Getting To Know The Atkins Diet Basics

The Atkins diet basics are not difficult to understand and, in fact, are simpler than many other diets. This popular diet that cuts out most carbs first appeared in the 1970s with the book by Dr. Atkins called the New Diet Revolution.

This diet is often misunderstood but it is really based on the theory of what makes us fat. This, according to Dr. Atkins, is eating too many carbohydrates and simple sugars or high glycemic index carbohydrates. he bases this theory on the science of how our body processes carbohydrates. In the book, Atkins talks about insulin resistance and thinks that a lot of people overweight because their cells do not work correctly due to overconsumption of excess carbohydrates and sugar.

When you eat too many carbohydrates your body takes note of the excess sugar level from the carbohydrates and releases insulin from the pancreas so that the sugar can be stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. The glycogen can then be used later on for energy. The problem is that your body can only store so much of it and as soon as the limit is reached the excess is stored as fat.

Atkins says that some individuals are insulin resistant and have a more difficult time storing in using the excess carbs. The problem is that the more insulin your body is exposed to the more it becomes resistant to it. This is because the cells are trying to protect themselves from toxic effects of too much insulin and they therefore create less glycogen resulting in more fat. You see, overconsumption of sugars and of our carbohydrates causes the body to get in this state as it keeps releasing more and more insulin.

These insulin resistant individuals gain weight easily because the carbohydrates are converted right into fat instead of being stored in the muscle is energy. In addition, these people experience fatigue, poor memory function or brain fog, low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, tiredness, depression, bloating and increased blood sugar. So over indulging in carbohydrates is much more than just a weight problem can cause serious health problems to.

but there is an easy solution - restrict carbohydrates. And this Is what the Atkins diet aims to do. It restricts all simple sugars which would be foods like sodas and desserts as well as complex, carbohydrates which would include rice bread and grains. These foods are bad for you and offer little in nutritional value but even carbohydrates that are actually healthy for use such as brown rice whole wheat bread and oatmeal are restricted on this diet.

The basic gist of the Atkins diet is that you are restricted to less than 40 g of carbs a day. This will get your body into a state of ketosis where it Is burning fat for energy. According to Dr. Atkins being in this state will also affect your insulin production so that no more fat is stored.

As a side benefit, once you stop eating all these simple sugars and complex carbohydrates your cravings for sweets and other high carbohydrate foods goes away. In fact, many people who have been on the Atkins or other low-carb diets report that they no longer crave carbohydrates like they did when they were junk food junkies.

The Atkins diet basic principles have been used for many other low-carb diet plans but the Atkins still remains popular as one of the most effective diet solutions for people with carbohydrate cravings and insulin resistance.