I think we need to start looking at peoples individual situations
before recommending a diet.

The Atkins Diet is not a healthy diet period, but neither is being
obese.  For these unfortunate people who can't or won't lose weight
through any other means are essentially taking the lesser of two
evils.  I would not recommend this diet to anyone but those whose life
is in serious jeopardy due to their weight.  The Atkins Diet can
produce serious and unwanted side effects but so can many drugs, just
as long as the cure is not worse than the disease.

A healthy person at a healthy weight eating a diet of say 60% carbs
25% fat & 15% protein should stay on that diet.  These people are not
at the same risk in developing the complications that occur in obese
people.  If a healthy person goes on Atkins who is at a healthy weight
or maybe a few pounds overweight they will probably develop heart
disease or other side effects of eating a high fat low nutrition diet.

I think you have to look at family history when trying to find the
right diet for someone.  Someone with a family history of heart
disease might have to watch their fat and cholesterol intake more
closely.  Someone like me with no family history of heart disease does
not need be as concerned with fat and cholesterol intake.

A healthy person should eat a wide range of foods and get rid of the
processed foods, bad fats/oils, refined sugars etc that are not good
for anyone.

Meats, fruits & vegetables, whole grains, fats, dairy are all healthy
in reasonable portions and part of a healthy diet.  If an obese person
cuts out whole grains and substitutes meat instead that may be the
best choice for their situation but not for someone else.  A person
with high cholesterol or a history of heart disease may substitute
whole grains and vegetables for meat & dairy.  Again perhaps the best
diet for their health problem but not the best diet for someone else.

On this board and elsewhere there is this need to come up with the
definitive diet that everyone should follow but that diet does not
exist.  Individuals have unique needs and circumstances that will not
be served by this one size fits all diet.  We need to get away from
these diets where all they offer is eliminating entire healthy food
groups from ones diet.  Whether its carbs, meat, dairy, etc they all
have a place in a healthy diet.