The new Atkins: Bread is on the menu!
Atkins was the diet of the nineties, with Geri Halliwell and Jennifer Aniston devotees. Now it’s back... but now you can eat bread!
In the nineties the Atkins diet saw carbohydrates completely banned while dieters could eat as much meat and butter as they liked! Needless to say, it was considered unhealthy and few could stick it.
But a trio of doctors have looked at it again, making a healthier diet that allows previously banned items like vegetables, caffeine and even whole grains.
The principle of the diet is the same, cutting back on refined sugars so that fat – including the body’s own fat – become the main energy source.
Old Atkins allowed you as much protein as you could eat. New Atkins recommends 4-6 oz with each meal (8 oz for tall men), which is within healthy recommended amounts. Vegetables are allowed from day one - even vegans can follow this version of the diet.
Banned:
- Fruit juice and sweetened fizzy drinks.
- Foods made with flour and/or sugar including white bread, pasta, pastries, biscuits, cakes and sweets.
- Food with any sugar.
- Low fat or diet foods
- Junk food.
- Chewing gum, breath mints, cough syrups which may contain sugar.
- Foods with added trans fats.
Initially carbohydrates and some other foods are banned but you can reintroduce them in this order:
1. Leafy greens and low-carb vegetables.
2. Dairy foods high in fat and low in carbs (cream, cheese).
3. Nuts and seeds (not chestnuts).
4. Berries, cherries.
5. Low fat dairy.
6. Legumes (chickpeas, lentils etc).
7. Tomato and vegetable juice.
8. Fruit (not dried or juice), higher-carb vegetables (e.g. squash).
9. Whole grains
Meal plans:
In the initial fast-track phase of the New Atkins, you must eat protein with each meal, and confine yourself to a daily carb intake of 20 net grams, from salad (up to three bowls a day), and vegetables (two cups a day).
BREAKFAST: 2 fried eggs plus avocado with no-sugar salsa.
SNACK: Cup cucumber slices and 2 slices Cheddar cheese.
LUNCH: Can tuna, 2 cups mixed green salad with cup cooked broccoli, spring onions, 4 pieces of marinated artichoke hearts and salad dressing.
SNACK: Roast turkey slices.
DINNER: Beefburger (no bun) with tablespoons sautéed onions, cup mushrooms, 2 slices Cheddar cheese and 2 cups green salad with dressing.
After two weeks, you can slowly increase your daily carb intake (from 25g to 50g) until you find your personal tolerance for consuming carbs while continuing to lose weight.
Sticking to the principles above, you can now reintroduce berries, seeds and some legumes. When you are about 10lb from your goal weight, you should be ready to broaden the range of acceptable whole food carbohydrates in the form of other fruits, starchy vegetables, dairy products and whole grains.
BREAKFAST: 2-egg omelette with cup grated cheese and 1 orange.
SNACK: 2oz pine nuts and 4oz tomato juice.
LUNCH: Grilled chicken with 2tablespoons of peanut sauce, and a mixed salad of 2 cups lettuce, cup peppers, 2 medium carrots, cup sweetcorn, with Italian dressing.
SNACK: 1 apricot and cup cottage cheese.
DINNER: Lamb kebabs with cup raita, 1cup low-carb pasta, 1cup Brussels sprouts, a salad of 2 cups lettuce, 1 carrot grated, with vinaigrette.
Extracted from New Atkins New You by Drs Eric Westman, Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek, published by Vermilion.
