Low Carb: market research reports

But from the late 1990s onward, more and more research studies seemed to lend credence to many of Atkins’ ideas; they failed to find evidence of all the terrible side effects alleged to come with the diet, and not only did subjects lose weight, they also showed improvement in cholesterol levels and other health markers. As a result, Atkins’ low-carbohydrate diet has catapulted into the mainstream, spawning countless imitators and upending many components of the weight-loss and nutrition industry, to say nothing of the food industry overall.

In a nutshell, Atkins (and other low-carb diets) rather severely restricts consumption of carbohydrates, especially refined, processed, sugar-rich foods; promotes consumption of unprocessed foods high in protein (especially meat, fish, and poultry); and encourages the use of vitamins and nutritional supplements to make up for nutrients lost by cutting out certain high-carb foods. Similar plans include The Zone, developed by Barry Sears, Ph.D. in 1996, which prescribes a daily consumption of food in the ratio of 40% carbs/30% protein/30% fat, and uses a “block method” of calculating food intake. The South Beach Diet follows the same basic principles; it takes the additional step of dividing carbohydrates into “good” (high fiber, whole grains, wheat breads) and “bad” (pasta, sugar). Fats are also defined as “good” (monounsaturated) and “bad” (saturated).