Atkins, Atkins, Atkins. That’s all you seem to hear athealth clubs, restaurants and the SMU campus. The Atkins conceptseems to be spreading like wildfire across the nation, and many SMUstudents have bought into the marketing craze.
The idiotic, carbohydrate-free diet has brainwashed millionswith its seemingly mythical marketing. Eat all the fat you want butstay away from those devil incarnate carbohydrates is the basictheme promoted by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.
Yes, the mastermind behind this myth is now a corporation,undermining not only Americans but also Canadians and theEnglish.
Dining out has become increasingly unreasonable, thanks to theAtkins obsession. People must now decide not only which restaurantto go to, but must find one that has an Atkins friendly menu. Whatpeople should be really wondering is how these restaurants get theillusive blue and red “A.” So far Subway and TGIFriday’s are the only approved Atkins vendors around campus.Who is next, and how much would they have to pay to become”Atkins-friendly”?
There are a number of restaurants and fast food chains in theAtkins black market. McDonald’s might be the smartest one,telling its consumers to simply buy their hamburgers and throw awaythe bun. McDonald’s doesn’t need to include thetwo-color “A” on advertisements. These consumers shouldwonder if the bun is the unhealthy part of the sandwich.
It may be harsh to judge the credibility of Atkins officials,which include trained physicians, but Americans need to becritical.
On the other side of the argument, some doctors and officialsagree that the Atkins diet may actually be harmful topeople’s health.
If the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society andthe Diabetes Association agree that Atkins is detrimental, itshould make people question the system.
Subway in particular should lose its new “Atkinsfriendly” wraps and stick to its subs. Jared Fogle used toweigh 425 pounds until he started his Subway diet in 1998. He drankcoffee for breakfast, ate a 6-inch turkey sub, without mayonnaiseand cheese, for lunch and a 12-inch veggie sub for dinner withoutthe previously stated additives. Today, Fogle is 190 poundsaccording to Subway.com. He eats low-fat foods and drinks diet softdrinks and alcohol in moderation. It should not go without mentionthat the real key to Fogle’s success is that he walked anaverage of 1.5 miles a day.
The bottom line to losing weight should include a regimen ofeating less and exercising more. It’s no secret that ifAmericans’ calorie intake exceeds the amount burned, thenthey will certainly gain weight.
