Atkins Diet: How to Get Started With Atkins Diet?

Just like the Ketogenic diet, where you have to eat low carbohydrates, Atkins diet is also a low carbohydrate diet. Atkins diet follows a strict regimen of low carbohydrate foods such as fruits and vegetables and high protein diet for weight loss, prevention of disease, and healthy living. If you want to follow the Atkins diet, you can find low carbohydrate foods everywhere. You can choose between a prepackaged low-carb diet and self-prepared low-carb meals.

If you want to get started with Atkins Diet but do not want to choose a prepackaged low-carb diet, you will have to prepare your own Atkins Diet program. Creating your own Atkins Diet is not very difficult as it may sound, especially if you do not know much about Atkins Diet.

Atkins Diet Pyramid

While creating Atkins Diet by yourself, you will have to follow the Atkins Diet Pyramid. Since Atkins Diet is a low carb diet, carbohydrates remain on the top of the Atkins Diet pyramid and protein is on the base of the pyramid. The second tier of the pyramid consists of vegetables with low glucose level and the third tier consists of fruits.

Here is how the Atkins Diet Pyramid looks like.

• Base: protein sources such as eggs, fish, beef, chicken, and tofu
• Tier two: low glycemic vegetables like beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus and spinach
• Tier three: berries and avocado
• Top: whole grain foods

While on Atkins Diet, you will have to eat protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, beef, chicken, and tofu. You should include these foods on your daily menu. You should also include a lot of vegetables in your food. Atkins Diet also emphasizes on eating berries and avocado. However, you should eat fruits occasionally and only after you have gone through the first stage of the Atkins Diet program. Dairy products, seed oils, cheese, and grain legumes should be are used in moderation and in proper portions. In Atkins Diet, you will have to avoid cereal as the main food. You can use whole grain foods occasionally though.

Getting Started With Atkins Diet

The basic requirement of the Atkins Diet is your knowledge and understandings on which foods are acceptable and which are not. You have to create your menu by including the right foods in the right proportion, and you have to follow this dietary regimen strictly. If you do not have any idea on what foods you should include in your Atkins Diet program, you can find Atkins menu books and Atkins cookbooks. You can also take a cue from books on low carb diet plans. These books will help you to formulate your Atkins meal plans.

If you are cooking your own food or eat home cooked foods, it might be a little easy for you to follow the Atkins Diet. However, if you are eating out, it might be difficult for you to choose the Atkins food. In case you cannot figure out what you can eat and what you cannot eat, always choose a low carb food. For example, your preference should be steak instead of pasta. Having a list of acceptable Atkins foods might be useful if you are outdoors and want to eat. When you are buying foods, always choose the food that has “low carb” labels or something that is diet friendly.

Low carb diet is very popular these days, you can find low carb labeled foods in the supermarket. Food manufacturers have even produced prepackaged Atkins diet food. A note of caution if you are buying prepackaged low carb food or Atkins food. These foods might be low on carbohydrate, however, these might not be very healthy. Therefore, instead of buying prepackaged low carb foods or Atkins food, always have your own list of low carb food and Atkins food and prepare your own mean accordingly.

You can also find a lot of information on Atkins Diet online. In other to stay motivated to find information, you can join an online diet program. Some of these online diet programs are free and some charge you a subscription fee. Based on your needs, these programs will provide your personal daily and weekly menu plan. The menu will be based on your carbohydrate gram level.

If you have the right information and resources, following the Atkins diet is not very difficult. You can look into books, online resources, and food pyramid.