Atkins vs. Ornish vs. Real Life

The best recap I've read of the new study showing that women who tried to follow the Atkins diet lost slightly more weight in the course of a year than those who stuck with three other diet plans comes from Denise Gellene at the Los Angeles Times. In it she zeroes in on this salient fact:

Lead author Christopher D. Gardner, a Stanford University assistant professor of medicine . . . said he suspected that the bulk of the weight loss in the Atkins program came from women substituting water for soft drinks.

Which brings up the point that what actually makes a difference in any diet plan and what the promoters of that diet plan say makes a difference are not necessarily the same thing. In other words, you don't actually have to follow the Atkins plan to take advantage of this healthy tip: don't drink your calories!

Gellene also got at the difference between dieting to lose weight (typically a short-term goal) and eating healthfully for the long term. Eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting down on saturated fat (marbly steaks, ice cream), avoiding processed foods and not drinking your calories--all while getting plenty of exercise--are still your best bets for longterm health.