There was a book called "never be sick again" by Raymond Francis that changed my life...this was before the atkins trend hit the U.S.
in a nutshell, after receiving normal diagnostics from his doctor year after year but still feeling lethargic on a daily basis this man began conducting research on his own. he simply did not accept what his doctor told him that his lack of energy was due to the fact that he was getting older. so this man inevitably found out the truth. he eventually studied a group of people in the himalayans to find out why they lived 90+ without falling victim to any of the worldly diseases known to man, specifically U.S. complications such as diebetes, obesity,(fast food nation, please?eric schlosser good readings), cancer etc...
he discovered within the group that men in their 80s were as strong as their 30 year olds. older women were as youthful and spontaneous as their younger crowds. amazing thing was that none of the people died from any type of diseases but rather just passed in their sleep. what was their secret? diet and excercise...more importantly, it was how they consumed their food because their exercise consisted mostly of just walking. essentially, they divided their consumption into separate eating sessions....carbs/vegetables at a sitting, separately from their protein/vegetables sessions, fruits in another session, and nuts in another.usually every 2-3 hours.
i started eating like this about 2 years ago...got my fasting blood analysis 2 weeks ago which analyzes blood, internal organs, cholestrol, sugars etc...the results were incredible! my doctor said it was the highest numbers he's ever seen. the crazy part of it all is that prior to my eating habit changes, i smoked everything.i mean Everything, didn't exercise and just looked poor. now, i just ran the la marathon, competing in the la city triathlon, and eating right. Thank God i found that book.
i believe atkins is going the wrong way trying to convince people that eating atkins will be healthier in the long run but what can you do in a country where everything is fueled by the movies that depicts physical attributes are more important than your health and everything else and that if you don't look good, you aren't healthy....but don't worry we could change that....come in for a cosmetic consultation! sad.