THE much-derided Dr Atkins - whose famous protein-rich diet was followed by millions - was, in fact, on the right track said Patrick Holford.

Speaking at Southampton University during a tour to promote his new book, the world-renowned nutritionist had some words of praise for the controversial diet guru.

"Atkins' basic theory was right - he knew what could be achieved by limiting the in-take of carbs.

"I do pay Dr Atkins a bit more respect than most because he was right in saying the critical issue was blood sugar.

"But one of the main problems with his diet is that you are eating so much meat and dairy.

"That will put a strain on your kidneys, upset your bone balance and increase the risk of breast and prostate cancer," he said.

Most people think eating too much fat, or too many calories, makes you fat. Yet the incidence of obesity in Britain continues to rise, at a rate of 1,000 people becoming obese every single day, despite an average decrease in the number of calories eaten, and an even bigger decrease in the amount of fat consumed. A study of 37,000 people's eating habits has identified blood sugar problems as the major cause of weight gain, rather than eating high-fat foods.

Those people surveyed who had the most difficulty losing weight were three times more likely to have symptoms of blood sugar problems.

These include:

waking up tired;

can't get going without a tea, coffee, cigarette or something sweet;

need something sweet, or a coffee, at the end of a meal;

energy slumps in the afternoon;

feeling tired a lot of the time.

The survey found that the more overweight a person was the more sugar, refined and processed foods they ate, and the less fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and oily fish they ate.

While oily fish, nuts and seeds are high-fat foods those people who were not overweight ate more of these foods. They also drank more water and fewer caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee and cola drinks.

"A diet high in sugar, refined foods and stimulant drinks sends your blood sugar up and down like a yo-yo", explained Patrick.

Nine out of ten people with symptoms of blood sugar problems had difficulty losing weight, compared to less than three in ten without blood sugar problems" he said.

Patrick's own research has identified exactly which foods help you to lose weight and gain energy most efficiently, based on measuring exactly what each portion of food does your blood sugar.

This is called the GL of a food - and you need to eat no more than 40 GLs a day to lose weight - that's 10GLs for each main meal and 5GLs for two snacks.

For example, a single date is 5 GLs, as is a large punnet of strawberries. A large bowl of oats is 5 GLs while a bowl of regular cornflakes is 20GLs. So, starting your day with porridge oats, sweetened with fruit is a great way to lose weight and gain energy.

THE BEST AND WORST GL FOODS:

BERRIES

Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries have the lowest GL of all fruits. One large punnet (600 grams) is only five-GLs, so a punnet of berries is a perfect five GL snack. Combined with natural, low-fat yoghurt or with oat flakes they make a perfect low GL breakfast.

ROUGH OAT CAKES

Rough oat cakes have the lowest GL of all breads and any other oatcakes tested. They are delicious with hummous, cottage cheese or peanut butter as a 5-GL snack, or have two scrambled eggs with five oatcakes for a 9.5 GL breakfast. They are also great as snacks on their own, with plenty of fibre to make you feel fuller for longer.

OLIVES

Olives are not only great for you, they're great for your waist. Best of all are olives in brine, rather than oil. However, both are good for you - just drain off the oil. So eat them till the cows come home in pubs or restaurants to help take the edge off your appetite, or have as snacks or add to home made dishes.

TOMATOES

Tomatoes are a dieter's best friend in all shapes and sizes. A pint of tomato juice has the same blood sugar effect as half a glass of a sugared drink. Fresh tomatoes, tomato soups and tomato sauces are all great for your waist (provided you choose the ones without added sugar).

And amongst the worst are honey (sugar is more slow-releasing than honey), croissants, chips and cornflakes.