Atkins Diet Controversy – How many Veggies on Induction?
September 3, 2010 by Jim Made
Filed under Atkins Diet
One of the problems with diet where the author is gone is trying to know what he meant or that the diet remains a line in the sand. There is a growing controversy in the Atkins Diet community on just how many vegetables are allowed on Induction. Is it 3 cups or 12-15g per day? Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (2002) says multiple times: “3. Eat no more than 20 grams a day of carbohydrate, most of which must come in the form of salad greens and other vegetables. You can eat approximately three cups-loosely packed-of salad, or two cups of salad plus one cup of other vegetables (see the list of acceptable vegetables on pages 125-126).” “Even during Induction, the first phase of Atkins, and the one which is most restrictive of carbohydrates, most of you will be able to eat one cup of those vegetables daily, as well as two cups of salad vegetables (or just three cups of salad vegetables).” (p.61) “Second, whereas during Induction you ate your protein and stout foods, plus three cups of salad and other veggies (and the special foods such as avocado, olives and sour cream), OWL allows you much more choice.” (p.111) Whereas Atkins Nutrition and Atkins.com have changed to this: (www.atkins.com “What youll eat during this phase: * Youll satisfy your appetite with tasty and healthy foods, starting with protein chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish, shellfish, pork, veal, eggs, and a variety of vegetable proteins. * Youll delight in natural fats olive oil, safflower oil, butter and …
@ParrotnPet Nearly all carb measurements of vegetables are based upon volume, i.e. one cup of veggies equal this many carbs. That said in the first phase OWL, you increase the amount of already acceptable veggies by number of cups to equal 5 net grams of carbs.
In the case of lettuce, you might be able to increase by 2-3 cups the first week. Or in the form of onions, you might be able to increase only by 1/2 cup the first week. Still not weighing food, the amount is still volume based.
@ParrotnPet Nearly all carb measurements of vegetables are based upon volume, i.e. one cup of veggies equal this many carbs. That said in the first phase OWL, you increase the amount of already acceptable veggies by number of cups to equal 5 net grams of carbs.
In the case of lettuce, you might be able to increase by 2-3 cups the first week. Or in the form of onions, you might be able to increase only by 1/2 cup the first week. Still not weighing food, the amount is still volume based.
Fantastic video – I was just about to question about the veggie CUP measurement vrs WEIGHT measurements to equal cups. I have been measuring by cup and using fitday to keep track.
This video proposes a question as to how you go through OWL when Dr. Atkins says to start by adding 5 grams of Rung 1 ( Veggies ) per week. So that means we need weigh after using the 3 cup method in induction? I”m confused!
@homesteadingoats My suggestion is to pick a standard and then stick with it. My standard is the 2002 version of the book. It worked very well (obviously) for me. I can see where new people may choose the website or the 2010 book as their standard and abide by that. I don’t believe making Induction more like OWL phase is advisable, and that there is small danger of eating too few carbs if you are eating a wide variety of Induction acceptable vegetables.
Kent,
I am so confused. Like you said the book says, 2 c and 1 c of vege. The website says net carbs. So, which do I go by? How am I supposed to get 25 grms of fiber with 2 c and 1 c of vege? Should I not worry about getting “enough” carbs, like the website says? I just don’t see how these numbers compute….
Thanks
As you said, a cup is not a weight measurement. It’s a volume measurement as cup of gold or sunflower seeds will weigh significantly different than a cup of lettuce leaves. The diet but prescribes 3 loosely-packed cups, and in the raw form if possible as some foods wilt (like Spinach).
Remember this is simply a restriction in Induction, and the first step of OWL is to learn exactly how many cups you can have and still lose weight (CCLL).
i know it might sound like a dumb question… but cups could of different sizes
can’t they… everytime I’m measuring my veggies by a cup I wonder whether my cups are too huge or too small. Atkins says on page that you can up to 340gr of veggies a day or up to 230gr if you’re combining it with highere carb veggies like tomatoes etc…. So what’s a cup then ???
You still count the carbs for the day – i.e. staying below 20 net grams of carbs, but it is hard to overdo the carbs if eating only by the book. Sure 1 cup of onions or tomatoes might place you over if combined with higher carb salad veggies like bell peppers, but most people do not have any problem with veggies.
You of course can eat too many carbs with cheese, cream, and eggs, so I still tracked mine at Fitday.
But then the question is – if you have 3 cups of veggies a day – how do you count the carbs for the day?
Thanks for your swift answer Kent! I will get this ASAP. By the way…you look marvelous. Congrats!
The red cover is the right one. Look for a 2002 copyright in the book cover or the ISBN number of 0060081597. That is the latest version or gold copy of the book.
I see online 2 different books for Dr. Atkings Diet Revolution. One has a white cover, and one has a red cover. Could you tell me which book is the best..or what it looks like. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
I do reckon that if people can get into ketosis ASAP they will find that their hunger pangs and craving will go away much quicker. I also reckon that fiber is very vital, especially in this type of diet. I’m talking about natural fiber from veggies, not what people place down as fiber on the low carb snack bars or low carb tortillas. Also eating foods that are naturally higher in stout like beef and eggs, as opposed to chicken and fish, will help you get in the zone as well in quick fashion.
Thanks for watching!
You are welcome, and you are certainly on the right road to goal!
Fantastic vid. I don’t count my carbs either. It has become 2nd nature for me. Some days I might eat 10 to 15 carbs and other days it might be up to 30 ( I am not on induction anymore) I still have like 50 lbs to lose but losing slower is ok with me. I have now lost 90 lbs. yaya. Thanks for all the wonderful info. =)
Thanks for your information
I do specifically try to get more nutritious veggies than simply the lowest carb ones, but as you pointed out it is a matter of taste. That is one of the reason most should progress to OWL as soon as possible as things like cauliflower or broccoli (Tasty cruciferous vegetables) can be had in greater abundance.
Roasted onions are nearly like candy to the Atkins Dieter tongue. It’s unique how your tastes change on LC. Maybe not within the first 14 days of Induction, but in time they do.
I would say that as long as you DO IT, either way is ok. I always try to eat the highest fiber lowest starch veggie that I ACTUALLY ENJOY. 3 cups from the list will keep your carbs low, but try to reckon how can I get max nutrition from these 3 cups. Spinach is way more nutritious and fiber that iceberg, and kale is way more than Spinach, but kale is yucky in my opinion. For me personally, I just eat as much as I want of the non starchy veggies and the stout just falls right off.
1 US cup = 236.6 ml
how much is a cup? i am from uk and we dont use cups? how many ML in a cup?
I reckon it really just points to that either can work as you proved, so I don’t reckon you have anything to regret. You did very well with the information you had. I reckon this is just one of those tips of the iceberg between where ANA is going (I am told 2010 holds some considerable changes) and what DANDR says.
Thanks for watching!
No problem, and I hope you and yours have a fantastic Thanksgiving too.
Sugar cravings are pretty terrible right now. I was in the hospital for 5 days and they feed me sugar water in my vein the whole time cause I couldn’t eat. Now it’s all I reckon about. I’ll do 2 weeks thanks for the help. Rebecca
I did my Induction phase following the guidelines on the Atkins website. After I finished induction, I got my hands on the book. I noticed the discrepancy with the veggie allowance after I was finished. Oops.
But I had a successful induction (8 pound loss) I did have me curious as to the difference between the DANDR book and the website. Thanks for bringing this up.