ATKINS DIET IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH

ATKINS DIET IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH

Dr. Robert Atkins recommends meat and eggs in 
the diet. That's harmful -- here's why: 

Which are Really the High Fat Foods?
(percentage of calories as fat)

***** Virtually all fat (80%-100%) *****
Butter 100%
Salad Oils 100%
Cream, light 92%
Coconut 85%
Pork Sausage 83%
Sirloin Steak 83%
Avocado 82%
Bologna 81%
Frankfurters 80%

**** Very High Fat (60%-79%) ****
Half and Half 79%
Brick Cheese 72%
Cheddar Cheese 71%
Sunflower Seeds 71%
Peanuts 69%
Swiss Cheese 66%
Eggs 65%
Ground Beef, lean 64%
Tuna, oil packed 63%

*** High Fat (40%-59%) ***
Chicken, dark, roasted 56%
Mozzarella, skim 55%
Bass, Black Sea 53%
Milk 49%
Salmon, Sockeye 49%
Yogurt 49%
Ice Cream 48%
Sirloin Steak, lean 47%
Chicken, light, roasted 44%

** Medium Fat (20%-39%) **
Soybeans 37%
Non Fat Cottage Cheese 35%
Low Fat Milk 31%
Low Fat Yogurt 31%
Cottage Cheese 22%

*  Low Fat (0-19%) *
Oatmeal 16%
Garbanzo Beans 11%
Cabbage 7%
Green Beans 6%
Brown Rice 5%
Macaroni 5%
Spaghetti 5%
Whole Wheat 5%
Artichoke 3%
Apricot 4%
Peach 2%
Potatoes 1%

Table from Robbins, J, "Diet for A New America,"
Stillpoint, 1987; citing "Nutritive Value of American
Foods in Common Units" U.S.D.A. Handbook No. 456.


Cholesterol Content of Common Foods

in milligrams per 100 gram portion

ANIMAL FOOD                   PLANT FOOD
Eggs, whole    550         All grains           0
Kidney, beef   375         All vegetables       0
Liver, beef    300         All nuts             0
Butter         250         All seeds            0
Oysters        200         All legumes          0
Cream Cheese   120         All vegetable oils   0
Lard            95
Beefsteak       70         ----------------------
Lamb            70         Pennington, J.
Pork            70         Food Values of Portions
Chicken         60          Commonly Used
Ice Cream       45         Harper & Row, N.Y., 1985

Excerpts from Diet For A New America by Pulitzer Prize-
nominee John Robbins, published by Stillpoint Publishing,
1987.


Fat City, U.S.A.

Perhaps the most compelling evidence ever assembled of
the relationship between animal fat intake, cholesterol,
and human disease came in 1990 when a U.S.-Chinese team
published the findings of a massive study of Chinese
dietary behavior and health. The study, which the New
York Times dubbed "the Grand Prix" of epidemiology,
followed the eating habits of 8,000 Chinese people in
sixty-nine counties spanning twenty-five provinces.

The Chinese people consume 20 percent more calories than
Americans, but Americans are 25 percent fatter. That's
because 37 percent of the calories in the U.S. diet come
from fat, whereas less than 15 percent of the calories in
the rural Chinese diet come from fat.

Moreover, 70 percent of the protein in the Western diet
comes from animal products and 30 percent from plants,
while in China only 11 percent comes from animal products
and 89 percent from plants.

The Chinese study, like many others that have been
conducted in the West in recent decades, showed a high
correlation between meat consumption and the incidence of
heart disease and cancer. The researchers found that in
counties where meat consumption increased, the rate of
cardiovascular disease increased dramatically, in some
cases an increase of 50-fold over the rate of heart
disease in regions where animal fat still made up less
than 15 percent of the average diet. Incidences of colon
cancer also increased with increased consumption of
animal fat. According to Dr. Collin Campbell of Cornell
University, one of the directors of the unprecedented
study, "Once people start introducing animal products
into their diet, that's when mischief starts."

 - Brody, Jane E., "Huge Study of Diet Indicts Fat and Meat"
   New York Times, May 8, 1990, C1
 - Hellmich, Nanci, "In Healthful Living, East Beats West"
   USA Today, June 6, 1990
 - Moffat, Anne Simon, "China: A Living Lab for Epidemiology"
   Science 248, May 4, 1990, pp. 553, 554
 - Rifkin, Jeremy, "Beyond Beef," Dutton, 1992, pg. 171

Excerpts from Diet For A New America by Pulitzer Prize-
nominee John Robbins, published by Stillpoint Publishing,
1987.

Visit the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
web site for excellent food recommendations:

http://www.pcrm.org

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti