| Index: | "Instant Gratification: THE ATKINS DIET" By: Joan Beckman |
Adult Americans are the fattest of all industrialized nations, and most disturbingly, our children are as well. This problem is due to the sedentary lifestyles embraced by our nation and our obsession with food (Recommended book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser, buy it at Amazon.com). Having battled a weight problem myself, I understand the plight of the millions of Americans seeking to lose a couple of pounds.
Everyday people go “on a diet.” In the U.S., High school girls (12.6 percent) were significantly more likely than boys (5.5 percent) to have taken diet pills, powders, or liquids during the previous month to lose weight. In addition, high school girls were significantly more likely (7.8 percent) than boys (2.9 percent) to have taken laxatives or vomited to lose weight or avoid gaining weight.( Statistics from http://www.girlpower.gov/AdultsWhoCare/campinfo/hometown/quickstats.htm). This trend is mirrored by adults. Over the past decade it has become painfully aware to me that many Americans are not willing to change their lifestyles to get the body they want. Instead our instant gratification based society seeks “the diet pill” or other drastic measures, such as gastric by-pass, to get instant success. Everyday I see a profile of the newest overweight celebrity who underwent gastric by-pass (the latest is Randy Jackson of American Idol fame). I have had several relatives undergo this procedure, and it is not as glamorous as the news media portrays it. What they don’t mention is the diarrhea, constipation, and food intolerances, not to mention the risk involved during and after the operation. In addition, not a single one of these celebrities mention how they still have to watch what they eat and exercise regularly.
The Atkins diet is now one of the many fad diets to capture the fancy of our society (http://atkins.com/). I have had friends who have endeavored on this diet, some had success and some haven’t. I am not here to discredit or endorse the Atkin’s plan. If it works for you, that’s great, if it doesn’t that is ok. My problem is that everyday people are targeted by advertising from such companies as Subway, Michelob, and Miller Lite as being “low carb” or “Atkin’s friendly”. In fact, I recently saw a new low carbohydrate bread by Sara Lee (http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/12/29/daily2.html).BREAD, BEER, AND SUB SANDWICHS ARE MADE OF CARBS! Now they are even making Atkin’s friendly ice cream and other sugary treats. There is nothing new to these gimmicks, they are just sugar-free food, such as what diabetics have been eating for years. What is frustrating is how individuals will purchase these products thinking they are healthy. Indeed reducing the amount of processed sugars in a diet is beneficial, but many are not willing to give up the comfort foods they crave to loose weight. This has bred the phenomena of Atkin’s friendly candies, cakes, ice cream, sandwich bread, and beer. These products are chemically modified to meet such criteria as taste, texture, and smell. For every ingredient taken out of the recipe, two or more may be added.