A flagship hospital is refusing to give patients meals that follow the Atkins diet

A flagship hospital is refusing to give patients meals that follow the Atkins diet because of fears it could damage their recovery. In its information leaflets, the hospital says it will cater for those with special food requirements. The offer was intended for patients who need to avoid certain foods for religious or medical reasons. But scores took the opportunity to ask for the fashionable fat-burning Atkins diet, hoping to lose weight during their hospital stay. Now managers at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital have had to amend the leaflets to make it clear Atkins is not on the menu and emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet…

—Jenny Hope, Daily Mail, London, 8/20/03