OK OK, I Know, A Lot Of You Don't Like

cp005e

Atkins isn't really comparable to cutting out protein. It's more like vegetarianism--restricting one source of glucose and replacing it with another, just like restricting one source of protein and replacing it with another. Vegetarianism just doesn't have the same stigma despite the fact that it can lead to severe malnutrition and death from a lack of B12 in extreme cases. Pretty crazy.

Hmm. Stating, "vegetarianism doesn't have the same stigma" and then following up with "pretty crazy" sounds kinda like a stigma to me. I'm just saying. :ohwell:

I actually like your analogy. And I'm not saying that either one should be stigmatized, by the way. It's no fun for anyone to feel attacked or have to defend their diet (and by diet, I mean 'way of eating', not 'way of losing weight'). I think a lot misconceptions come from incomplete understanding - people see someone eating tons of meat and butter and claiming that it is Atkins-friendly, and it's natural to think that it's unhealthy. Same if they see a vegetarian eating nothing but green salads and plain baked potatoes. It could be that's all that these people eat, or it could be that's all they could find on the menu. I think we can all agree that there a lot of extreme diets out there that are unhealthy. But it's not fair to assume that the extremes represent the majority.

songbyrdsweet

Atkins isn't really comparable to cutting out protein. It's more like vegetarianism--restricting one source of glucose and replacing it with another, just like restricting one source of protein and replacing it with another. Vegetarianism just doesn't have the same stigma despite the fact that it can lead to severe malnutrition and death from a lack of B12 in extreme cases. Pretty crazy.

Hmm. Stating, "vegetarianism doesn't have the same stigma" and then following up with "pretty crazy" sounds kinda like a stigma to me. I'm just saying. :ohwell:

I actually like your analogy. And I'm not saying that either one should be stigmatized, by the way. It's no fun for anyone to feel attacked or have to defend their diet (and by diet, I mean 'way of eating', not 'way of losing weight'). I think a lot misconceptions come from incomplete understanding - people see someone eating tons of meat and butter and claiming that it is Atkins-friendly, and it's natural to think that it's unhealthy. Same if they see a vegetarian eating nothing but green salads and plain baked potatoes. It could be that's all that these people eat, or it could be that's all they could find on the menu. I think we can all agree that there a lot of extreme diets out there that are unhealthy. But it's not fair to assume that the extremes represent the majority.

I am saying it's pretty crazy that vegetarianism is widely accepted as being 'healthy' while Atkins is pegged as unhealthy. I just think it's crazy that either one can result in health problems but people equate vegetables with health. I agree that no one should be attacked for the way they eat. I've done ketogenic diets in the past, which are high-fat, moderate-protein, and utilize weekly 'carbups'. The traditional diet was used to decrease epileptic seizure frequency. You wouldn't BELIEVE what I heard from people who didn't understand the body, let alone the way of eating. It's frustrating. Any way of eating can be balanced or cause malnutrition.