Recommended Atkins Low-carb Foods

The glycemic index, or GI, is the effect of foods on the body's glucose level. Knowing a food's GI and carb count helps you make good food selections on the Atkins diet. According to the Glycemic Index Foundation, high-carbohydrate foods have GI values above 70, medium GI foods values range between 56 to 69 and low-carb foods' GI values rank below 55. You can also check out Atkins publications and website, which include hundreds of recipes and recommended low-carb foods for each mealtime.

Cream and Butter

Although high in fat and usually eliminated from most weight-loss diets, the Atkins diet permits cream and butter, based on its theory that eating low-carb enables your body to burn fat more efficiently. These low-carb foods form the basis of many tasty sauces, soups and desserts. The high saturated fat content of these foods, however, has led many nutritionists and physicians, such as those writing for the American Heart Association, to warn dieters about potential health risks of following the Atkins diet.

Salad Greens

During the induction phase of the diet--the first two weeks--Atkins recommends 2 to 3 cups of salad greens per day, according to the book "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution." Salad greens include lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, arugula, cabbage and other low GI vegetables. In Phases 2 to 4, the Atkins diet gradually increases the amount of allowable greens and other salad vegetables. Because salad greens add filling bulk to meals with few carbohydrates or fats and a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, most diets recommend them.

Meat

The Atkins diet recommends consuming high-protein, low-carb meats, including beef, chicken, turkey and pork. Atkins believes, and some research studies support, the idea that eating high protein meals reduces hunger later in the day and leaves dieters feeling more full and energetic, as discussed in the Vanderbilt University summary of Atkins diet research. All four phases of the Atkins diet recommend consuming lean protein with small amounts of vegetables at each meal. The "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Cookbook" contains over 80 meat recipes. Recommended meat preparation methods include grilling, frying, baking, broiling and stewing. However, meat recipes should never include the addition of breading or high-carbohydrate sauces.