Veronica Atkins: Low-Carb Could 'End The Diabetes Epidemic'

Atkins says obesity and diabetes "can literally be stopped" with low-carb

This October 2005 Diabetes Health Magazine story features a revealing interview from none other than the widow of the late Dr. Robert Atkins who popularized livin' la vida low-carb worldwide. What she says about the low-carb lifestyle may very well surprise you!

Veronica Atkins certainly needs no introduction to people who follow low-carb living. Since the untimely death of her husband following a freakish slip and fall incident in New York City a little more than two years ago, she has been actively defending the great work her husband invested his life in to help people realize how incredibly beneficial the low-carb way of eating can be for them if they are overweight, obese, or suffer from a variety of adverse health conditions.

One such disease that has rapidly become a major concern primarily for people who are overweight and obese is diabetes. As mounting evidence continues to pile up in favor of a low-carb approach for diabetics to lose weight and get their condition under control, Mrs. Atkins has got to feel somewhat vindicated on behalf of her late husband for the undue heavy criticism he received for promoting his diet which is high in protein and fat. It turns out he was right after all!

“I think it is possible to end the diabetes epidemic,” Mrs. Atkins stated emphatically in her interview with Diabetes Health.

Her philanthropy through the Robert C. Atkins Foundation has allowed over $12 million to be invested into further research to look at how low-carb living can help people who suffer from obesity and diabetes.

Mrs. Atkins believes very strongly that type 2 diabetes can be completely eliminated and obesity conquered if people would give livin' la vida low-carb a fair chance to work for them without worrying about the constant negative media hype surrounding this healthy lifestyle.

"Personally, I want everyone to know that although diabetes is currently an enormous problem, it doesn’t need to be. It can literally be stopped," she exclaimed. "Can you imagine eradicating diabetes? It can be done. Dr. Atkins had great success proving that it can be cured."

In fact, the article notes that more and more doctors are prescribing a low-carb lifestyle for their diabetic patients to help them control their condition. A whole lot more research on a larger scale is forthcoming and could be a turning point for validating low-carb as the best way to deal with diabetes. Atkins believes that is what her husband would be doing if he were still around today.

She discussed in the Diabetes Health interview what drove him to do what he did to put low-carb living on the map.

"He started studying more about a lower-carb diet, and started applying it to patients. He saw the positive results and finally wrote a book about low-carb diet and lifestyle," she said in the interview.

As someone who enjoys livin' la vida low-carb herself, Mrs. Atkins didn't mind cooking for her husband some of his favorite meals.

"He usually ate eggs for breakfast and bacon or some sliced tomatoes with coffee," she explained about Dr. Atkins' eating habits. For lunch, he would have grilled chicken and a tomato salad and cheese. For dinner he would have a salad, some protein—lamb was his favorite— and some cooked vegetables. Sometimes he would have a few berries for dessert."

But Mrs. Atkins said each individual needs to find "their own level of carbs" and not "play around too much" with that number to see maximum results. She also encourages people to exercise as well.

Describing enriched white bread as a "poison (that even) rats wouldn't eat," Mrs. Atkins explained that most people who eat carbs are consuming way too much white flour and sugar. She said people need to be educated about how they can get their energy from protein and vegetables rather than empty carbs that come from these carb-loaded foods.

When times got difficult because of the criticism the Atkins diet was receiving, Mrs. Atkins said it bothered her that the media and health "experts" were calling her husband's work "dangerous" and "counterproductive" to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

"Bob never wavered in his beliefs, every morning, starting around 7:30 a.m., he saw patients. He saw their positive results and this reinforced his theories which ultimately improved their lives and health," she recalled.

In fact, Dr. Atkins put himself on a low-carb diet because he wanted to lose weight and hated being hungry all the time on those "other" diet programs that restrict your fat, calories and portion sizes.

"About 40 years ago, he was reading a medical journal article about low-carb eating, and thought, 'I can do this.' So, he tried it," Mrs. Atkins recalled.

The rest they say is history.

You might be interested in knowing what Mrs. Atkins thinks about the bankruptcy announcement by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. in August.

We have nothing to do with the food product company, since it was sold shortly after Bob’s death," she revealed. "The Atkins food product company was created initially to help Bob’s patients and to allow Bob to eat low-carb ice cream, which he loved and missed on the lifestyle. The product company grew into a large and successful business as a result of the acceptance of low carb by the general public. When Atkins started out, there were about 60 low-carb products in the marketplace. Last year, there were over 10,000."

Acknowledging the satiety of the low-carb lifestyle makes it easier to stick with than other weight loss programs, Mrs. Atkins said she completely avoids processed sugar and flour products.

"And I don’t like potatoes," she noted. "I think you need fatty acids more than sugar for certain brain functions. I love olive oil because it’s very healthy, as well as vegetables, salads and berries. Fiber is also very important. I also consider the glycemic index in various foods. If you’re going to have fruit, take berries over a banana."

She also said people should have butter instead of margarine.

"Once and much to his dismay, [Dr. Atkins] looked inside his mother’s refrigerator and found margarine. He said, 'How could you?' and she said, 'Because it doesn’t splatter,' and it was what the government and health organizations were recommending. When a [health] organization gets behind a certain product, it’s amazing what people will believe," Mrs. Atkins declared.

In a nutshell, Mrs. Atkins describes the Atkins diet as a program designed to "reduce the sugar intake and eliminate or reduce the intake of certain types of 'bad' carbs" so that the body will become "an efficient, fat-burning state" that is safe and healthy for virtually everyone who does it.

What an incredible woman Veronica Atkins is! I am so privileged that she personally reviewed my new book Livin' La Vida Low-Carb and was not disappointed with what I wrote about the impact her husband's work had on my life. In fact, she would not have expected anything less than success.

For more information about how the Atkins diet can help cure diabetes, please read Atkins Diabetes Revolution.