Please find below a version of the Atkins Induction diet that I simplified to send to my brother. That version was for weight loss; I've modified it a bit for diabetes.
It works for me; when I was on it before (2004/05) I lost 50lb in the first 6 months, 5.5 stone in 18 months, and I have never felt better. I was also doing about 25 miles weekly walking the Irish Wolfhound exercise machine. Then the dog died :cry: , I started eating carbs again, and now I'm back where I started. My doctor monitored me carefully throughout; my blood pressure dropped to 120/75, and though my total cholesterol would have been considered high for a diabetic at 5.4, my total:HDL ratio was 3.3, and my triglycerides were 0.65. All that is now to do again, plus managing the diabetes, but the first 2 stone is off already and the blood glucose levels are nicely down. Only 6 more stone to go!
WARNING!
This is a high-fat, low-carb diet and is not suitable for everyone. Some people can't eat fat for medical reasons, other people simply can't tolerate it, so think about it carefully.
Basic low-carb diet
Golden Rules: eat at least 3 times a day, more if you want. DON'T over-eat. Snacking is fine, but stick to protein (meat, fish, cheese, eggs). Make sure you eat fat - it's essential to make the diet work.
Drink at least 2 litres of water every day. Tap water is fine.
Read all food labels.
OKAY
all fresh meat types - lamb, beef, pork, chicken, duck, turkey, goose, venison and other game;
all fish; oily fish is particularly good, eg tuna, mackerel, salmon. Tinned is okay. Shellfish too, except oysters; smoked is okay (check the labels).
processed meat, eg sausage, burgers, ham, bacon, corned beef etc, but check for carb content on the label (eg no breadcrumbed ham, or honey roast ham);sausage and burger with maximum meat content and minimum carbohydrate; smoked and processed meats are okay but read the labels for nasty chemicals;
butter, olive oil etc
eggs
dairy - use very little milk (contains some carbohydrate) but butter, cream and hard cheese (up to 4oz daily) are okay. Also live unsweetened yoghurt;
salad veg, eg all lettuce types, toms, peppers, cucumber, radishes - a total of 8oz salad per day
other veg - all green leafy veg, asparagus, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, courgettes, aubergines, fennel, leeks, onions, green beans - a total of 8oz per day. Some of these contain higher amounts of carbs (eg tomatoes, leeks & onions, which contain some sugar) but are okay in moderate quantities (so don't eat a whole tin of tomatoes with your sausages!).
Avocado once a week, if liked. Very good for you. Also a handful of olives occasionally. Not stuffed!
Salad dressings, chutneys etc as long as minimum carb - read the labels.
Mayonnaise is fine - I use Hellman's. NB not low-fat.
Rhubarb is okay! Sweeten stewed rhubarb with dissolved Splenda tablets and eat with cream or live natural yoghurt. Don't eat every day, and don't go mad!
Sweetener - I use Splenda, tablets in drinks; dissolve them for other things. The granulated contains maltodextrin which affects blood glucose. Other sweeteners are available, of course.
With curry or casserole, use cauliflower instead of rice or potatoes. Very good!
AVOID
All starchy vegetables eg potatoes, carrots, swede, turnip, sweetcorn, beans, peas, broad beans; all dried pulses. This list is not comprehensive!
No sugar – does that need saying?
Anything that contains flour - bread, cakes, biscuits, cream crackers, pastry, sauces (eg cheese) and thick gravies. No pasta, rice or cereals except for occasional All-bran, eaten with very little milk. Oat bran (obtainable from health food shops) can be used as a thickener, also sprinkled on things (eg inside an omelette with the filling, or with stewed rhubarb) to aid against constipation. The rhubarb will help there too.
(Fibre eg bran isn't absorbed by the gut, so doesn't count as carbohydrate)
Tea and coffee – some recommend avoiding caffeine. Best to use in moderation.
Drink 2 litres of water daily. Herbal teas are okay.
Avoid all highly processed foods eg margarines, and anything that is full of nasty chemicals.
Some ready meals are okay but read the labels. A good rule of thumb is, avoid anything with more than 5 grams of carb per 100 grams, and eat only very occasionally.
NO alcohol is best. It can slow down weight loss because your body can use it for fuel. It can contain carbs, so check
Be very suspicious of anything called 'diet' or ‘lite’ - it's probably stuffed full of carbs.
I never have either headaches or bad breath, which some people complain of. If you get a headache at the beginning, don't worry - it will go off. Drink plenty of water because you'll shed a lot of water at the beginning of the diet.
I didn't know about rhubarb when I first started this diet, but it certainly helps if you get constipated. Also bran. Also live yoghurt. Add flax seeds if necessary - they help too. Available at health food shops - also called linseed. If you’re on Metformin as well you shouldn’t have a problem.
You may want to take a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet, but there's really no need.
The whole point of this diet is to eat enough fat and protein. You don't have to think about calories, just carbohydrates. You can eat as much of the allowed foods as you want, unless limits are given, but don't over-eat. Eat until you’re satisfied, not stuffed.
It's basically a low-glycaemic index diet, eating fresh and unprocessed foods, with plenty of fat.
Eating from this food list, in the given quantities, will give you about 25 grams of carbohydrate per day. It’s then easy, with the help of one of the carb-counter books, to add on carbs up to the quantity you require. Different vegetables, for instance, the lower-carb fruits, or nuts as snacks.
