Phase one is the most important stage of the Atkins Diet because it prepares your body to eat different foods for the rest of your life, according to "Dr. Atkins' New Revolution." Most people depend on foods' carbohydrates for energy, but the late Dr. Robert Atkins believed that carbohydrates cause body fat. Dieters in phase one, the two-week induction phase, are supposed to eat so few carbohydrates that their bodies become reliant on foods' fats for energy.
Animal Products
Atkins believed that the carbohydrates in food cause body fat because they rapidly increase your body's blood sugar levels, and excess blood sugar causes body fat. Most health-related organizations believe that foods' fats cause body fat, but "fat causes virtually no blood-sugar elevation and protein very little," according to "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution."
You can't eat fruits, breads, pastas, grains or starchy vegetables during phase one because they are loaded with carbohydrates. You can eat limited amounts of them in the diet's later stages after your body is not dependent on carbs for fuel. In phase one, though, you should eat foods from animals "liberally" because they have lots of fat and protein.
All eggs, fish, fowl and meat are on the Atkins Diet's list of phase one acceptable foods. You may eat eggs fried, hard-boiled, scrambled, soft-boiled and in omelets. Recommended fish includes clams, flounder, lobster, salmon, shrimp and trout. Recommended fowl includes chicken, Cornish hen, duck, goose and turkey. Recommended meats include bacon, beef, ham, lamb and veal.
Cheese
Cheese is an animal product, but it has more carbohydrates than other animal products. Fish, meat and poultry have a "trace" of carbohydrates per serving, but cheeses have between 0.1g and 1.9g of carbs per serving, according to the Carbohydrate Gram Counter in "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution."
During the induction phase, you can eat 20g of carbohydrates daily, an amount that increases by 5 to 10g weekly during the Atkins Diet's later stages. Atkins said you can eat 3 to 4 oz. of "full-fat, firm, soft, and semi-soft" cheeses. He recommends cheddar, which has 0.2g of carbs per oz. and mozzarella, which has 0.3g. Cream, Gouda, Roquefort and Swiss cheese are also acceptable.
Salad Vegetables
Salad vegetables have fewer carbohydrates than other vegetables. Thus, they cause a smaller rise in your blood sugar. Celery has 1.5g of carbs per serving, while a white potato has 15.4. Salad vegetables also have a lot of fiber and phytonutrients. You can eat 2 to 3 cups of them daily during the induction phase. Celery, cucumbers, lettuce, mushrooms, peppers and radishes are on Atkins' acceptable foods' list.
Other Vegetables
You can eat 1 cup of many nonsalad, nonstarchy vegetables daily as long as you don't eat more than 2 cups of salad vegetables daily. This limited quantity is permitted because they have fewer carbs than starchy vegetables as well as fruits, grains, pastas and rice. The acceptable "other vegetables" list includes beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, kale, onions, sauerkraut, spinach and tomatoes.
References
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution;" Dr. Robert Atkins; 2002
- "Atkins Diabetes Revolution"; Dr. Robert Atkins, Mary Vernon and Jacqueline Eberstein; 2004
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