Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins M.D. (1997, Paperback, Reprint)

The book is broken up into 5 parts. I will briefly talk about a few.

Part One which is broken into 7 chapter is called “Why the Diet Works.” In this section Dr. Atkins explains to us how the diet works and the physiology of why it does. He talks about the health changes you will see and how to maintain the diet. You will read some medical terminology such as “ketogenic, hyperinsulinism, metabolism, and glucose.

I am a personal trainer but not a nurse and I have never worked in the medical field. Dr. Atkins, in my opinion, does a fantastic job of making this book user friendly. He talks about these medical issues in a way that is understandable. Unlike, for example, The Zone, which I needed a map or Math 101 course to figure out, the terminology and happenings in your body are thoroughly explained and I doubt you will walk away not understanding why he thinks a low-carbohydrate is the way to go.

You will also find here and throughout the book anecdotal stories including in this section “Harry Kronberg’s Before And After Menu” – before being before the Atkins diet and after, obviously after.

Part Two has 4 chapters (and his chapters are consecutive. Part Two starts at #7 - #10; Part One was #1 - #6) is called “How to Do Your Fortnight Diet-14 Days to Dieting Success.” This is a very helpful section discussing his induction phase, which lasts 14 days. He clearly plans out what can and cannot be eaten, what are free foods you can eat and mistakes to avoid. It is in this section that he brings up “lipolysis testing strips.” This is one of the most controversial aspects of his book since these strips test your urine to see if you are excreting ketones. He covers this many times throughout the book and does discuss the controversy around “being in ketosis.”

I like the end of this chapter because he has you ask yourself if you should go on with his way of eating, including a short quiz about how you have done.

Part Three has 6 chapters and is called “Why the Diet Makes You Healthy.” In this chapter Dr. Atkins talks about and maintains that his diet will make you healthier. I won’t go into the specifics such as bringing down your blood pressure. Suffice it to say, that using research and case histories, he does a fabulous job of convincing us that we will be healthier on the Atkins Diet. He talks about your heart, yeast infections and food intolerances.

A very good chapter within this section discusses fat and it is crucial for people who think they want to be on Atkins to read. Not everyone will agree with Dr. Atkins, but the information is presented in an easy to read way with material that he cites which does not agree with him. I like the fact he is able to see that not all will agree with his theory.

If you plan to try his way of eating or are interested in learning about low-carbohydrate eating this is a must have. If you are just interested but not going to eat this way 100%, the book may come across as a bit extreme.

Since Dr. Atkins presents what others have found to be the negatives, you will get the negatives from his book. I urge you to talk with your doctor. The book is a very easy read. It is easy to understand and you will be able to find topics easily either through the index or just by flipping though it because it is laid out very logically and in order.