FATS AND OILS.

No carbs to worry about here. A serving size is approximately 1 tablespoon. Oils labeled "cold pressed" or "expeller pressed" are preferable because they haven't been subjected to nutrient-destroying heat. Use extra-virgin olive oil only for dressing salad and vegetables and sauteing and olive oil, canola, or high-oleic safflower for other cooking. Never use specialty oils such as walnut or sesame oil for cooking; instead, use them to season a dish after removing it from the heat. Avoid products labeled "lite" or "low fat" and all margarines and shortening products, which still contain small amounts of trans fats. The term "no trans fats" actually means that a product may contain up to 0.5 gram per serving. (See Chapter 5 Chapter 5 for more on selection of oils.) for more on selection of oils.) b.u.t.ter Mayonnaise*

Canola oil Olive oil Coconut oil Safflower oil, high-oleic Flaxseed oil Sesame oil Grape-seed oil Walnut oil

* Most commercial mayonnaise is made with soybean oil. Find a brand made with canola or high-oleic safflower oil and without added sugar. Or make your own with our recipe in Most commercial mayonnaise is made with soybean oil. Find a brand made with canola or high-oleic safflower oil and without added sugar. Or make your own with our recipe in part III part III.

NONCALORIC SWEETENERS.

Count each packet as 1 gram of Net Carbs and consume no more than three per day.

Splenda (sucralose)Truvia or SweetLeaf (natural products made from stevia)Sweet'N Low (saccharin)Xylitol (available in health food stores and some supermarkets) LOW-CARB CONVENIENCE FOODS.

Some low-carb food products can come in handy when you're unable to find appropriate food, can't take time for a meal, or need a quick snack. More and more companies are creating healthy food products that can be eaten during the Induction phase of Atkins. Just remember two things: -Not all low-carb bars, shakes, and other convenience products are the same. Check both the list of ingredients and the Nutrition Facts panel to ascertain the number of grams of Net Carbs. ("Sugar free" does not necessarily mean "carb free" or "low carb.") Products suitable for Induction should contain no more than 3 grams of Net Carbs per serving.-Such foods can make doing Atkins easier, but don't overdo them. Don't subst.i.tute them for any of your 1215 grams of Net Carbs from foundation vegetables.

CONDIMENTS, HERBS, AND SPICES.

Hidden carbs lurk in many condiments. Read labels carefully, and be on the lookout for added sugar, flour and cornstarch, and other off-limits thickeners. Most ketchups, marinades, and barbecue sauces contain added sugar (often listed as corn syrup, corn syrup solids, cane syrup, or something else). Salt, black and cayenne pepper, most spices, basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, and other dried herbs contain practically no carbs. But make sure that any herb or spice mixture contains no added sugar. The following products are suitable. Check the list of ingredients of any products that aren't listed before consuming them.

Condiment, Herb, or Spice Serving Size Grams of Net Carbs Ancho chili pepper 1 pepper 5.1.

Anchovy paste 1 tablespoon 0.0.

Black bean sauce 1 teaspoon

3.0.

Capers 1 tablespoon 0.1.

Chipotle en adobe 2 peppers

2.0.

Clam juice 1 cup 0.0.

Coconut milk, unsweetened cup 1.9.

Cocoa powder, unsweetened 1 tablespoon 1.2.

Enchilada sauce cup

2.0.

Fish sauce 1 teaspoon 0.2.

Garlic 1 large clove 0.9.

Ginger 1 tablespoon grated root 0.8.

Horseradish sauce 1 teaspoon 0.4.

Jalapeno chili pepper cup sliced 1.4.

Miso paste 1 tablespoon 2.6.

Mustard, Dijon 1 teaspoon 0.5.

Mustard, yellow 1 teaspoon 0.0.

Pasilla chili pepper 1 pepper 1.7.

Pesto sauce 1 tablespoon 0.6.

Pickapeppa sauce 1 teaspoon

1.0.

Pickle, dill or kosher pickle

1.0.

Pimento/roasted red pepper 1 ounce

2.0.

salsa, green (no added sugar) 1 tablespoon 0.6.

salsa, red (no added sugar) 1 tablespoon

1.0.

serrano chili pepper cup 1.6.

soy sauce 1 tablespoon 0.9.

Tabasco or other hot sauce 1 teaspoon 0.0.

Taco sauce 1 tablespoon

1.0.

Tahini (sesame paste) 2 tablespoons

1.0.

Vinegar, balsamic 1 tablespoon 2.3.

Vinegar, cider 1 tablespoon 0.9.

