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DEATH of the ATKINS DIET

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

THE company behind the Atkins diet have filed for bankruptcy. The carb-cutting diet became a worldwide phenomenon but appears to have dropped from popularity.

Celebritites such as Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham all showed off lean, toned figures, thanks to the diet. But now, Atkins Nutritionals have had to file for bankruptcy court protection in the US. This gives the firm - who owe pounds 170million tolenders - time to reorganise while being protected from their creditors. Once out of bankruptcy, the firm say they will focus on their bars and shakes. The Atkins Diet focuses on cutting out carbs such as bread and pasta but it drew criticism fromexperts for its focus on fatty foods. And rumours circulated that the man behind the diet, Dr Robert Atkins, had heart problems when he died in 2003 from a fall. The diet spawned a string of other eating plans at pains to be different from Atkins. Hereare some of the alternatives

SOUTH BEACH DIET

AFTER the popularity of the Atkins diet began to fade, the South Beach low-carb variant caught on across the world.

Millions of copies of the book have been sold in 20 countries, including Britain.

The diet is favoured by celebrities such as stick-thin Nicole Kidman, above, who weighs just 8st 6lb.

The South Beach Diet is not low-carb or low-fat. Instead, it teaches you to change the balance of food you eat to emphasise health and weight-loss.

It claims to work by eliminating foods and then later reintroducing them.

Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and fruit are banned for the first 14 days.

After this phase, you are free to drink wine and eat a wider variety of desserts

GREEK DOCTOR'S DIET

THIS advocates a low-carb intake but author Dr Fendon Lindburg hates comparisons with Atkins.

He gives advice based on the way the Greeks have been eating for years.

He recommends a largely unprocessed diet, high in fresh fruit and veg, with lean protein including fish, pulses, nuts and seeds, wholegrain carbohydrates and, of course, olive oil.

He advises eating every four hours at least, and to stick to carbs with a low glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) to keep you full for longer.

GI is the numerical value given to foods based on their potential to raise blood glucose levels GL relates the GI of a food to the amount of carbohydrate contained in one serving

Dr JOSHI'S HOLISTIC DETOX

DR Joshi claims his metabolic detox-dieting plan has transformed the lives of celebrities such as Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Ralph Fiennes. The plan is based on avoiding foods that are refined, acidic and toxic.

It's designed to improve liver function and establish the right pH balance. The diet is nutritionally sound - you can eat eggs and wheat-free bread - but it's also limited. Bananas are the only fruit allowed. The reason you lose weight is not because ofan amazing fat burning process - it's because bad foods are banned

EAT FAT LOSE FAT

THE authors claims low-fat diets are actually the cause of our nation's weight problem. This programme uses coconut to kick-start three healthy diets.

One claims to speed up weight loss, raise metabolism and diminish cellulite, another is aimed at optimum health, and the third is tailored to aid specific health problems, such as chronic fatigue THE JESUS DIETTHIS claims to be an 'owner's manual for thehuman body, straight from the manufacturer - based on God's teaching and Jesus's own example'.

The diet is based on the way the Jews ate 2000 years ago.

Living in the Middle East at that time, Jesus would have eaten plenty of whole-grain bread, vegetables, fruit, beans, fish and poultry - with red meat no more than once a week.

It says he would have had extra-virgin olive oil daily, lots of water and lots of red wine.

Off limits are additives, refined starch and saturated fat

Source: Daily Record; Glasgow (UK)

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