A UK hospital has banned the popular Atkins diet from its menu because of fears about the diet’s health effects.
The Norfolk and Norwich Hospital has said it will not cater specifically for the low-carbohydrate diet because it is not balanced enough to aid recovery, reported BBC News Online.
The hospital said it had noticed an increase in the number of patients asking for meals that are in line with the Atkins diet.
“We have had a few patients who have come in following the Atkins Diet and asked for special meals to be provided for them so they can continue to follow the diet in hospital, but we don’t think that’s the right option for a patient while they are in hospital,” senior dietician Maria Skerry was quoted by the BBC as saying.
“You can understand why people are wanting to try it but we don’t know what the long-term effects are,” she said.
“We see far more people who need to increase their calorie and nutritional intake to help them make a better recovery.”
The hospital said it would not prevent patients from choosing low carbohydrate options from the standard menu but would not be preparing special Atkins diet meals.
