So you're thinking about creating an Atkins Diet meal plan?
The first thing that you're going to need is a list of the foods that are deemed acceptable by the creators of the Atkins Diet - formally known as the Atkins Nutritional Approach.
The key to Akins is remembering what NOT to eat - and that is predominantly complex carbohydrates that come from bread, grain, pasta, potatoes, plus 'simple' carb foods like sugar.
But of course we all need a certain amount of carbs in our diet as they provide a vital source of energy, so some carbs are allowed such as green vegetables. However, when creating your Atkins Diet meal plan it is crucial to keep the overall carb quantitles to a minimum - whatever the source of the carb.
The recommended allowance is 20 grams of carbohydrate per day, of which 12-15 grams should come from 'good carbs' like green vegetables, salads, herbs and so on.
As stated above, it's easier to talk about what isn't allowed on the Atkins diet, as actually there is a huge amount of choice with Atkins, despite some of the publicity to the contrary.
But you're on the brink of creatng an Atkins Diet meal plan so you need some practical suggestions for what to put on your shopping list. Here's a run down of some of the most popular foods that have made it onto the official Atkins Nutritional Approach Acceptable Food list.
Food you can eat in abundance
- All fish: tuna, salmon, trout, sardines, herring etc.
- All shellfish: oysters, mussels, clams, squid etc. (oysters and mussels can be a bit higher in cards so keep to max four ounces per day)
- All fowl: chicken, duck, goose, quail, pheasant, turkey etc.
- All meat: beef, pork, lamb, veal, venison (processed meat may have small amounts of carbs added though so check the labels if in doubt)
- Eggs: do 'em anyway you like
Food you can eat in moderation
- Cheese (count one ounce of cheese as equal to one gram of carb)
- Salad vegetables
- alfalfa sprouts
- peppers
- mâche
- daikon
- endive
- arugula
- parsley
- radicchio
- celery
- fennel
- lettuce
- chicory
- mushrooms
- sorrel
- jicama
- radishes
- chives
- romaine lettuce
- escarole
- bok choy
- cucumber
- Other vegetables
- artichoke
- bamboo shoots
- artichoke hearts
- celery root
- spaghetti squash
- broccoli rabe
- pumpkin
- rhubarb
- asparagus
- chard
- sauerkraut
- zucchini
- scallions
- eggplant
- dandelion
- bean sprouts
- dandelion greens
- water chestnuts
- snow peas
- beet greens
- cabbage
- spinach
- broccoli
- hearts of palm
- summer squash
- kohlrabi
- kale
- Brussels sprouts
- collard greens
- string or wax beans
- tomato
- leeks
- turnips
- bean sprouts
- onion
- okra
- cauliflower
Acceptable drinks within your Atkins Diet meal plan
When it comes to drinks, it's best to avoid all alcohol and sugary drinks and stick to water, tea, coffee and club soda.
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