What are the Atkins Allowable Foods for the Atkins Diet?

It is important to have a thorough understanding of the Atkins allowable foods if you want to follow the Atkins diet to lose weight and overcome obesity.

To succeed on the Atkins diet you need to truly follow the diet's guidelines by eating only Atkins allowable foods.

Straying from this and eating foods that are not allowed, such as carbohydrates, will hinder the hard work you've already done.

There are four phases to the Atkins diet:

• The induction diet
• The ongoing weight loss diet
• The pre-maintenance diet and
• The maintenance diet.

Each phase has different Atkins foods.

The main difference is that as you progress from one phase to the next you will find that you are allowed to have more foods than you were on the diet of the previous phase.

With all phases, the primary food group that you are avoiding is the carbohydrate group.

In the induction diet you can have any type of meat such as:

• Beef
• Pork
• Lamb and
• Bacon

Any type of fish including:

• Tuna
• Salmon
• Sole and
• Trout

Any type of fowl such as:

• Chicken
• Turkey and
• Duck.

You will, however, want to avoid lunch meats with nitrites or sugar added or products that include imitation ingredients.

Induction diet Atkins allowable foods also include basically all:

• Shellfish
• Eggs cooked any way you prefer and
• Most all cheeses.

You can also have vegetables that have a low carbohydrate count. These include:

• Lettuce and greens
• Spinach
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Mushrooms
• Olives
• Radishes
• Artichoke hearts
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Onion
• Squash
• Avocado and
• Green beans.

When making a salad you can include such toppings as:

• Real bacon bits
• Grated cheese and
• Hard-boiled egg.

Oils and artificial sweeteners are allowed.

When following the Atkins allowable foods guidelines, there are several common pitfalls.

These include that you cannot eat any:

• Fruit
• Bread
• Grains
• Starchy vegetables or
• Any daily products other than cheese, cream and butter.

Remember to check the carbohydrate count on any packaged foods you eat, even if they say they are sugar-free.

Also, don't forget things that you don't consider to be food, such as chewing gum and cough drops.

You can always improve the taste of any Atkins foods by adding herbs and spices.

You can use most all of these as long as you make sure you aren't adding sugar.

There are plenty of Atkins allowable foods to help you succeed on this diet and overcome obesity.

Also, follow the steps below to lose even more weight.

• Incorporate a proven, complete nutritional program into your daily life.
• Enhance your nutritional program with a complete mutivitamin supplement because no nutritional program is perfect.
• Use a behavior modification and motivational program that will help you stay on track with your nutritional plan.
• Exercise at home with your own:
  Treadmill

  Stairstepper

  Exercise bike

  Elliptical trainer

  Hand weights or

  An aerobic video.

• See what kinds of weight loss aids your health insurance covers such as:
  Hypnotism

  Gym membership discounts

  Nutritional counseling.

The key is to make sure you understand the diet and truly stick to the Atkins allowable foods. For you to lose weight on this diet it is important for you to remain true to its guidelines.