What Ever Happened to the Atkins Diet?

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The low-carb food fad is fading away--so fast that Atkins Nutritional, the company that spawned it, has filed for bankruptcy. Cardiologist Robert Atkins determined that patients could lose weight by cutting carbohydrates and getting protein from meat and other foods full of fat. His Diet Revolution sold 20 million copies in more than 20 languages. Why has confidence faded so fast in a diet that seemed to encourage indulgence rather than abstinence? Was the doctrine oversold or misrepresented? What fad will be next in America, where there's big money in the promise of weight reduction that's quick and easy? In this archived To the Point, Warren Olney speaks with nutritionists, journalists and the food industry.Making News: Conservative Christians Boycott American Girl DollsAmerican Girl dolls embody the best aspects of US history and the most wholesome of American values. For conservative Christians they've been the antidote to curvaceous and provocative Barbie--but not any more. It's all about American Girl's sponsorship of a group called Girls Incorporated as we hear from Susannah Meadows, Senior Writer for Newsweek magazine.Reporter's Notebook: The World's Biggest Retailer and Political WarfareThe world's biggest retailer has taken so much heat that it's set up a war room at its Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters to spruce up its image. Meanwhile, unions that have not been able to organize Wal-Mart workers are using political pros of their own. We hear about two films that show two different pictures of Wal-Mart's impact on urban neighborhoods, smaller competitors and its own workers. (An extended version of this segment originally aired on Which Way, LA?, November 3.)
The low-carb food fad is fading away--so fast that Atkins Nutritional, the company that spawned it, has filed for bankruptcy. Cardiologist Robert Atkins determined that patients could lose weight by cutting carbohydrates and getting protein from meat and other foods full of fat. His Diet Revolution sold 20 million copies in more than 20 languages. Why has confidence faded so fast in a diet that seemed to encourage indulgence rather than abstinence? Was the doctrine oversold or misrepresented? What fad will be next in America, where there's big money in the promise of weight reduction that's quick and easy? In this archived To the Point, Warren Olney speaks with nutritionists, journalists and the food industry.
  • Making News: Conservative Christians Boycott American Girl Dolls
    American Girl dolls embody the best aspects of US history and the most wholesome of American values. For conservative Christians they've been the antidote to curvaceous and provocative Barbie--but not any more. It's all about American Girl's sponsorship of a group called Girls Incorporated as we hear from Susannah Meadows, Senior Writer for Newsweek magazine.
  • Reporter's Notebook: The World's Biggest Retailer and Political Warfare
    The world's biggest retailer has taken so much heat that it's set up a war room at its Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters to spruce up its image. Meanwhile, unions that have not been able to organize Wal-Mart workers are using political pros of their own. We hear about two films that show two different pictures of Wal-Mart's impact on urban neighborhoods, smaller competitors and its own workers. (An extended version of this segment originally aired on Which Way, LA?, November 3.)

American Girl

Girls Incorporated

Atkins Nutrition

Diet Revolution

USDA's 'Steps to a Healthier You'

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Watch

Wake Up Wal-Mart

USA Today article on Wal-Mart, Walton family's support of Governor Schwarzenegger

Edelman Communications

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Warren Olney