Two of the world's most popular diets.
Atkins
This diet is based on low carbohydrate intake. During the first two weeks, dieters can have no more than 20g (0.7oz) of carbohydrates a day. This means a diet of nearly unlimited meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheeses, oils, butter, margarine, bacon and sausages. Dieters are not allowed milk, fruit, grains, cereals and breads, or vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn and carrots.
After this, dieters can add about five more grams of carbohydrates per week. In the long term, they must stick to no more than 40 to 90 grams of carbohydrates.
GI
The Glycemic Index measures the speed at which food is digested and converted into glucose. The faster food breaks down, the higher its GI rating. Sugar, which dissolves into the blood stream rapidly, scores a maximum 100 points and other foods are measured against that.
The GI diet has red, yellow and green "traffic light" classifications. Red-light foods like butter, mashed potatoes and sugar burn too quickly and dieters will be hungry. Green-light foods like fruit, vegetables and seafood convert to glucose slowly, leaving the dieters feeling fuller for longer and they can eat as much as they like. Yellow- light foods can be eaten when dieters reach a desired weight.