Vinegar, red wine 1 tablespoon 1.5.

Vinegar, rice (unsweetened) 1 tablespoon 0.0.

Vinegar, sherry 1 tablespoon 0.9.

Vinegar, white wine 1 tablespoon 1.5.

Wasabi paste 1 teaspoon 0.0.

BEVERAGES.

- Clear broth/bouillon (not low sodium and without added sugars, hydrogenated oils, or MSG). low sodium and without added sugars, hydrogenated oils, or MSG).- Club soda.- Cream, heavy or light, or half-and-half (1 to 1.5 ounces a day).- Caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.- Caffeinated or decaffeinated tea.- Diet soda sweetened with noncaloric sweeteners.- Lemon juice or lime juice; limit to 2 to 3 tablespoons a day. Note that 2 tablespoons of lemon juice contain 2.5 grams Net Carbs; the same amount of lime juice contains 2.9 grams.- Plain or essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories").- Herb tea (without added barley or fruit sugars).- Unsweetened, unflavored soy or almond milk. An 8-ounce portion contains 1.2 and 1 gram Net Carbs, respectively.- Water (tap, spring, filtered, or mineral).

WHAT'S OFF LIMITS?

For now you need to stay away from certain foods. Clearly, we cannot list every food you should avoid. Follow these guidelines, and use your common sense. Avoid the following: - Fruits and juices (other than fruits listed with vegetables and lemon and lime juice).- Caloric sodas.- Foods made with flour or other grain products (exclusive of low-carb products with no more than 3 grams of Net Carbs per serving) and/or sugar, including but not limited to bread, pasta, tortillas, m.u.f.fins, pastries, cookies, chips, cakes, and candy.- Any food with added sugar, no matter what kind. Look for terms such as brown syrup, evaporated cane juice, glucose, dextrose, honey, and corn syrup.- Alcohol of any sort.- Nuts and seeds, nut and seed b.u.t.ters (in the first two weeks of Induction), except for flaxseeds, which are acceptable.- Grains, even whole grains: rice, oats, barley, quinoa, buckwheat groats, and so on.- Kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, and other legumes.- Any vegetables not on the Acceptable Induction Foods list, including starchy vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and other winter squash.- Dairy products other than hard cheese, cream, sour cream, and b.u.t.ter. No cow or goat milk of any sort, yogurt, cottage cheese, or ricotta for now.- "Low-fat" foods, which are usually high in carbs.- "Diet" products, unless they specifically state "no carbohydrates" or have no more than 3 grams of Net Carbs per serving. Such foods are mostly suitable for low-fat diets, not low-carb plans. Don't be fooled by the words "sugarless," "sugar free," "natural," or "no sugar added." Go by the carb content, which must be stated on the label.- "Junk food" in any form.- Products such as chewing gum, breath mints, cough syrups and drops, even liquid vitamins, which may be filled with sugar or other caloric sweeteners. (You can have breath mints and gums sweetened with sorbitol or xylitol and count 1 gram per piece, up to three a day.)- Any foods with manufactured trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils).

When in doubt, pa.s.s it up.

TURNING LISTS INTO MEALS.

Your objective is to build meals around a wide array of protein sources, natural fats, and foundation vegetables. If you love salads, eat them to your heart's content. When it comes to cooked vegetables, choose from almost fifty selections, from artichoke to zucchini. Steam, saute, roast, or stir-fry vegetables, but don't boil them, which destroys their nutrients, unless you drink the broth or add it to soups. Likewise, meats, poultry, fish, sh.e.l.lfish, and tofu may be broiled, grilled, roasted, stir-fried, poached, or braised-but not breaded or floured and deep-fried. Enjoy the odd fruits that pretend to be vegetables-think avocados, olives, and tomatoes-in moderation. Refer to the Induction meal plans in part III part III, which you can modify according to your needs, as long as you comply with the Acceptable Induction Foods list and tally the carbs.

INDUCTION GUIDELINES.

Many people see remarkably fast weight loss results on Induction. Others find it slow going. Whatever your pace, you'll need to follow the rules precisely to achieve success. This applies equally to those of you who are working on improving your blood sugar and insulin levels or your lipids. Otherwise, you could become frustrated before you've had a chance to see what Atkins can really do for you. Read the following rules of Induction, and then read them again to ensure that they're engraved on your brain!

