1. Finally a fat Friendly Diet
The Atkins Diet is a fat friendly diet, something dieters the world over find easy to follow. On the Atkins diet, fats are allowed from day one. Contrary to what you may have heard, fats do not increase the risk of heart disease. As a matter of fact, people who eat a diet high in fat have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The fats allowed on the Atkins diet are natural fats. Natural fats include the fat on meats, rendered fat from meat and the fat in butter and oils too. Fats help dieters by adding the feeling of fullness and satisfaction after eating them.
2. Trans Fats are Evil
Everyone needs to watch their intake of trans fats, even if they aren't on the Atkins diet. Trans fats are those fats that contain either partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated fats or oils. Trans fats contribute to heart disease because the body doesn't digest them properly. Trans fats can cause arteries to become more rigid. The National Academy of Science has set the upper level of acceptable trans fat consumption to zero. That's right, zero is acceptable. Nutritional labels must now indicate how much trans fat there is per serving size. If there is less than 1/2 gram of trans fat per serving size, the manufacturer can list zero grams of trans fats. This is very deceptive to most of us, because the serving sizes are not what a typical person would consume. For example, in a margarine that is supposed to be heart healthy, trans fats are listed as zero in a serving size of 1 1/2 tsp. The ads proclaim you can use the product liberally, which is surely more than 1 1/2 tsp. Several teaspoons a day of this product could add up to 14 grams of trans fats a week, while the recommendation is zero. To be absolutely sure that you are not eating any trans fats, make sure you read the ingredients. If "partially hydrogenated" appears in the ingredients, pass it up.
3. Balancing fat and Proteins on the Atkins Diet
Eat the natural fats from animals and animal byproducts to achieve a healthy balance. These include fat from chicken, beef, pork, veal, lamb, wild game and fish. The benefit of eating the natural fats is getting the natural protein from the animal food as well. Butter and lard are animal byproducts and are also perfectly fine to use on the Atkins diet. Vegetable oils can be used as long as there are no trans fats in the oil, so make sure you read the ingredient listing carefully. Because you are eating a diet high in protein and fats, it's important to balance with healthy vegetables and fiber. High fiber vegetables not only fill you up, they add bulk to your system and aid in elimination.
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