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Atkins Diet
Dr. Robert Atkins is the pioneer of low-carb diets, having first published his material in 1972 with great popularity, and controversy. Flying in the face of the government-promoted Conventional Wisdom of low fat, high carb diets, Atkins weathered the criticism and developed a brand that thrived for decades. The Atkins diet has serious flaws but his central premise of low carb eating deserves credit as being revolutionary. It has only been since his death in 2003 that the Atkins diet has enjoyed increasing medical acceptance and as an effective weight-loss technique.
While Atkins laudably restricts processed carbs like sugar, breads, pasta, cereal and starchy vegetables, the plan stumbles with its sometimes draconian restriction on total carbohydrate intake. The Atkins recommendation to consume only twenty net grams (i.e. digestible grams, so you exclude fiber and sugar alcohol) of carbohydrates per day (this is for the first two weeks of the diet, with allowances to gradually increase daily intake for long-term maintenance – but still advocating well under one hundred grams per day) greatly compromises the participant’s intake of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet: fruits and vegetables.
Weight loss success on the Atkins diet is well chronicled, but experts believe that the diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies, likely from inadequate fruit and vegetable intake and perhaps also from the indiscriminate intake and lack of quality distinction among protein and fat foods (including the license to enjoy fried foods and other offensive dietary choices). For example, consider the anecdote in Chapter 4 that the potential carcinogens in cooked meat can be effectively countered by sufficient consumption of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables (that are unwisely limited in the Atkins plan).
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Paleo Diet
Loren Cordain’s Paleo diet is perhaps the most closely related to the Primal Blueprint and based on the similar evolutionary science, but there are still some interpretational differences. We both like higher protein and a fairly copious amount of green leafy vegetables as a base, but Cordain continues to harbor a fear of saturated fats. He still adheres to the failed Conventional Wisdom that saturated fats raise cholesterol and may cause heart disease, so he eschews butter and coconut oil (two of my favorites whose health benefits are supported by extensive research) as well as some of the most tasty forms of meat.
In addition, one of my (and Grok’s) favorite foods – eggs – are on Cordain’s limit list because he believes they, too, can raise cholesterol. Of course, we know that foods that contain cholesterol have been shown not to have an effect on raising blood cholesterol levels. On the other hand, he recommends canola as a good form of Omega 3’s when most canolas are deodorized – a process that actually removes Omega 3’s. Oddly, in an apparent attempt to appeal to the masses, he allows diet sodas to be consumed, whereas I believe them to be as harmful – or even more so – than the common sugary variety.
Backing up a step further, I’ll assert that the most significant difference between the Paleo Diet and the Primal Blueprint is that one is a diet and the other is a way of life. Aside from the minor objections listed previously, the science and the recommendations of the Paleo Diet are generally sound. However, I believe it’s far more effective to adopt a holistic approach to pursuing a healthy, fit, happy lifestyle instead of isolate your focus on a specific issue – even one as important as diet. As I’ve mentioned previously, a disregard for even a single Primal Blueprint lifestyle law (say, getting adequate sleep or avoiding stupid mistakes) can render your devoted eating or exercise efforts virtually worthless.
