To be honest, the diet does help people to lose weight. But is it really the best way to go about losing weight? More importantly, is it the healthiest way?

It seems to me that unless the person going on the diet is extremely overweight, the Atkins diet is just for vanity. People choose to go on it because it works quite fast. However, for people who really need to lose the weight, it doesn't seem very healthy. Of course I agree with cutting down on "bad" carbs, such as white flour, white sugar, and things made from them (pop, candy, pastries, doughnuts, cake, ice cream), but getting rid of the "good" carbs as well (fruits and low-fat dairy products) doesn't seem like a good idea at all.

My dad has to take about a million vitamins and fiber supplements a day. He puts whipping cream in his coffee, instead of milk, because it has less carbs. But whipping cream has a significant amount of fat in it. Instead of eating lean meats, like fish or chicken, my dad eats beef that isn't trimmed of any of its fat. He eats vegetables, but he doesn't really have a big selection. He can't have carrots, which contain many important nutrients such as beta carotine. He has to have the same vegetables over and over. And whose says all bread is bad for you? 100% whole-wheat bread is very good for you. It contains necessary fiber. But because my dad can't eat these things, he has to inhale pills instead.

I've always believed that if you're going to make vitamins an important part of your diet, you should concentrate on eating foods that contain them, rather than popping pills -- a cheap (but expen$ive!) substitute for healthy foods.

So there's my take on the Atkins diet. Sure, it can help you lose weight, but you're losing more than you know along with that weight. You're losing nutrients that you would have consumed if you were eating healthy carbohydrates.

I'm off to eat some good carbs...*munches on some carrot sticks*