ATKINS EATS IT:

Atkins Nutritionals Inc., the company that promoted low-carb eating into a national diet craze, filed for bankruptcy court protection Sunday, a company spokesman said.

Can we stop with the food fads already? Don't get me wrong: I know plenty of people who lost weight on Atkins' very low carbs approach ... each time they tried it. Yep: They did the diet, lost the pounds, regained the pounds, returned to the diet. Back in the late 70s, Nathan Pritikin gave America advice directly opposite that of Atkins: consume lots of carbohydrates: especially whole grains. We responded by getting phobic toward all fats; onset diabetes increased, and the nation as a whole put on the pounds. After all the Oprah episodes, it seems that the 40-30-30 (40% complex carbs, especially vegies and fruit; 30% protein; 30% fat, emphasizing Omega oils) is the most sane way to go for most of us. As for weight loss, what was true 100 years ago appears to still be true: Burn more calories than consumed; exercise. If I can think of a way to make that complicated and formulaic ("Only eat protein while standing on your left foot") and hard to understand ("...every third hour, except when...") but crucial to heed ("The future of your metabolism and self-esteem depend on following my plan"), I'll get to work on a diet book.