Australian Dietary Guidelines & Recommendations

(Woman's World, 2018)

 (Department of Health, 2015)

Dietary Guidelines

.While the Atkins Diet is based heavily around vegetables and meats, which contain many essential nutrients, for example, the daily recommended calcium intake, and an adequate amount of thiamine, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin E. Participants of this diet often struggle to reach the adequate amounts of nutrients outlined in the ‘Australian Dietary Requirement’s, therefore it is suggested that a multivitamin or multimineral supplement is taken, to reach the daily nutritional requirements.  Although an individual’s iron levels will increase due to the additional intake from meat, fish and legumes.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines, specifically guideline 2 promotes “Enjoy[ing] a wide variety of nutritious foods from these five groups every day” (Department of Health, 2015).

The Atkins diet is not wholly in line with this, as individuals’ food choices become quite limited, particularly in terms of fruit consumption, which contain many essential vitamins. This narrows down the nutrients consumed by the individual, as the food variety is limited, so does the body’s access to essential vitamins and nutrients.

Foods to enjoy, avoid and be mindful of

To remain healthy, and ensure that one’s nutrient requirements are met, it is important to eat a variety of foods which allow the body to consume the nutrients needed. Here are some foods to enjoy, and some foods that should be avoided in each stage of the diet. Participants of this diet need to consider the differences in each stage and be mindful of added and refined carbohydrates which are not obvious. The following foods are acceptable, but not limited to:

Recommendations

When following the Atkin’s diet, it is recommended that participants:

• Eat no more than 20 grams of net carbohydrates per day. 12-15 grams of which should come from vegetables: cooked, raw or salad
• 115 - 175 grams of protein-rich foods are included in every meal.
• It is suggested that a multivitamin or multimineral and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement is taken to compensate for the lack of vitamins which are found in carbohydrates.
• It is strongly recommended that you do not go on the Atkins diet if you have kidney or liver problems.”
• It is also recommended that participants visit their GP first, to discuss any health implications (Tyler Jones, 2013, p.2).