Are low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet good for you?

Question: Are low-carb diets such as the Atkins Diet good for you?

Answer: I think that low carb diets can be either unhealthy or healthy, depending on the foods you choose. Low carb doesn't mean "all meat, eggs and cheese, but no fruits or vegetables" although some people approach these diets that way. In fact, even in the induction phase of low carb diets, you still need to eat vegetables like leafy greens, peppers and bok choy.

Vegetables are important for phytonutrients and fiber. The Atkins diet suggests that you eat 12 - 15 grams of carbohydrates per day from greens and also some very low carb green vegetables during the induction phase.

Here are some healthy foods for a low carb diet:

• fish
• low fat cheese
• greens
• mushrooms
• alfalfa sprouts
• cucumbers
• radishes
• chicken
• turkey
• low fat beef

Some unhealthy foods for low carb diets include:

• pork rinds
• hot dogs
• lunch meats
• bacon

For more information on low carbohydrate diets, read Getting Started on a Low Carb Diet from About Low Carb Diets.

_{Source: Halton TL, Willett WC, Liu S et al. "Low-carbohydrate-diet score and the risk of coronary heart disease in women." N Engl J Med 2006; 355:1991-2002.}