Atkins Trims The Fat

Put down that steak knife. The promoters of the Atkins diet appear to be backing off the idea — embraced by millions of Atkins adherents — that the eating plan is an invitation to gorge on all the fat and red meat you can eat. Officials of the diet company now say there's a limit to how much saturated fat dieters should consume. During the two-week "induction phase," for example, company nutritionists say 60% of calories should come from fat, and roughly a third of that from saturated fats (the rest should consist of the kinds of poly-and monounsaturated fats found in olive oil and fish). After this first phase, total fat intake should drop to 55%, but the cap on saturated fat should stay the same. Atkins reps say that these guidelines aren't really new and that the goal has always been to limit carbs, not fat. The diet still permits more fat than such popular competitors as the Zone and South Beach diets, but the clarifications make it more palatable to health professionals.