Dole Diet Center

ATKINS ATTITUDE

Low Carb Cantankerousness

The definition doesn't appear in Webster's yet, but the irritability, mood swings and restlessness often associated with extreme low-carb dieting have become so famous that they've earned their own sobriquet.

Self magazine defines "Atkins Attitude" as "a biological (and attitudinal) response to a chronically low-carb diet, which is characterized by grouchiness, distractibility, even depression." So common is ketosis neurosis that it's even spawned a synonym that is an alliterative variation of South Beach (but rhymes with South Witch).

A new study from the MIT Clinical Research Center suggests the phenomenon may be more than anecdotal. According to study author and Director of Women's Health Judith Wurtman, low-carb dieting can cause serotonin levels to plummet, which in turn make your moods go south (as in bad, not beach). Other research has linked depression with low levels of the important B vitamin, folate, found in abundance in most fruits and vegetables, as well as fortified grain products, also scanted on low-carb diets.

These hormonal and emotional effects may help explain why such extreme low-carb regimes are so difficult to maintain in the long run. Serotonin deprivation can lead to carb cravings, setting unsuspecting dieters up for binges and rebounds.

Stay on an even keel with B-vitamin-rich foods such as asparagus, spinach, broccoli, bananas, cantaloupe and beans. Cut out processed carbs such as white rice, breads, pastries and sodas, while relying on filling, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to tame that tummy -- and your temper, too.