Induction is the first phase of the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss. Each day on Induction, have no more than 20 g net carbs, which is the total grams of carbohydrates minus the grams of dietary fiber in your food. A low-carbohydrate diet is not likely to be nutritionally adequate, and you should talk to your doctor if you need to lose weight.
Proteins
Eat three to five meals each day during Induction, and include at least 4 to 6 oz. of a high-protein food at each meal. Unprocessed beef, pork, veal, venison, chicken, duck, fish, eggs and some shellfish are carbohydrate-free. Cured meats, such as ham, and some shellfish, such as oysters and mussels, provide some carbohydrates, so remember to count them in your daily total. The Atkins Induction phase allows you to eat fatty meats and dark-meat poultry with the skin, but lean meats and white-meat, skinless poultry are lower in unhealthy saturated fats and cholesterol, making them a better choice.
Fats and Beverages
Have a source of fat at each meal, either from your protein source or from fat that you add to your food. Pure fats are cholesterol-free, and Atkins recommends olive oil, vegetable oils, such as canola, flaxseed, sesame and sunflower, and sugar-free mayonnaise. You can have butter, but it is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, making it a less healthy source of fat. You can have carbohydrate-free beverages, such as water, diet soft drinks and coffee or tea with or without caffeine.
Nonstarchy Vegetables
Get 12 to 15 g daily net carbs from nonstarchy salad or cooked vegetables. A 1/2 cup of raw bok choy, arugula, alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, iceberg or romaine lettuce or radicchio has no more than 1 g net carbs. Examples of cooked vegetables you can have include eggplant, cabbage, artichoke, spinach, zucchini, turnip and kale. Atkins does not permit you to have starchy vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, acorn squash or beans during Induction.
Other Low-Carbohydrate Foods
Cheese contains natural carbohydrates from lactose, and you can have 3 to 4 oz. full-fat cheese, such as blue, mozzarella, Gouda or Parmesan, each day. You can get some of your 20 g daily net carbs from herbs, sour cream and bacon bits. You cannot have added sugars on this diet, but you can eat Atkins Day Break and Atkins Advantage bars and shakes during Induction. These products have non-nutritive sugar substitutes to sweeten them without adding carbohydrates, and they have no more than 3 g net carb each.
