Any extreme diet will receive criticism, not just Atkins. To completely exclude a food group will always be contentious and will never be fully accepted into the mainstream.
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I agree - but then Atkins was never extreme.
He started with a strict two weeks (as do a lot of diets) and then told people to add carbs back in, in a controlled and steady way, until each person found their personal carb limit. Very sensible.
And he certainly never suggested excluding a food group. His recipes included a variety of salad and vegetables, with the inclusion of fruit, starchier veg and even grains, if the individual was able to continue to lose weight, while eating them.
At the end of the weight loss period, he suggested adding in more carbs until the individual started gaining weight -- their personal carb limit. Voila, a tailor-made diet for life, incorporating exactly the right amount of carbs for healthy weight maintenance.
The problem was that the media and pro-carbers all fixated on the 2 week induction, and never bothered to look further.
But then, when did the facts ever get in the way of a good vilification?