Diets, Diets Everywhere: Comparing Atkins, South Beach, and Dr. Phil's

by Ryan Jones

	CLAIM	EAT	HEALTHY?	DISADVANTAGES
ATKIN’S	Low carb diet is key to weight loss because carbs cause high insulin levels	Yes: Seafood, poultry, Meat, eggs, cheese Less: Sweets, refined grains, Milk, yogurt	Too much red meat Lack of fiber	Long term safety unknown
SOUTH BEACH	Good carbs stop insulin resistance, cures cravings Good fats protect the heart and prevent hunger	Yes: Seafood, chicken, lean meat, veggies, nuts Less: Fatty meats, sweets, refined grains	Mostly healthy foods	Restricted carrots, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon
DR. PHIL’S	Foods that take time to prepare and chew lead to weight loss.	Yes: Seafood, poultry, meat, low fat dairy, whole grains Less: fatty meats, sweets, refined grains, fried foods	Mostly healthy foods but no set recipes or advice on servings sizes	Leads users to believe that you must have Dr. Phil’s expensive special supplements, bars, and shakes Not really science fact, just Dr. Phil’s “expert” opinion

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Everyone’s heard of them, most people have tried them, and some people have tried them all. But which is the best? Low carb? Low fat? Or is it just low food? Although everyone may have heard of them, only some have tried them all, and Hollywood is just the place to find those people. Actors and actresses seemingly drop pounds by the minute, going from a couch potato to lean acting machine in days to get the perfect look for their new movie. We don’t know how they do it, getting the bodies they want quickly and seemingly easily. What we do know however is how people across America have been trying to mimic their success by using these low something diets. Atkin’s, South Beach, and Dr. Phil’s seem to be the most common diet names, but which one works the best? Or do they work at all? The diets work, and your success with them does depend on which one you choose. Instead of taking three years and risking your health, don’t try them all….just start The South Beach Diet today.

Dr. Atkin’s “New Diet Revolution” book and hundreds of frozen dinners, ice creams and supplement bars rant and rave that low-carb intake is the key to losing weight. Recently, scientists’ suspicions that this decrease in carb intake may raise blood sugar have caught the public’s attention. When Atkin’s Nutritionalists were asked about this possible side effect, they “would not state whether they have tested their foods to make sure that they don’t raise blood sugar” (Liebman 2004). By fending off this question, consumers may assume that the diet has quite a negative effect on blood sugar. This information falls under the more prevalent detractor from the Atkin’s diet: the unknown long term effects. As with any new diet, scientists are not positive what kind of side-effects and health issues may occur when your body is subjected to a lower carbohydrate intake. With all the hype around what seems to some to be an amazing twist in the dieting industry, this lack of information could cause some dieters to be turned away from the self proclaimed “new diet revolution.”

Dieters turning to the next book, Dr. Phil’s “The Ultimate Weight Solution”, find themselves being directed down a totally different road. In her article, Bonne Liebman, a nutrition specialist, claims this “tough love manual relies more on Phil’s opinion than on science” (Liebman 2004). Such claims in the book as “foods that take time to prepare and chew lead to weight loss”, and “having the right thinking, a no-fail environment, and a circle of support,” don’t seem to negate this point (Liebman 2004). Along with supplying encouraging words and a much more mental approach to dieting, Dr. Phil fails to supply any menus, recipes, or advice at all on what to eat. In this one, Dr. Phil seems to be banking on just his name, and not a “new diet revolution” alike Dr. Atkin.

America’s current most popular diet, The South Beach diet, which claims “switching to slow sugar stops insulin resistance, cures cravings and causes weight loss,” is also in the lime light recently, but just what are these so called “slow sugars” (Liebman 2004)? South beach says that slow sugars include foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and beans, while fast sugars consist of sugar, white bread and potatoes. Arthur Agatston’s most notable quote in his book “The South Beach Diet” states “as far as obesity is concerned, fast sugar is worse for you, slower is better” (Liebman 2004). Dieters using this South Beach self help book will find that most of the foods allowed are healthy, but in small portions (around 1,200 calories a day). These smaller portions make obvious sense, because eating less food in general will clearly help you lose weight, the South Beach diet just helps you eat the right amount of the right foods. Even though you are eating less, Agatson says that “you will never feel hungry while on the South Beach Diet” (Agatston 2002).

Overall, Atkin’s diet has the unknown long term effect disadvantage, while Dr. Phil’s has the not-a-drop-of-scientific-fact appeal. Accordingly, South Beach is currently the most popular diet with scientists and with dieters. With such dangerous and unscientifically sound detractors, it’s no wonder that Atkin’s Diet or Dr. Phil’s Diet can’t keep up. South Beach is clearly the best choice when you realize your bathing suit seems to fits a little tighter this summer.

Literature Cited

Christensen, Damaris. Dietary Dilemmas: Is the pendulum swinging away from low fat? 8 February 2003. <http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030208/bob8.asp>. [accessed 11 February 2004]

Liebman, Bonnie. Weighing the Diet Books. 8 February 2004. <http://www.cspinet.org/nah/11_02/bigfatlies.pdf>. [accessed 11 February 2004]