The all-new updated 2010 Atkins low-carb diet is simpler and back by science

A newly-updated low-carb plan with scientific studies to boot

In an exclusive first-look at the brand new book from Atkins Nutritionals obtained by Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb, advocates of a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb nutritional approach will have a lot to cheer about. Three of the most well-known and highly-respected researchers of carbohydrate restriction were charged with penning an updated Atkins diet book that would be simpler to follow and completely backed by the latest science. The result of those efforts are culminated in the March 2, 2010 paperback book release New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight Fast and Feeling Great Forever.

Written by the perfect trio of today’s brightest low-carb scholars — Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Jeff Volek, and Dr. Eric Westman — it aims to set the record straight about why low-carb works, what you need to do to make it work, adapting it to your busy lifestyle, and then providing the evidence that proves what they say about the Atkins lifestyle is valid. This is a book that has been sorely needed on the market ever since the untimely death of the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins in 2003. And the authors acknowledge the forward-thinking that Dr. Atkins possessed so many years ago when he started using his low-carbohydrate plan on patients and they hope to carry on his legacy for many years to come by sharing the amazing research that is now confirming much of what he taught people struggling with weight and health problems.

Although the publishing imprint Fireside, a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster, has provided a special preview copy of this 350+ page uncorrected proof of the new Atkins book for me to examine, I am not allowed to quote directly from it since some of the content may change before the final version goes to press next month. But I am happy to share with you a quick recap about this book since I think it will play an important contribution to people who are interested in livin’ la vida low-carb in 2010 and beyond. Anyone you know who thinks low-carb is just some passing “fad” that is not backed by any substantive studies needs to know about this book.

                                              Drs. Phinney, Volek, and Westman provide this updated Atkins diet

Even for people who have read the 2002 edition of Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, this new version contains a whole new way to look at low-carb living like you’ve never seen it before because the authors made it easy-to-understand and instituted subtle improvements to make the plan more effective than any of the other Atkins imitator books that have come along in recent years. This new Atkins will shock the naysayers (that is, if they actually READ this one!) when they learn you consume lots of healthy non-starchy veggies on it, can implement some basic strategies for greatly reducing or preventing the common negative symptoms associated with starting low-carb, have a great guide for knowing when to transition from phase to phase of the diet, will find a detailed explanation of making this a permanent weight maintenance plan, have the ability to customize the plan to your specific dietary wants and needs, and that eating low-carb on the go isn’t as impossible as some people think. This really is a new way of looking at healthy low-carb living from a new perspective.

The contents are broken down into four main parts:

PART I outlines all the nutritional mechanics of Atkins low-carb eating. The authors help you determine if the Atkins approach is right for you, clearly explain that this program is not meant to completely eliminate carbs, just limit them, identify the various health improvements that one could expect by following the plan, share what the four phases are and why they are important, define the “Atkins Edge” that comes when you put your body into fat-burning mode, give the mechanism behind why food becomes energy and is stored as body fat, reveal the damning role that most carbohydrates play in healthy living and discover the right ones you should be consuming, uncover the unique role of protein in the Atkins diet and give reasons why this plan is not high-protein as is often erroneously claimed, and share the evidence behind why consuming dietary cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat, should become your diet’s best friend.

PART II gets into the nitty gritty of the diet by showing you what you are supposed to eat and tailoring it to your specific health goals. The authors help you focus intently on looking at the net carbs of the foods you consume, insure you are getting an adequate amount of protein in your diet daily, understand the amazing benefits of fat when you greatly reduce your carb consumption, learn the benefits of consuming fiber-rich foods, keep the added sugar and refined carbohydrate out of your menus, supplement your diet with the appropriate vitamins to obtain optimal health, and find the appropriate level of exercise that will fit within your specific physical fitness capabilities. Tools for making yourself successful are also included in this section, including setting goals, finding support, planning meals, making appropriate lifestyle changes, keeping a food log, and participate in online web sites and blogs. They even show how you can make your Atkins diet vegetarian or even vegan if you so choose and even a “Latin Beat” version for the growing Hispanic population dealing with obesity and diabetes. Specifics for following Phase 1 Induction, Phase 2 Ongoing Weight Loss, Phase 3 Pre-Maintenance, and Phase 4 Lifetime Maintenance are also included with more information than you’ve ever seen before about doing it right along with some common pitfalls that may sabotage your efforts along the way. As long as I’ve been studying low-carb over these past few years, never have I seen a book so clearly demonstrate the details of this way of eating in such a concise manner.

PART III is dedicated to helping you live the Atkins life in the real world by arming you with ways to make virtually any restaurant into your own personal low-carb restaurant with appropriate substitutions and changes. The authors recognize the necessity that many people have to eat out as part of their job, so they provide an alphabetical listing of restaurants with both the approved “Thumbs Up” choices as well as the “Thumbs Down” selections to avoid. Additionally, various styles of restaurants like Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and more are Atkins-ized just for you! A section of recipes and an extensive set of low-carb meal plans is also included for making various low-carb sauces, flavored oils, salad dressings, marinades and rubs, and broths to complement your Atkins meals.

PART IV is all about the science that support low-carb living for health. While the media and the so-called health “experts” out there enjoy mocking the low-carb diet as an unhealthy and unbalanced nutritional plan, the authors explain that nothing could be further from the truth. They provide compelling evidence that demonstrates heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, metabolic syndrome, and cancer is improved by low-carb and actually made worse by low-fat diets. The process of how the “fat-storing” hormone insulin works is noted as well as why saturated fat isn’t the great danger that it has been made out to be. The long history of low-carb diets is also revealed to show that this isn’t just some here today, gone tomorrow eating plan — it’s been with us for many generations! Finally, the authors identify diabetes as “the bully disease” and that Atkins is the answer for the millions suffering from it.

I have only but scratched the surface of what New Atkins for a New You contains, but hopefully it has whet your appetite to pick up a copy for yourself. Amazon has it available right now for pre-order for only about ten bucks and it would be well worth adding to your low-carb library. I am currently working on getting an interview with one of the three authors to record a podcast with them about this new version of Atkins that could be just the beginning of restarting the revolution that the Dr. Atkins himself began nearly four decades ago! Anyone who thinks the Atkins diet is going away anytime soon is delusional. Atkins low-carb living is here to stay forever!