Exchange of the butter, eggs, cheese and meat in the Atkins diet for soy protein foods, other vegetable proteins including gluten and vegetable fats, nuts, avocado, olive and canola oil will result in dramatic rather than modest reductions in blood lipids with weight loss. In effect this will represent an exchange of saturated fat and animal protein for healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and vegetable proteins with significant effects on blood lipids while still encouraging weight loss.