for 2-4 weeks, ideally, but may be done for 6 mnths with suppliments and vitamins for optimazation.
The 14-Day Induction Diet
1. Restrict carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day.
2. Avoid eating fruit, bread, grains, starchy vegetables or dairy products other than cheese, cream or butter during this period.
3. Remember that intake of carbohydrates is usually 3 cups of salad vegetables or 2 cups of salad vegetables plus 1/3 cup of cooked vegetables whose composition is less than 10 percent carbohydrate.
4. Eat other permitted carbohydrates such as nuts, seeds and olives - as long as your total remains at 20 grams or below.
5. Choose vegetables such as asparagus, okra, eggplant, all salad vegetables, and broccoli - any nutritious, no starchy vegetable, which is 10 percent carbohydrate, or less. You will need to use a carb counter to see the full realm of your choices.
6. At this first level, eat all meat, all fish, all fowl, all shellfish, and all eggs. They are all permitted, except for luncheon meats containing nitrates or sugar and products that are not exclusively meat.
7. Eliminate diet cheese, cheese spreads, and whey cheese. All other cheese is permitted, unless you have an allergy to milk products.
8. Eliminate caffeine if you are addicted to it. Otherwise, you may have it in limited amounts.
9. Drink water, herbal tea (no barley, dates, figs or sugar), club soda, and decaffeinated coffee and tea.
Read labels carefully if you are drinking diet soda, flavored bottled water and iced tea. Make sure there are no carbohydrates in your beverages.
10. Avoid margarine. It is considered a health hazard. Butter is permitted.
11. Use vegetable oils such as canola, walnut and soybean. Look for labels that say "cold-pressed." Avoid heating polyunsaturated oils; heating changes the chemical bonds, making these fats unhealthy.
12. Use mayonnaise, unless you are on a yeast restriction.
13. Avoid all "diet foods" unless they specifically state that they contain no carbohydrates.
14. Read all labels carefully. A label that says "sugarless" does not necessarily indicate that the food doesn't contain carbohydrates.
15. Check labels on chewing gum, over-the-counter medicines and other products you may not normally think of as food. Many contain sugar or other carbohydrates.
16. Use lipolysis-testing strips to test your urine, to make sure that you are in ketosis - which means you are burning fat.
17. Take supplements and vita-nutrients according to the Atkins plan.
This initial stage helps to efficiently switch your body from burning carbohydrates to burning fat as fuel. It also stabilizes your blood sugar and stops food cravings using abstinence rather than moderation. It also helps to break addictive eating habits to sugar, chocolate, caffeine, etc. There are no restrictions on the amount of fat or protein you can eat.
Speak with your doctor before beginning this diet if you have any chronic health conditions. Certain medications may make it more difficult to lose weight, and certain illnesses may call for a restriction of protein.
1. Buy food in its freshest state. Opt for fresh produce, for example, instead of canned.
2. Select nutrient-dense vegetables. These include asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, okra, turnips, collard greens and dandelion greens. There are many more.
3. Use salad vegetables. These include romaine lettuce, bok choy, peppers, jicama, radishes and escarole.
4. Eat berries - strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. They are relatively low in carbohydrates and high in nutrition.
5. Have some sweet fruit but sparingly, in accordance with the diet. Fruit is full of nutrition but high in sugars and carbohydrates.
6. Eat nuts and seeds, which are high in protein as well as other nutrients.
7. Avoid processed foods as much as possible. They are usually high in carbohydrates and contain many ingredients that your body does not need.
8. Avoid processed foods that contain ingredients such as corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, fructose, and lactose.
These are all sugars, which add plenty of carbohydrate but no nutritional value to the food.
9. Read labels carefully, especially if you are going to have cereal or bread. Many contain huge quantities of sugar and other ingredients that your body doesn't need.
10. Buy whole grain breads and unsweetened cereal made from whole grain if you want to have those products.
The Atkins diet permits small amounts of them once you are at your desired weight.
11. Buy pasta made from whole grain, or egg pasta; these have higher nutritional value.
12. Avoid candy, sweetened soft drinks and baked goods. These contain "empty" calories (no nutritional value) and lots of carbohydrates.
13. Drink alcohol in moderation.
