The Atkins diet is a low carbohydrate weight loss program. According to MayoClinic.com, you might lose water weight on the Atkins diet because a low carbohydrate diet acts as a diuretic. You might also lose weight by eating less because the protein and fat in the diet make you feel full for longer. The carbohydrate content of foods determines whether you can eat them on an Atkins diet.
Meat
Meat, fish, and poultry are on the list of foods for an Atkins Diet because most muscle foods contain minimal carbohydrates. Mussels and oysters contain some carbohydrates, and the Atkins program recommends limiting them to four ounces per day if you are in the induction phase. Induction is the beginning of the diet, and it is the phase with the lowest daily limit for carbohydrates. Subsequent phases increase the daily quota. Bacon and ham also have carbohydrates from their sugar, and people on an Atkins diet need to limit their intake. The Atkins Diet recommends avoiding processed and cured cold cuts because of their nitrates.
Fats
A list of things to eat on the Atkins Diet includes fats such as butter, vegetable oil, olive oil and mayonnaise with no sugar added. According to the American Heart Association, saturated and trans fats are the greatest dietary contributors to high blood cholesterol. For heart health, you should choose monounsaturated fats like olive and peanut oil, and polyunsaturated fats like sunflower seed and sesame oil. Pure fat has no carbohydrates and all phases of the Atkins Diet allow them. However, they are high in calories, and it is important to remember that overall calorie balance determines weight loss regardless of the number of carbohydrates you eat.
Vegetables
The Atkins Diet uses the concept of net carbohydrates to count carbohydrates. The net carbohydrates in a food equals the total number of carbohydrates minus fiber. The induction phase of the Atkins Diet includes non starchy vegetables with low net carbohydrates. Examples include raw bok choy and alfalfa sprouts, with less than a gram of net carbohydrates per cup serving, lettuce, with almost no carbohydrates, and cooked broccoli, with less than 2g of net carbohydrates per 1/2 cup. As you enter the later phases of the Atkins Diet, you can incorporate higher carbohydrate vegetables into your diet. Starchy vegetables include acorn squash, with 10g of carbohydrate per 1/2 cup serving, and potatoes, with 14g of carbohydrate per 1/2 cup serving.
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