Atkins Food List - A Guide to Foods You Can Eat on the Atkins Diet

This Atkins food list provides details of what you can eat whilst on the Atkins Diet. It is based on the induction phase which is the main weight loss phase of Atkins.

First the good news, the foods you can eat large amounts of. You can eat all fish, fowl, meats, shellfish and eggs. You don't have to remove the skin and fat from meat or fowl. Salmon and other cold-water fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. These are the basis of the Atkins food list.

You can also eat 3 to 4 ounces a day full-fat, firm, soft and semisoft aged cheeses including cheddar, cow, sheep, goat and cream cheese but bear in mind that they do contain carbs so don't overdo it. It is important to eat some vegetables as they are a good source of fibre. You should eat between two and three cups a day of vegetables such as mushrooms, parsley, peppers, celery, fennel, radishes, lettuce and cucumber.

The following vegetables are higher in carbohydrates so you need to eat less of them, approx 1 cup per day. Artichoke, celery root, pumpkin, rhubarb, asparagus, snow peas, bean sprouts, eggplant, spinach, broccoli, kale, tomato, bean sprouts, leeks, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, onion and zucchini.

Many fats and oils, particularly olive oil is particularly goo for nutrition. All other vegetable oils are also allowed although you should not cook polyunsaturated oils, such as soybean, sunflower oil or corn at high temperatures or allow them to brown or smoke. Butter is allowed although margarine should be avoided because it is usually made of trans fats otherwise known as hydrogenated oils which are a serious health hazard.

You should avoid sugar although sweetener is allowed. The Atkins recommended sweetener is sucralose as it is natural, does not have calories and won't raise your blood sugar. An important point to note here is that whether you are following Atkins or not you should avoid anything that contain aspartamine as certain health professionals have raised concerns about its long term health impact.

In terms of drinks you should ensure you drink plenty of water. Coffee and Tea are also acceptable (decaffeinated is recommended). You should avoid all soda unless it is diet soda. So that's a basic Atkins food list. If it looks a bit tough to stick to then you are probably better trying something else. If you don't believe you will succeed then you won't succeed.

You can actually lose weight by eating a healthy balanced diet with foods that you like to eat. If you aren't too good at planning healthy meals then even that isn't a problem now as there are tools available online which will do this for you. You may find it far more enjoyable to have your own food list than an Atkins food list.