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Need to understand diet..
- Thread starter Pob1
- Start Date
That's more a paleo diet I think. Low carb healthy fat is just that: small amount of carbs (less than 25g daily is best) moderate proteins of any type to suit and a higher proportion of healthy fats. LCHF removes rice, legumes, grains or anything made of them (eg bread pasta pastry cakes biscuits), potatoes or starchy veg. The other difference between Atkins (which was high protein) and LCHF is that we do have some veggies, esp greens, and we work from a green (always) orange (sometimes) and red (never) lists. Difference between paleo and LCHF is that they eat all those things you mention, plus lots of fruit, whereas LCHF has berries on the green list and other fruits on the orange list, as they have a lot of sugar in them. Look at the DUK LCHF programme, or on the web for Real Meal Revolution (RMR) which is the one that I do, or the Diet Doctor for more info.
Last edited:
You can eat plenty of veg on Atkins. I did.
@Pob1
Have a look at my signature under my post.
There are a couple of links in it that should give you a good intro into LCHF
one is a link to the diabetes.co.uk Low Carb programme, which is a 10 week free intro to low carbing.
another is a link to dietdoctor, which will show you the foods to avoid and the ones to eat. If you have a rummage round that site you will see they do a 2 week intro programme of menus, which you may find helpful.
In addition, if you look through the forum lists on this site, you will find a section called Low Carb
Lots of threads there, including food lists, recipes and some of us post what we eat on a daily basis, just so we can copy each others ideas! lol
Hope that helps.
chalup
Well-Known Member
Actually if you read atkins he always advocated that low carb veggies, especially leafy greens, were to be part of the diet but the media and the critics just focused on butter and bacon. The actual difference between atkins and LCHF is that atkins is a high protein diet where LCHF is moderate protein. In answer to your question @Pob1 There is a very good low carb program on the site here and when daisy1 posts her info for you the link to it is at the bottom. It is not difficult and the food does not need to be complicated. Some fish, chicken, or meat with a side of steamed broccoli in butter or a salad with full fat dressing is a perfect meal. Bacon or sausage with eggs is good and full fat yogurt with maybe a few berries makes a nice light meal. Hope this helps 
Oops, @Brunneria posted while I was typing lol
Oops, @Brunneria posted while I was typing lol
Sorry I should have been more specific; it was my understanding that the New Atkins allows more veg, but that the original one didn't allow much other than protein particularly at the beginning before going onto maintenance.
daisy1
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@Pob1
Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the basic information, mentioned above, which we give to new members and I hope this will be useful to you. In particular it contains a lot of information on carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information, mentioned above, which we give to new members and I hope this will be useful to you. In particular it contains a lot of information on carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 210,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.
Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Daibell
Master
Hi and welcome. I wouldn't get too hung up on which Atkins diet said what as there is no 'correct' diet. One thing is for sure i.e. as diabetics we need a low-carb diet. Veg is always good although avoid too many root veggies. Fruit is good but avoid tropical. Have enough proteins and fat to keep you feeling full. That approach works for many. Beans and pulses are good as they have a lot of fibre etc but they are still carbs. Do include low-GI carbs in the carbs you do have where you can.
AtkinsMo
Well-Known Member
It was a basic misunderstanding re Robert Atkins early versions of his diet. He was originally 'marketing' it to obese Americans who were eating HUGE quantities of food (have you ever been to an American 'All you can eat' restaurant?) He was basically saying you can eat 'All you can eat steak and eggs' but the subtext was always that you can't eat a huge amount of steak and eggs, because you actually get full - whereas you can eat tons and tons of biscuits, say, and still want more. So he was using the diet as a natural appetite suppressant, which it is. You could always eat 20g carbs, but it used to be total carbs, which doesn't give you a lot of room to manoeuvre, but he always recommended that those 20g were in the form of salad or leafy veg. Dr Westerman has gone back to 20g total Carbs for weight loss. I have a series of Atkins books, starting from the early 80s - it was the media that portrayed it as high protein, Robert Atkins always described it as high fat - the 'unlimited protein' was actually meant to be self limiting, after a couple of weeks.
AtkinsMo
Well-Known Member
@Pob1
I actually thought, nobody has actually told you what you can eat. Since you say you don't like 'new fangled grains, lentils and beans' I presume you prefer an old fashioned diet.
Breakfasts - make eggs the basis, no need to fear eggs!
Bacon, Low carb sausage (you need to read the label, sausages go as low as 0.5g carbs per sausage, or as high as 40! Asda chipolatas are low, several varieties from Aldi are good, they will often be labelled as gluten free. You are not looking at the traffic light symbols on the front of the package, you are looking for the table on the back, the section on Carbohydrates. Aim to always eat stuff that is less than 6g per 100g for basic foods. A tomato and a few mushrooms and you have a fine breakfast. It will seem strange eating it without bread at first, but you'all soon get used to it.
Or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, or smoked haddock and poached eggs, or kippers, or if you're in a hurry a hard boiled egg (boil in batches and keep in the fridge door for emergencies,) a slice or two of boiled ham and a chunk of cheese.
Lunch, any old meat / fish / cheese or an omelette with salad - lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, avocado, spring onions, watercress,
Dinner, any old meat, fish etc with greens. Try slicing cabbage thinly and frying in butter with a little onion and plenty of garlic, delicious. Sprouts are gorgeous cooked the same way. Steam cauliflower and cover in a rich sauce made with half a carton of seriously strong cheddar spread microwaved with a tablespoon of double cream. You can have as much as you like of leafy green vegetables. When you get your blood glucose down, you can start to introduce more variety of vegetables, 'eating to your meter' but in the short term avoid all root veg, peas, sweet corn, even green beans spike some people.
Or of you tell me the foods you actually like to eat, I can advise if I know a decent low carb alternative.
I actually thought, nobody has actually told you what you can eat. Since you say you don't like 'new fangled grains, lentils and beans' I presume you prefer an old fashioned diet.
Breakfasts - make eggs the basis, no need to fear eggs!
Bacon, Low carb sausage (you need to read the label, sausages go as low as 0.5g carbs per sausage, or as high as 40! Asda chipolatas are low, several varieties from Aldi are good, they will often be labelled as gluten free. You are not looking at the traffic light symbols on the front of the package, you are looking for the table on the back, the section on Carbohydrates. Aim to always eat stuff that is less than 6g per 100g for basic foods. A tomato and a few mushrooms and you have a fine breakfast. It will seem strange eating it without bread at first, but you'all soon get used to it.
Or smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, or smoked haddock and poached eggs, or kippers, or if you're in a hurry a hard boiled egg (boil in batches and keep in the fridge door for emergencies,) a slice or two of boiled ham and a chunk of cheese.
Lunch, any old meat / fish / cheese or an omelette with salad - lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, avocado, spring onions, watercress,
Dinner, any old meat, fish etc with greens. Try slicing cabbage thinly and frying in butter with a little onion and plenty of garlic, delicious. Sprouts are gorgeous cooked the same way. Steam cauliflower and cover in a rich sauce made with half a carton of seriously strong cheddar spread microwaved with a tablespoon of double cream. You can have as much as you like of leafy green vegetables. When you get your blood glucose down, you can start to introduce more variety of vegetables, 'eating to your meter' but in the short term avoid all root veg, peas, sweet corn, even green beans spike some people.
Or of you tell me the foods you actually like to eat, I can advise if I know a decent low carb alternative.
Liam1955
Master
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4ratbags
Well-Known Member
Hi and welcome to the forum. If you need some ideas about.what to eat on a LCHF diet I get lots of my.ideas on Pinterest. Its about going back to basics and limiting processed foods.