- Eat either three regular-size meals a day or four or five smaller meals. Don't skip meals or go more than six waking hours without eating.- At each meal, eat at least 4 to 6 ounces of protein foods. Up to 8 ounces is fine if you're a tall guy. There's no need to trim the fat from meat or the skin from poultry, but if you prefer to do so, fine. Just add a splash of olive oil or a pat of b.u.t.ter to your vegetables to replace the fat.- Enjoy b.u.t.ter, mayonnaise (made from olive, canola, or high-oleic safflower oils), olive oil, high-oleic safflower oil, canola oil, and seed and nut oils. Aim for 1 tablespoon of oil on a salad or other vegetables, or a pat of b.u.t.ter. Cook foods in enough oil to ensure they don't burn, but no more. Or spritz the pan with a mister of olive oil. See guidelines for oils on page 89.- Eat no more than 20 grams a day of Net Carbs, 12 to 15 grams of them as foundation vegetables. This means you can eat approximately six loosely packed cups of salad and up to two cups of cooked vegetables. (See Acceptable Induction Foods on page 82.) Carb counts of vegetables vary.- Eat only the foods on this list. This is not the time to push the envelope.- Learn to distinguish hunger from habit and adjust the quant.i.ty you eat to suit your appet.i.te as it decreases. When you're hungry, eat until you feel satisfied but not stuffed. If you're not sure if you're full, wait ten minutes, have a gla.s.s of water, and eat more only if you're still unsatisfied. If you're not hungry at mealtime, eat a small low-carb snack.- Don't starve yourself, and don't restrict fats.- Don't a.s.sume that any food is low in carbs. Read the labels on packaged foods to discover unacceptable ingredients, and check their Net Carb counts (subtract grams of fiber from total grams). Also use a carbohydrate gram counter.- When dining out, be on guard for hidden carbs. Gravy is usually made with flour or cornstarch, both no-nos. Sugar is often found in salad dressing and may even appear in coleslaw and other deli salads. Avoid any deep-fried or breaded food.- Use sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), stevia (SweetLeaf or Truvia), or xylitol as a sweetener. Have no more than three packets a day, and count each one as 1 gram of carbs.- To be safe, stick with Atkins low-carb products and only those coded for Induction. Limit them to two a day.- Drink at least eight 8-ounce portions of approved beverages each day to prevent dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Include two cups of broth (not low sodium), one in the morning and one in the afternoon, in this count.- Take a daily iron-free multivitamin/multimineral combo and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST WEEK.

If you've been eating lots of poor-quality carbohydrates, this way of eating will be a significant change for you, and it may take some time for your body to adjust. You may also be giving up many of your old high-carb comfort foods, which may leave you feeling emotionally bereft. Both reactions are normal. Record any such feelings in your diet journal, along with a list of the foods you've eaten. You can find online support and answers to specific questions on the Atkins Community forums during this transition (as well as at any other time) as well as link up with Atkins "newbies" and old hands.

Just because your best friend or spouse lost 7 pounds on Atkins in her first week of Induction, don't a.s.sume it will be the same for you. It's better to begin with no set expectations. Most people lose a couple of pounds of water weight in the first few days. Your loss may be more dramatic, or not. And don't skimp on fluids or eliminate salt to hasten water loss. Remember that lost inches are just as significant. So if your clothes seem to feel a bit looser, even if your weight is constant, you're on the right track. This is also why we recommend that you weigh yourself once a week at roughly the same time of day (or use weight averaging) and take your measurements. That way, you're more likely to see positive results and not get hung up on your body's normal day-to-day variances.

Everyone is different, and it can take some time to fully switch your metabolism over to burning primarily fat. A low-carb diet is naturally diuretic, which flushes sodium and water from your body. Fatigue, light-headedness upon standing up or with exposure to heat (in a hot shower or hot tub or while mowing the lawn on a hot day, for example), weakness, constipation, chronic headaches, and leg cramps are all signs you might not be getting enough sodium. Like fat, salt has been unjustly demonized, despite being essential to life and well-being.

The symptoms described above are not the result of the diet-too little carbohydrate, too much protein, or whatever. The real problem is the lack of just a daily pinch of sodium. Yes, individuals who are sensitive to salt may experience bloating and high blood pressure if they eat lots of salt. But interestingly, these conditions are most p.r.o.nounced when people eat high-carb diets. Adapting to the low-carb state fundamentally changes how your system handles nutrients that might cause problems in a high-carb setting.

Our strategy to restore your sodium balance will stop most symptoms before they begin. In our experience, normally salting food to taste is not adequate. So don't wait until you experience symptoms; instead, have either two cups of broth, teaspoon of salt, or 2 tablespoons of regular soy sauce daily from your first day on Atkins. Continue until your carb intake exceeds 50 grams of Net Carbs.