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Atkins for Vegetarians

Posted by Caley on June 16th, 2009 at 03:32am

While family members of mine have tried Atkins and felt justified in consuming little more than steak and cottage cheese, I have cringed at the thought. Eating high-cholesterol red meat every day is just not healthy, especially when it means cutting out colorful fruits and vegetables. While I am not a vegetarian, I do go meatless around 3 times/week and eat fish at least once/week. This way, I eat plenty of vegetables and my grocery bill is MUCH lower. I am always playing around with the idea of going full meatless for environmental reasons, which is why this most recent diet caught my eye.

Recently, Professor David Jenkins from the University of Toronto, has proposed the idea of an Atkins diet for vegetarians. The Eco-Atkins diet relies on vegetable proteins, rather than animal proteins. In a study conducted by Jenkins, those on the diet lost about 1 pound/week, which is not staggering, but also showed a significant decrease in blood cholesterol. Eating vegetarian more often also has a clear-cut environmental advantage. According to a recent United Nations report, livestock production is one of the central factors in global warming, accounting for 18% of all green house gas emissions, more than all the cars and SUV’s of the world combined.

Those on Eco-Atkins primarily eat vegetable protein from soy, nuts and grains, and also eat soluble fiber such as oats and fresh fruit. Healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil and almonds are also an important part of the diet.

What do you think? Would you give it a try?