The idea of losing weight seems to have turned into a new religion lately. We eagerly try whatever announced as a new proven way to get slim, paying little to no attention to any possible side effects. Apart from all kinds of extreme methods, let’s consider the popular Atkins diet, that has thousands of followers all over the world. Is it really safe or is it dangerous for your health? Is it worth trying, bearing in mind all its cons and pros?
The Atkins diet is one of the low-carb diets, in which the emphasis is made on protein-rich and high-fat food, while the amount of carbs-containing foods is drastically cut down. There is no shared vision of this approach – with low-carb diets we really face fast weight loss on the one hand, and certain risks of long-term negative effects on the other. The only question is, whether these negative effects are acceptable or not, and the answer to this is very much individual. It depends on your current health state, age, lifestyle, etc. Here are things you should be aware of:
It may affect your heart health
Fat-rich food means you consume more cholesterol than is considered necessary. The more saturated fat you consume, the higher the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood is, which increases the risk for developing heart diseases. In case you already have issues with LDL cholesterol levels, the Atkins diet will probably do you no good.
It may worsen your digestion
Carbohydrates are absolutely necessary for proper work of the organs of the digestive system. Lack of carbs in your diet may result in indigestion and constipation, and even enhance the likelihood cancerous diseases.
It leads to distracted attention
With the deficit of carbs it will take you more effort to concentrate on things and to remember some significant amounts of information. If you study or if you’re working on some important project that needs all your mental resources, the Atkins diet looks like the wrong choice for you. Besides, some people who keep to this low-carb nutrition plan, suffer from headaches.
It may do harm to your kidneys and liver
Regardless of the fact that you avoid carbs, your body needs energy, and it has no other way out than producing energy from fat. If you go too far with it, the ketone levels in your blood grow and affect the work of your liver and kidneys. The Atkins diet is absolutely contradictory to you if you have Diabetes Type 1 or if you have kidney stones. Also you should bear in mind that this diet means you cannot afford any alcohol at all – your liver may not cope with such a double load.
It may make you less energetic
This is evident: less carbs means less energy. Your everyday routine may turn into back-breaking labour. Just remember about this side effect and do not plan too much when on the Atkins diet.
It may deprive you of some necessary nutrients
Not only do you get less nutrients with your food – you lose, for example, more calcium than you could if you were eating less protein and more carbs. Problems with bones? You’d better not take the risks and hold back of the Atkins diet.
Considering all the facts above, there is only one reasonable conclusion – before trying the Atkins diet consult your doctor to find out if your health state allows you for it. Remember that there many ways to lose weight and you need not just the quickest one, but one that contributes to your health.