The late Dr. Robert Atkins acknowledged in "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" that many people believe the Atkins Diet is anti-vegetable because it "promotes a liberal intake of high-fat meats and dairy products." Atkins, though, has most vegetables on his "eat regularly" recommendations and only a few vegetables on his "eat sparingly" list. Vegetables are in the second-largest segment of his recommended food pyramid because they're "health-enhancing, varied foods."
Salad Vegetables
You aren't allowed to eat many vegetables during the first two weeks of the Atkins Diet because you're limited to 20 g of carbohydrates daily, and vegetables have carbohydrates. Salad vegetables are permitted in larger quantities than other vegetables, 2 to 3 cups daily, during the diet's induction phase, while you can eat only 1 cup of "other vegetables" daily and starchy vegetables such as carrots and potatoes are banned.
You can eat more salad vegetables because they're lower in carbohydrates than other vegetables. Celery and lettuce, for example, have 1.5 and 1.3 g of carbs per serving, while sweet potatoes and corn have 22.4 and 16. After the diet's first two weeks, you can increase your consumption of salad vegetables because they "provide a good source of fiber" and are "nutrient powerhouses." Besides celery and lettuce, other recommended salad vegetables include bok choy, cucumbers, mushrooms, parsley, peppers and radishes.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Numerous cruciferous vegetables are on the list of "other vegetables" that you can eat in small quantities during the Atkins Diet's first two weeks. After two weeks, your body no longer craves fat-causing carbohydrates, according to Atkins. Consequently, you can resume eating healthy carbohydrates in larger quantities if they don't cause weight gain.
Cruciferous vegetables are high on Atkins' list of healthy carbohydrates because they're loaded with cancer-fighting phytonutrients such as beta carotene, lycopene and lutein. Atkins' list of recommended cruciferous vegetables includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, turnips and watercress.
Culinary Vegetables
Foods that raise your blood sugar rapidly cause body fat, according to "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution." The glycemic index measures which foods raise blood sugar rapidly. Culinary vegetables, vegetables that are fruits botanically, are recommended because they have low glycemic-index scores. Bell peppers, eggplant, spaghetti squash and zucchini have glycemic-index scores below 20. Vegetables that aren't recommended such as green peas, carrots and baked potatoes have glycemic-index scores of 48, 71 and 85. Another recommended culinary vegetable, tomatoes have a glycemic-index score of 23 and "protect you from prostate cancer" because they have a lot of lycopene.
Other Vegetables
Many salad, cruciferous and culinary vegetables are loaded with antioxidants that protect your body's cells from stress, disease and aging. The vegetable with the most antioxidants per number of grams of carbohydrate in a serving, though, is garlic. Lettuce, kale, onions and spinach are second through fifth. Garlic and onions are bulb and stem vegetables. Spinach is a green leafy vegetable. Other green leafy vegetables that are recommended because of their antioxidants are artichokes, chard, kohlrabi and leeks.
References
- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"; Dr. Robert Atkins; 2002
- Atkins International: Home Page
- "Atkins Diabetes Revolution"; Dr. Robert Atkins, Mary Vernon and Jacqueline Eberstein; 2004
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