Atkins Without Beef…What's Next?

Have you heard about this “Eco-Atkins Diet” that a bunch of researchers dreamed up to please vegetarians?

Dr. Atkins must be rolling over in his grave.

These veggie-wackos want a diet that offers “Atkins without animal fat.” They call it, “Eco-Atkins.”

Holy cow!

The Atkins Diet is all about eating animal protein. So how do you eat a high-protein diet without animal fat? Turns out we’re supposed to bulk up on soy burgers and wake up to the smell of vegetarian bacon – whatever that is!

Beef Is the Best Source of These Essential Nutrients:

Protein: Meat is a complete protein. Vegetables are not. Vegetarians have to combine foods to make a complete protein. They’re also lower in protein content than meat sources. For instance, 3 ounces of beef contain 50 grams of protein compared to 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, which contains 16 grams.

B12: Animal products are the primary source of B12. This is a serious problem for vegetarians, especially vegans. Lack of B12 causes anemia and can cause nerve damage leading to irreversible conditions like blindness.5,6

Iron: Vegetarians not only get less iron, the type of iron from a vegetarian diet is different. The type of iron from a vegetarian diet is absorbed 70% less than a meat diet.7 This is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women. Children develop behavior problems and delays in their development. Pregnant women deliver pre term.8,9

Zinc: Beef is the number one source for zinc, and all animal products are good sources. Vegetarians not only get less zinc to begin with, they absorb up to 35% less of it.10 A zinc deficiency affects your immunity, and can stunt your growth and the way your brain functions.

CLA: Almost 98% of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) comes from meat. CLA has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer.11 It also helps with fat loss.

CoQ10: Beef is the best source of Coenzyme Q10. There is next to none in fruits and vegetables. CoQ10 is in every cell of our body. It creates energy. CoQ10 improves heart function and diabetes, and helps prevent autoimmune disease.12

Don’t be deceived. This crazy veggie-plan is in no way eco-friendly, sustainable, or healthier. The diet is based on multiple allergens such as soy, gluten, and dairy. They use processed foods like veggie bacon, deli slices, and breakfast links.

What’s worse:

  • Up to 30 times the maximum level allowed for a toxic chemical called melamine has been found in soy products. Melamine is a hazardous air pollutant that affects the brain. It’s banned from organic food, yet it’s finding its way into soy.1
  • Commercial soy farmers in South America are taking over and driving peasant farmers off their land.2
  • Soy is grown on stripped and deforested lands in the Amazon rainforest.3
  • Inferior and contaminated soy is quietly being imported from China.4

This concept is disconnected from our past, and it screams of ignorance.

For millions of years, our ancestors were part of an ecological system that had a perfect balance in nature. They relied on fresh-caught meat and food gathered from the ground, bushes, and trees. Their diet was high-protein, high-fat, and low-carbohydrate. Diseases of modern day were non-existent.

Vegetarians want to replace this with processed, low-fat starch products that can ruin your health.

Where’s the Beef?

The study they’ve based their conclusions on has nothing to do with Atkins’ diet plan. Atkins’ diet is based on beef. In the study, one group ate a vegetarian diet, and the other a vegan diet. The diets are hard to follow for most people, and the products aren’t readily available. But what’s more important, vital nutrients are missing.

Meat eaters are more likely than vegetarians to get 100% of the protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins they need.

This veggie Atkins imitator is a far cry from the natural and healthy diet handed down through millions of years of evolution. Eco-Atkins goes against our own biology and history.

Ancient Is Eco-Friendly

Step back in time with me for a moment…

A stone-age diet is similar to the original Atkins plan. Primitive man hunted animals that fed on wild grasses. Meat was pure, fresh, and full of nutrients. They supplemented with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. They drank fresh water. Very little was based on grains, gluten, or soy. Their diet certainly was not based on processed, pre-packaged veggie links.

Our bodies were designed to digest meat, yet vegetarians still think it’s bad for you. They don’t understand that eating grass-fed beef is healthy, low-fat, and contains essential nutrients they’re missing from their diet. Our ancestors’ diet allowed prehistoric man to have a stored energy source for times of famine. Today, it gives us a great backup fuel system for our bodies.

By eating like our ancestors, we naturally lower our intake of carbohydrates. With fewer carbohydrates, our bodies switch to using fat as fuel. We are fully satisfied and lose body fat. Our blood sugar levels out. Our LDL and HDL cholesterol levels improve, along with triglycerides.

There’s more…

Natural sources of animal protein:

  • Have higher nutritional value. Grass-fed beef is low-fat with fewer calories than grain-fed. It also has more omega-3s, B vitamins, CoQ10, zinc, vitamin E, and beta-carotene.
  • Avoid common allergic triggers such as milk, soy, egg, and wheat.
  • Offer important nutrients that fuel the brain and stabilize mood.
  • Satisfy the appetite. They keep hunger away longer, making dieting easier.

Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef

1. Less overall fat and calories: A six-ounce grass-fed loin has 92 fewer calories than grain-fed. This saves an average American 16,642 calories each year.13

2. More Omega-3: Grass-fed beef has 2 to 10 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef and a healthy ratio as little as 1:1.14 Grain-fed beef is as much as 14:1.15

3. More CLA: Grass-fed beef has 2 to 5 times more CLA than grain-fed. CLA supports immune and cardiovascular growth and lean muscle mass.16

4. More Vitamin E: Grass-fed beef contains 3 to 6 times more vitamin E than grain-fed beef.17

5. More Carotenoids: Grass-fed beef has up to 4 times more beta-carotene than grain-fed beef.18 Carotenoids promote eye and macular health.

6. More B Vitamins, CoQ10, and Zinc: Grass-fed beef has more B vitamins, CoQ10, and zinc than grain-fed beef.

Dr. Atkins was a visionary. He taught people to eat like our primitive ancestors. But there is one area where he went wrong…

You’ve got to watch out for trans-fat and eliminate it from your diet. Trans-fat comes from partially hydrogenated oils. You find it in processed and fast foods. Trans-fat raises bad cholesterol (LDL) while lowering good cholesterol (HDL).

You also need to watch the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. We get too few 3’s and too many 6’s. When you cut down on processed and fast foods, you decrease 6’s. Another way is by switching to grass-fed beef.

A high-protein, low-carb diet is good for you, as long as you’re getting the right fats.

Here’s how to get back to the basics:

  • Make protein the main course of every meal. Base your diet on grass-fed beef, buffalo, wild game, and eggs. For variety, add an occasional wild-caught, coldwater fish.
  • Eat quality, low-glycemic carbohydrates. Stick to above-ground vegetables, fruits, and berries.
  • Eat quality fat and increase omega-3’s. Throw in a handful of nuts, avocados, and some healthful oils.
  • Avoid packaged and processed foods.
  1. “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry,” http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf (p. 18) Accessed 02 2010.
  2. “Paraguay may limit soy farming in land reform,” Interview 12 Sep 2008 16:59:39 GMT: Reuters. By Mariel Cristaldo.
  3. “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry,” http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf (p. 18) Accessed 02 2010.
  4. “Behind the Bean: The Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry,” http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf (p. 18) Accessed 02 2010.
  5. Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1998.
  6. Milea, D. “Blindness in a strict vegan.” N. Engl. J. Med. 342: 897- 898; 2000.
  7. Hunt, J.R.; Roughead, Z.K. “Nonheme-iron absorption, fecal ferritin excretion, and blood indexes of iron status in women consuming controlled lactoovovegetarian diets for 8 weeks.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69: 944-952; 1999.
  8. Lozoff, B.; Jimenez, E.; Hagen, J.; Mollen, E.; Wolf, A.W. “Poorer behavioral and developmental outcome more than 10 years after treatment for iron deficiency in infancy.” Pediatrics 105: e51; 2000.
  9. Allen, L.H. “Anemia and iron deficiency: effects on pregnancy outcome.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71(suppl): 1280s-1284s; 2000.
  10. Hunt, J.R.; Matthys, L.A.; Johnson, L.K. “Zinc absorption, mineral balance, and blood lipids in women consuming controlled lactoovovegetarian and omnivorous diets for 8 weeks.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 67: 421- 430; 1998.
  11. Kelley NS, Hubbard NE, Erickson KL. (2007). “Conjugated linoleic acid isomers and cancer.” J Nutr (UC Davis, Ca, USA) 137 (12): 2599-607.
  12. Linus Pauling Institute. “Micronutrient Information Center.” Accessed 02 2010.
  13. Robinson, J. Pasture Perfect: The Far Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products From Grass-Fed Animals. Vashon Island Press. 2004.
  14. Rule D.C. (2002). “Comparison of muscle fatty acid profiles and cholesterol concentrations of bison, beef cattle, elk, and chicken.” Journal of Animal Science, 80: 1202-1211.
  15. “Scientific Research.” http://www.eatwild.com. Accessed 02 2010.
  16. Dhiman, T.R., G.R. Anand, L.D. Satter, and M.W. Pariza. (1999). “Conjugated Linolenic Acid Content of Milk from Cows Fed Different Diets.” J Dairy Sci. 82, (10): 2146-56.
  17. Smith, G.C. “Dietary Supplementation of Vitamin E to Cattle to Improve Shelf-Life and Case-Life for Domestic and International Markets.” Colorado State University Department of Animal Sciences. Accessed 02 2010.
  18. Prache, S., A. Priolo, et al. (2003). “Persistence of carotenoid pigments in the blood of concentrate-finished grazing sheep: its significance for the traceability of grass-feeding.” J Anim Sci 81(2): 360-7.