Raw Atkins

[mboy]

Is it acceptable within the atkins way of eating to go mostly raw vegan? Thus proteins coming from alternative sources and fats from mono fats etc.. I can make a few nut pates and have recently been intriduced to Juicing raw vegetables for health benefits..

I dont think raw veg on the low gi end of the scale has a lot of carbs at all so would be withing acceptable limis, only difference would maybe be, maybe not as much protein and a bit more fat ( though good fat) , I would like to intruduce the odd fruit juice as well... I have freinds in the raw food community who go to different extremes, Ie some only eat fruit but that is the antithises of Atkins.. I tried this and felt terribly hungry all the time but did have good energy.. but im interested in the power of live raw food and the low carb philosophy, It seems to work for me in terms of feeling good and not always being hungry.. im just a bit warey of too much meat/ cheese dairy..

[msanjelpie]

The low carb philosophy you are describing is not Atkins... You would not be allowed 'an occasional fruit juice' until you were well into the diet...

You can do as you wish as far as veggies, but not having enough protein would leave you just as disabled as you were hungry on the all fruit diet... You would need to decide which sources of protein you would need to incorporate to make it work...

The percentages, 65% fat / 30% protein / 5% carbs is very important to make the diet work... skewing that formula will alter the effects and could result in lack of weight loss or basically just not feeling as great as you could...

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by mboy

Is it acceptable within the atkins way of eating to go mostly raw vegan? Thus proteins coming from alternative sources and fats from mono fats etc.. I can make a few nut pates and have recently been intriduced to Juicing raw vegetables for health benefits..

I dont think raw veg on the low gi end of the scale has a lot of carbs at all so would be withing acceptable limis, only difference would maybe be, maybe not as much protein and a bit more fat ( though good fat) , I would like to intruduce the odd fruit juice as well... I have freinds in the raw food community who go to different extremes, Ie some only eat fruit but that is the antithises of Atkins.. I tried this and felt terribly hungry all the time but did have good energy.. but im interested in the power of live raw food and the low carb philosophy, It seems to work for me in terms of feeling good and not always being hungry.. im just a bit warey of too much meat/ cheese dairy..

Dr. Atkins wrote in DANDR that vegans cannot follow the Induction phase of Atkins and they often find their food choices too limited to stick even with the other three phases of the diet.

The problem with juicing vegetables or fruits is that you are losing the fiber. Drinking the carbohydrates, without the fiber, will increase the impact they have on your blood sugar.

I think the best for you is to decide on one plan you want to follow---either Atkins, either a raw food diet plan. Good luck.

[pagliaccia]

I have a lot of respect for people eating the vegan way. It's similar to Atkins in that it's sort of a "Back to Basics" approach. Unfortunately, you really can't do both simultaneously. The good news is that I've never, ever known a fat vegan!

[mboy]

It has to be Atkins all the way for me then. I have this theory about different types of people and our different Ancestors. I intuitivly know that I cant tollerate many carbs.. I put on weight just by looking at them practically its not very natural for me. On the other hand I know of people who thrive on them, I know a guy who eats up to 60 bananas a day.. that a staggering 540g of carbs a day... and he does toure de france style excersise. I have tried different types of thing and even ventured into fruit only to give it a go and my insulin response was terrible, I had awful hunger pangs and was really irritable... It just wasnt right somehow. The problem was that a lot of these people are really into the belief that eating Animals is teriible for our health and so on... I was kind of hypnotised into that world.. I stoped listening to my own body and started readin books from so called experts with there detoxing theories... Meat is just adrenilin of Animals etc.. It was a lot of fear around the subject of meat.. theres also a lot of guys from PETA who try to shame and scare what really is a natural process for nearly all species on this planet.

When I eat an atkins style diet I can tell my body is in a better state of balance.. Its a kind of nice satisfied feeling.. I can be not hungry for anything up to 5 hours and I immediately begin shedding weight... It just makes more sense for me this way so I am going to really give it a go and appreciate any support on this forum, I appreciate any advice


regards

Martin

[not2late]

I was a fat vegetarian and a fat vegan.

I ate a grain-legume rich diet, because I knew that plant-based diets were poor in protein. So I made sure I ate the grain-legume combo. Unfortunately, that didn't control my appetite so I ended up eating larger and larger quantities of food.

And that didn't help me much because I became a vegetarian in order to lose the 30 pounds I packed on during college. Instead I didn't lose those 30 and gained 40.

Anyhow, you can incorporate some Raw Food concepts into your Atkins. For example, dehydrating veggies into "chips", making veggies into faux rice and noodles, etc. No where does Dr. Atkins write that you must eat your vegetables/fruits cooked or raw. So go ahead and use those raw foods techniques---your menu will be extremely varied.

By the way, move to On-Going Weight Loss Phase after your 14 Day Induction. That will open your menues to a wider variety of good carbs, like nuts, fruits, legumes, grains, and starchy veg.

[mboy]

Thanks for that.. Im still experimenting with something that works well for me.. Whats the deal with saturated fat.. are we trying to limit that and go for mono fats for exam ple?

I could make lean chicken breast and substitute the fat with mono unsaturated fats like guacamole or this nice raw pesto ( not sure how much carbs pesto has but its made with olive oil.. ) and have salad with it.. Are saturated fats to be limited on Atkins? They have been the subject of controversy

regards

Martin

[not2late]

Here are some fat links:

The Importance of Saturated Fats for Biological Functions
The Skinny on Fats

[mboy]

Was reading the article ' The Skinny on Fats'

This damaged or oxidized cholesterol seems to promote both injury to the arterial cells as well as a pathological buildup of plaque in the arteries.50 Damaged cholesterol is found in powdered eggs, in powdered milk (added to reduced-fat milks to give them body) and in meats and fats that have been heated to high temperatures in frying and other high-temperature processes.

Is this not what you would generally eat on Atkins.. just thought it seemed like cooked meat was a bad thing then..

[not2late]

Some people incorporate protein powders and other highly processed foods into their Atkins.

I don't. I'm of the belief that generally the more processed a food, the less nutrition it has. So I make sure that the majority of my foods are minimally processed. Or if they are processed then they are processed in a manner that retains as much nutrition as possible.