Does Anyone Remember The Atkins Diet?
In case you forgot, there was a diet a long time ago (the early 2000’s, to be precise) that had practically everyone swapping bread for bacon and chips for chicken. The funny thing is that it helped people shed pounds incredibly fast and there are many nowadays that still consider it a godsend. Naturally, there’s maybe even an equal number who swear that Atkins is a big, fat fad, or, in other words, just another diet in an ocean of temporary fixes that exist with one sole purpose – to rob you of your money.
The thing is that, unlike most fad diets, the Atkins diet managed to stand firm where 99% of others have fallen.
Let’s rewind time a bit here, and go all the way back to 1972 to analyze the work of a Dr. Robert C. Atkins. The story goes that Atkins started to formalize a controlled carbohydrate approach after noticing that a worrying number of people in the US (some of which were his patients) are rapidly becoming obese. Atkins discovered that eating the right foods while limiting refined carbohydrates is capable of “changing a person’s body from a carb-burning to a fat-burning machine,” thus leading to successful weight loss in a much shorter period of time than what people are used to.
Today’s low-carb New Atkins diet is based on the same principle – carefully choose what foods you are consuming without making any additions to your dietary habits, and you’ll end up burning tons of fat. The company based on his research provides not only recipes and support books, but also (of course) products like bars, drinks, and shakes that complement the New Atkins eating model. Richard Sullivan, the managing director of Atkins Nutritionals claims:
“Our products are developed to make healthy low-carb eating simple and easy to follow, especially for busy people who need to snack on the go. As far as the market is concerned, changes in the [health and fitness] sector mirror the shift in people’s eating habits, and Atkins plans to continue educating consumers about the benefits of low-carb and low-sugar eating for long-term health.”
For instance, a recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that although a drastically lower amount of Australians are drinking and smoking every year, obesity remains more prevalent than ever. What this means is that Australians are beginning to see the benefits correlated with a healthy lifestyle, but a vast amount of them still struggle with their weight. One of the reasons for this is this constantly present paradox related to the inconsistency of easily accessing accurate information online. Many studies have blamed the whole ‘Google your Symptoms’ trend, which is slowly translating into almost every single aspect of our lives. “Just Google it” is probably something you have a chance to hear every day.
Atkins, however, is one of the good results you may have the chance to come across. It is unique in the supplement market exactly because it shies way from wanting to cater for everyone at once. Quite the opposite, it focuses on providing a personalized diet plan, with each of its products branded and designed to be taken at particular phases of your diet. This is quite different from other protein bars or diet shakes on the market which are designed to be consumed as a healthy[er] snack or an alternative to a sugary treat. For Atkins, this works as both a health and business strategy, seeing as how consumers lose weight much faster, and therefore build trust with the brand over time.
Atkins has also come a long way since the first time it became a thing, and has been modified to account for sugar alcohols, fiber, net carbs, as well as paleo dieting. It also proudly accepts the ever-evolving nature of nutritional science, and that’s exactly what pushes it forward towards success – the willingness to admit and rework scientific wrongs in order to remain a contemporary force. This is exactly why many diets fail to stay relevant for a longer period of time. The Atkins diet, however, is constantly being improved by an international team of medical experts, as well as dietitians and nutritionists.
