kerri <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Paul, *do *not* do atkins. Did you know that mister atkins had a heart
> attack?

If I may clarify...First, it was DOCTOR Atkins.  He was a practicing
cardiologist - a heart specialist.  What he had, a couple of years ago,
was a cardiac arrest related to heart damage from a past cardiac infection.
IE, it had nothing to do with his eating habits.  (Paul is right that he
died from a head injury;  he slipped on an icy sidewalk last winter, while
walking to work, at the age of 70 something.)  There's an article on the
Atkins web site, about several studies supporting the health benefits of his
way of eating;  it's at http://atkins.com/Archive/2003/11/22-889227.html
if anyone cares to read it.

> To me, I eat or try to eat a balanced diet including leafy
> vegetables and not too much meat or greasy foods. Kerri.

If it's working for you, I'm truly happy for you!  But please realize that
some of us do better on an "unbalanced" diet, to compensate for our
unbalanced metabolisms.  I did the whole "healthy" low-fat thing and
gained up to 210 pounds, while my cholesterol went up to 230 and my
triglycerides went through the roof.  I went on Atkins and lost 90 pounds,
while bringing my total cholesterol down to 152.  My HDL, the "good"
cholesterol, came up to 67, giving me a ratio that's the best my doc has
ever seen.  And my triglycerides came down to 25.  All this while eating
lots of meat <grin> though not necessarily "greasy" foods, since I don't
really like greasy stuff all that much.  If you read any of Dr. Atkins'
books, you'l see that greasy food is not a requirement.  <grin>

On the MS issue that Brad brought up, I'd have to say that's another
case where different people have different experiences.  One of the
members of the lowcarb support list I run, has MS.  Her experience has
been that lowcarbing has been the best thing she's found for keeping
it in check.  Likewise, her niece (or cousin, I forget which at the moment)
who was a practicing surgeon before developing MS.  She has also found
lowcarbing to be the best way to control it.  So, as we say on that list,
"Your Mileage May Vary".

Praying good health for all,
Roberta