Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Just wanted to ask all u paleo / primal supporters a question. Was Dr. Robert Atkins right all along? I read his book recently and it sounds like he was right all along, yet so many rubbished his diet books. I would be grateful for your comments / opinions on this.

flag	asked Jun 7 at 10:05 Irene 389●3●7

Someone said that in his first book he claimed or suggested that on a low-carb diet you would urinate away all the extra calories. He just found a diet that seemed to work for some people, then all kinds of speculation sprang up on why it might work. – Paleo2.0 Jun 7 at 13:23

aseafish · Answer 1 · 2012-06-07 12:09:46Z UTC

Much of what he recommended was great, in my opinion. He advised organic foods, including meat, eggs, vegetables, fats, and limited fruit.

The highly publicized versions of his recommendations tended to lean heavily toward making it seem accessible to all. Unfortunately, that seemed to translate into talking about the junk. It's a bit sad that his legacy has been yucky processed foods and eat pork rinds and diet drinks till you drop.

PaleoVenus · Answer 2 · 2012-06-07 12:08:08Z UTC

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Atkins does not emphasize food quality (whole, natural) or low omega 6 or no grains. And Paleo is not necessarily low carb. So Atkins was right about high fat and meat, but he didn't see the whole picture.

answered Jun 7 at 12:08

PaleoVenus
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Even the modern Atkins program still encourages omega-6 consumption. – Paleo2.0 Jun 7 at 13:24

Karen · Answer 3 · 2012-06-07 10:23:39Z UTC

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Right about what?

Low carb works well for many of us trying to lose weight or dealing with pre-diabetes etc. It's also very helpful for a variety of other medical and mental health issues. He was right about that as opposed to the high carb, low fat grain pushers.

Atkins also pushed a lot of low carb junk food though, with dubious ingredients. His diet definitely wasn't paleo.

Here is a comparison of Atkins and Paleo: http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/11-17/5-ways-the-paleo-diet-is-better-than-atkins/

answered Jun 7 at 10:23

Karen
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Yeah i never bought into the atkins bars etc but i do think overall he was spot on, i used to suffer terrible migraine headaches, and it was only when i read his book and he suggested cutting out high carb foods would eliminate them, he was 100% right, and i think this to be the same for a lot of diseases/cancers out there. – Irene Jun 7 at 10:29

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I thought the Atkins products were something the Atkins company made after the Doctor's death. He himself actually created and recommended these horrible Atkins products? – Alex Jun 7 at 10:46

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They were around before his death. – Karen Jun 7 at 10:49

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Ok he was wrong on the atkins bars / products etc but everything else he writes in his books is the same as Mark Sisson is saying now i.e. high fat, low carb, eat animals etc – Irene Jun 7 at 11:08

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Yes, he wasn't the first (Banting takes that credit), but Atkins has been certainly been vindicated by all that has come since in terms of low carb and paleo. The bars/etc were baffling — in all his books, not just the New Diet Revolution — he steered folk away from fake foods. As an aside, the one book no one else apart from me appears to have read — The Vita Nutrient Solution — should be required reading for everyone doing paleo. – Seamaster Jun 7 at 11:28

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Joshua · Answer 4 · 2012-06-07 12:54:30Z UTC

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John Durant appeared on the Colbert Report and was faced with the same question (Relevant Linkie). I think his answer is spot-on. To paraphrase, his comment was "Atkins is a diet centered around weight loss, not optimal health."

answered Jun 7 at 12:54

Joshua
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Was Dr. Atkins right all along?

4 Answers