published results and no long-term studies to back up his claims.
"Our [major] concern is the high-fat content of the diet and its overall effect on the cardiovascular system," Eckel says.
Atkins Diet - Family Eating
While there are a few success stories with those using the Atkins Diet, many people find it becomes a very unfriendly diet if you need to feed a family, especially children.
Atkins Diet - Claims
You will lose weight fast.
You can eat large amounts of protein and still lose weight.
You eat very little sugar and white flour.
Atkins Diet - Drawbacks
Initial weight loss may be quite fast, but is rarely sustainable.
A ketosis-inducing diet may strain the kidneys.
As many foods high in animal protein may also be high in saturated fat, your saturated fat intake may be too high for comfort.
Giving up or severely restricting potatoes, corn, bread, fruits and vegetables and much more for as long as it takes to lose the weight, is not a user-friendly diet plan.
Atkins Diet - Our Opinion
We do not recommend high-protein diets for weight loss. Some of these diets restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and don't provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. People who remain on these diets very long may be at risk for inadequate vitamin and mineral intake as well as more potential health risks.
Clinical diet research continues to show that the Atkins-type high fat diet elevates total cholesterol, LDL's, triglycerides, homocysteine and fibrinogen.
By contrast, clinical diet research shows that the 'high-carb/low-fat' type diet leads to improvements in all cardiovascular risk factors.
For severely obese individuals, the cardiovascular risks of a high protein diet may be worth taking in order to reduce the extra, well-documented risks of severe or morbid obesity. However, this issue is outside the scope of this review and should be settled between yourself and your doctor. For individuals who are not seriously obese, we do not recommend any type of high protein diet plan.
If clinical evidence emerges to demonstrate that an Atkins-type high protein diet offers long term healthy weight loss, we will be happy to recommend it.
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South Beach Diet - Overview
The South Beach Diet is a relatively new weight loss diet. It is written by Dr. Arthur Agatston, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. Published by Rodale ($24.95, hardcover, 310pp).
Agatston says he created the South Beach diet program after becoming disillusioned with the low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet of the American Heart Association and the high fat theories of Dr Atkins. In the end, the South Beach Diet falls somewhere in between.
South Beach Diet - Brief Explanation
Like the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet plan is divided into phases.
Phase 1 - Lasts 14-days - The Strictest Phase of the Diet
In the first phase, you eat normal-sized helpings of lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish. Vegetables are also allowed, so are nuts, cheese, and eggs. The goal is to eat three balanced meals a day, and to eat enough so that you don’t feel hungry all the time. A typical South Beach diet breakfast is two eggs and lean bacon. A mid-morning snack is Celery stuffed with 1 wedge Laughing Cow light cheese. Lunch might be salad greens with grilled chicken. For an afternoon snack, 10 cherry tomatoes with 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese. Dinner may be lean meat again with fiber-rich vegetables.
Diet Foods to Enjoy: include, tenderloin, sirloin, or top round, skinless chicken or turkey breasts, all types of fish and shellfish, boiled ham, canadian bacon, turkey bacon, whole eggs, fat-free cheeses, peanuts and pistachios, green vegetables, legumes, canola and olive oils.
Diet Foods to Avoid: include, beef rib steaks, honey-baked ham, breast of veal, all yogurt, ice cream, milk including whole, low-fat, soy, and full fat cheeses, beets, carrots, corn, yams, fruits and fruit juices, all alcohol, all starchy foods such as bread, cereal, oatmeal, matzo, rice, pasta, pastries, baked goods, crackers, etc.
Expected Weight Loss: 8-13 pounds.
Phase 2 - Lasts Until You Reach Your Weight Loss Goal - More Liberal Phase
The second phase is similar to the first phase, but you reintroduce some of the banned foods and eat from all the dietary food groups. You can start eating high-fiber carbohydrates, such as whole-grain breads, which raise your insulin levels in a much milder way that do simple, starchy carbs.
Additional Diet Foods to Enjoy: include, most fruits, fat-free or 1 percent milk, other low-fat dairy foods, whole grain starches, barley and pinto beans and red wine.
Diet foods to eat sparingly, include: refined wheat baked goods, potatoes, beets, carrots, bananas, pineapple, watermelon and honey.
Expected Weight Loss: 1-2 pounds per week.
Phase 3 - Weight Maintenance
This diet phase, which is an even more liberal version of the initial diet plan, lasts the rest of your life. It should be used to maintain your healthy weight. Agatston describes this phase as a “way of life.” Should your weight begin to climb, you repeat the diet plan.
South Beach Diet - Claims
Teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats - the good ones - and enables you to live quite happily without the bad carbs and bad fats.
Promotes rapid initial weight loss of 8-13 pounds in 14 days.
Thereafter, offers weight loss of about 1-2 pounds, per week.
Helps to improve eating habits and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Helps to improve good to bad cholesterol ratio and reduce triglycerides.
South Beach Diet - Drawbacks
The South Beach Diet is subtitled The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss. Such a description is bound to raise expectations to unrealistic levels. The truth is, there is nothing especially new about this diet - or any diet plan that cuts out unhealthy processed foods together with excess sugar, and recommends less saturated fat.
Much of the initial 8-13 pounds weight-loss is likely to be water-weight-loss caused by carbohydrate restriction. Such weight loss is typically regained, as soon as carb-intake resumes.
Another drawback of the South Beach Diet is the lack of options for people who don't like or can't eat dairy. Many snacks are dairy-based, yet the diet bans soy in the first two weeks.
Although Dr. Agatston has concerns regarding the liberal intake of saturated fats permitted on the Atkins diet plan, and offers sound advice on the subject, he remains unreasonably unyielding on complex carbs. Most of the world outside America thrives on complex carbs and these foods do not keep us overweight, nor do they warrant a 14-day ban. In this way, Dr Agatston is helping to perpetuate the American fear of carbs.
Despite the many positive features of the South Beach Diet, it's best to seek the advice of a registered dietitian or your doctor before undertaking any diet plan that induces ketosis (as a result of carb-restriction) because the body is shedding water and this might cause an electrolyte imbalance without proper hydration. In addition, low-carb diet plans are not generally recommended for anyone with kidney problems.
South Beach Diet - Our Opinion
Recommended!
Although we do not agree with some of the anti-carb propositions in the South Beach Diet, this diet is full of sensible advice about (e.g.) fat, hunger, refined foods and balanced eating. Who cares if it doesn't contain any new or ground-breaking dietary advice? The South Beach Diet is a perfectly do-able diet plan with a range of interesting recipes and diet ideas, and encourages long-term eating from all food groups. In our opinion this is more than enough!
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