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Atkins Advises Dieters to Eat Smaller Steaks, NY Times Reports




NEW YORK (Reuters) Jan 19 - Promoters of the popular low-carbohydrate, high-fat Atkins diet are saying that people should limit their intake of saturated fat by cutting back on Atkins staples such as meat, cheese and butter, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

Responding to criticism from scientists that the Atkins diet could lead to heart disease and other health problems, the director of research and education for Atkins Nutritionals, Colette Heimowitz, is telling health professionals that only 20% of a dieter's calories should come from saturated fat, the paper said.

Beef, pork, lamb and butter were on the list of "foods you may eat liberally" in diet founder Dr. Robert C. Atkins' book "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution," first published in 1992.

Atkins, who died last year, always maintained that people should eat other food besides red meat, but had trouble getting that message out, the paper said.