Veronica Atkins: AMA, ADA 'Have Their Heads In The Sand' About The Atkins Low-Carb Diet

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Veronica Atkins: AMA, ADA 'Have Their Heads In The Sand' About The Atkins Low-Carb Diet
Monday, May 14, 2007

My favorite interview yet with the lovely and gracious Veronica Atkins

When I started blogging about the low-carb lifestyle two years ago, what I wanted more than anything else was to carry on the torch of advocacy for livin' la vida low-carb that had been conspicuously absent since the untimely death of the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins. It was as if all the defenders of this way of eating fell off the face of the planet or decided to suddenly clam up. I for one felt that somebody needed to stand up on behalf of Dr. Atkins to defend his life's work.

Dr. Atkins left behind an incredible legacy that will continue to postively impact the lives of millions of people around the world for decades and generations to come. My only regret is that I was never privileged enough to meet him and shake his hand for helping me lose over 180 pounds in 2004. I am a permanently changed man today because of the Atkins diet and nobody can ever take that away from me.

But although I can never have that fateful meeting with my nutritional hero, I got to experience the next best thing--an interview with none other than Mrs. Veronica Atkins. As the faithful wife and loving companion to Dr. Atkins through all the ups and downs of his unprecedented medical career, nobody knew the human being she affectionately referred to as "Bobby" better than Veronica.

I've been able to meet and interview a lot of interesting people at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog over the past couple of years, but none more thrilling than this one with Mrs. Veronica Atkins. Eloquent, articulate, and ever-faithful to the mission of her late husband, you will be encouraged anew to start livin' la vida low-carb after hearing from this engaging and elegant woman. ENJOY!

1. Words cannot adequately express how privileged and honored I am today to have with us here at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog the one and only Mrs. Veronica Atkins. As most of my readers already know, Mrs. Atkins is the widow of Dr. Atkins who came up with the most widely-discussed diet program in the history of the world. Did Dr. Atkins have any idea this low-carb diet he stumbled upon decades ago would create such a ruckus? More importantly, did he ever really expect the Atkins diet to be fully embraced by the health and medical community?

Thanks Jimmy. ItÌs my privilege and pleasure to be here with you and to share a little bit with you and your readers about my late husband, Dr. Atkins. Your LivinÌ La Vida Low-Carb blog has been an invaluable resource for health professionals and the public alike to remain informed and current on all things low-carb. Your passion equals that of Dr. Atkins-Òand thatÌs saying something!

The short answer to both your questions is a resounding ÏYes.Ó Bobby certainly didnÌt want to create a ruckus--he hated controversy--but he had no choice. He was ridiculed and alienated by his peers for pointing out that carbohydrate restriction is the single best strategy for treating excessive levels of insulin which leads to diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease and even cancer. So, of course, he felt compelled to speak out.

Certainly, he fully believed that the controlled-carb lifestyle would eventually be accepted as a healthy lifestyle choice. How could he not when he saw the evidence in his clinical practice every day where he could reverse Type 2 diabetes and prevent it in those who were at risk of developing it. My husband firmly believed that had mainstream medicine adopted his teachings, the public health crisis that we see today, where obesity and diabetes have reached epidemic proportions, could have been averted.

2. As much as he and his healthy nutritional approach have been irresponsibily chided and scorned by the so-called health experts and the media over the past few years, nobody in this world really knew Bobby Atkins the human being as well as you--his faithful companion. What are the qualities you best remember him for and is there anything about the real Dr. Atkins that you wish people would never forget?

Well, I was in constant awe of Bobby...his intellect, his honesty, his courage, his boundless energy, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge and his commitment to his patients and their rights.

One of my fondest memories is of him leaving our apartment every morning at 6:30am for the short walk to his clinic...and the worn black canvas bag (that I tried, unsuccessfully, to replace with a briefcase on his birthday!) that he carried with him wherever he wentÛstuffed to the gills at all times with his writings, notes and medical journals. For all his brilliance, there was a childlike quality that he never lost...and every day was an adventure for him.

I wish people knew how hard he fought to change things. Even though he knew that by speaking out he would be attacked and vilified by his detractors, he never wavered in his convictions. In his monthly newsletter, writings, radio show and media appearances over the years he spoke out about many of the issues that only now are making headlines: the dangers of trans fats, the over-prescribing of hormones, antibiotics, statin drugs, and the consumption of denatured foods such as white flour, sugar and high fructose corn syrup --which make up the majority of products that line our supermarket shelves--and their role in the obesity epidemic; he brought to light scientific evidence that heart disease is not caused by cholesterol when it was widely accepted that it was the #1 cause.

He called to task some formidable opponents--the food companies, the pharmaceutical giants, the FDA, the ADA, and the AMA--and exposed their deceptive and in many cases dangerous practices. And he was instrumental in changing policy that led to the passing of patientsÌ rights bills.

IÌd also like people to know that he was a brilliant clinician and diagnostician and not just a Ïdiet doc," a label that stuck due to the phenomenal success of his Atkins Diet Revolution books. In his clinical practice, he treated a myriad of illnesses and succeeded in weaning patients off of their medications using diet and correcting nutritional deficiencies--something that gave him enormous satisfaction. He used the low-carb approach as the basis for all of his treatments.

Another interesting and little known fact about my husband is that at one point he wanted to pursue a career in comedy--in fact in his early years, it was a toss-up as to whether he would pursue a medical career or a career in stand-up comedy. He had a wonderful wry wit and I think he could have been a successful comedian. However, I have no doubt and neither did he that he was put on this earth to make a difference.

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