HELP! Atkins in Ghana!

[carlosowusu]

Hello everyone!

I am from Ghana and just about starting on Dr. Atkins Dieting program. In the last two years, I have gained a couple of pounds due to eating late at night and paying no attention to exercise. I am willing to try this out and see if I can get any results. I'm having a problem determining which foods are good for the diet and which ones are not. Let me begin with a few questions...

Can I eat cassava, plantain, yams or cocoyams?

Can I eat custard, cornflakes, creamcrackers, Digestive or Rich Tea biscuits?

Can I drink soups with tomatoes and meat/fish, soups with groundnut and meat/fish or soups with palmnut and meat/fish?

Can I eat green or black olives? And how many?

Can I take in raw eggs instead of a protein shake which is extremely expensive here and if so, can it offer me the same benefits as the shake?

Can I drink milk? What about powder milk?

Can I take in regular teas? Cocoa powders?

Can I take in fruits? Apples? Bananas?

Do I have to be EXACTLY at 20g a day? Can I do less? Or more?

What about rice? Sob, sob, sob...


Thanx in advance!!!

[scaleskl]

Hi, you should get the book Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution as soon as possible so that you are doing the diet correctly. Here are some acceptable vegetables.

You can also add lean meats, 2-3 or 4? oz of cheese, and spices. The book will provide you with an array of choices in terms of meats and other edible items.

Hope this helps.

Vegetables
RAW:
13 cups Lettuce (shredded)
49 cups Spinach (about 0.2 net carbohydrates per cup)
4 cups Turnip Greens
2 1/4 cups Cucumber
3/4 cup Sweet green/red pepper
1 cup Cherry tomato
3/4 cup Tomato
2 1/2 cup Mushrooms
7 medium Green onions
1 1/4 California Avocado (black skin)
3/4 Florida Avocado (green skin)
COOKED:
2 3/4 cups Spinach (from canned)
3 1/2 cups Turnip Greens
1 cup Turnip
1 1/2 cups or 12 medium Asparagus Spears
1 cup Yellow Summer Squash (fresh)
1 3/4 cups Broccoli (chopped)
2/3 cup Spaghetti Squash
2 3/4 cups Cauliflower (chopped)
3/4 cup Green or Red Peppers
1/2 cup Tomato (from fresh)
1/2 cup Brussels Sprouts (from fresh)
1/4 cup Onions
1 1/2 cups Cabbage (from fresh)

[carlosowusu]

To be honest, I don't have the book and I can't find it anywhere here to. I have read bits and pieces of the diet on the Internet and I think i'm armed with all the information I need. Especially the pros and cons of starting a low carb / high protein diet...

Just need a lil' help in setting off..lol.

Can I cook the spinach with red oil? We have a local dish that has spinach, eggs, tuna and red oil...

[Elizellen]

In our FAQ forum
Atkins Low Carb Dieting - FAQ's - Atkins Diet
there are several good induction information threads which you might find get you started in the right direction.
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...induction.html (What are the Rules of Induction?)
is a good one to start with to make sure you haven't missed anyhting vital in your research

The one with the list of allowed foods
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...induction.html (What foods can be eaten on Induction?) will help you decide which you can eat in the first phase (2 weeks induction).

As for your questions .. .. well, let's see . . .

Can I eat cassava, plantain, yams or cocoyams?
I think those are all starchy roots which would be introduced towards the end of the second phase of Atkins, Ongoing Weight Loss also referred to as OWL.

Can I eat custard, cornflakes, creamcrackers, Digestive or Rich Tea biscuits?
You will need to check the ingredients, and then decide which level/rung of the second Atkins phase (OWL) they can be reintroduced if at all. Only eat foods with ingredients that are 'allowed' on whichever phase of atkins you are at.

Can I drink soups with tomatoes and meat/fish, soups with groundnut and meat/fish or soups with palmnut and meat/fish?
Again - check ingredients to be sure against the list of foods for the Atkins phase you are at. If the soups have no starch (flour etc) then you can eat ones with tomatoes, meat & fish on induction. Groundnuts are a legume, so not 'legal till the 6th OWL rung. I am not 100% sure what food group a palmnut is in - if it is like a coconut then rung 3 of OWL.

Can I eat green or black olives? And how many?
In the special category section of the allowed foods for induction list (thread in the FAQ forum) it gives the amount of these allowed for occasional use if they do not stall your losses.

Can I take in raw eggs instead of a protein shake which is extremely expensive here and if so, can it offer me the same benefits as the shake?
Protein shakes are not really an Atkins requirement - I have never had one in my Atkins journey. Adding extra protein can hinder weightloss as excess protein can be turned into glucose by your body.
Eggs are far better as they are high in fat which is more attuned to Atkins which is a high fat/medium protein/low carb way of eating (no matter what the media and uninformed critics like to say about the Atkins way of eating)

Can I drink milk? What about powder milk?
Milk can be reintroduced when you reach rung 2 of OWL. Till then you can use cream thinned down with water instead

Can I take in regular teas? Dr Atkins suggested we should not drink caffeinated beverages, so decaffeinated teas would be fine as well as the water you drink.

Cocoa powders?
Some people treat it as a spice - spices are allowed in small amounts on indcution (say less than a teaspoonsworth). For using it in larger quantities in recipes you need to have reached the 3rd OWL rung.

Can I take in fruits? Apples? Bananas?
Apart from the fruits listed in the 'vegetables' list posted by Scaleski (peppers, tomatoes, rhubarb etc) you will need to wait till the 7th OWL rung for these as they are high in natural sugars - bananas especially have a lot of sugar in them so even when you do reintroduce them you will probably have to be careful of portions to avoid blood sugar spikes.

Berries and melons except for watermelons are allowed earlier on the 4th OWL rung.

Do I have to be EXACTLY at 20g a day? Can I do less? Or more?
We aim at up to 20 net carbs (not including fibre) on induction, most of which should be from the vegetables we choose.

What about rice?
Whole grain rice can be reintroduced in the final OWL rung, but white rice and flour really should be avoided or limited even when you are on the maintenance phase of Atkins and have reached your goal weight.

I often serve curries and other dishes which often use rice as a base with 'caulirice' which is made from grating raw cauliflower. My husband actually prefers it to 'real rice'

I hope the above is useful to you and wish you well on your Atkins journey