question concerning veg's
 

Hey everyone,
I'm on induction and havent had any "real" vegetables. The reason being is because I'm trying to keep my carb count very low of course. Salad, which is the only "vegetable" I eat, doesnt really have any valuable vitamins or minerals in it. I know broccolli and cauli is a low carb veggie choice, but I also know every carb counts soo much right now and I didnt want to risk eating too many carbs!? What did/or are you guys doing for eating veg's while still staying VERY strict on carbs? I'm confused! Thanks!
Love,
Brittany

You need your veggies!!! I cant stress that enough.

I dont think going below 20g of carbs has any added benefits.

Create a www.fitday.com account and look. Broccoli has a decent amount of carbs but tons of fiber and tastes great.

Spinach is another good one. Avocados too.

Most of your carbs should come from veggies!
make sure you are getting at least 3 cups!

Tomatoes and onions are higher carb but also nutritious, just watch yourself more when eating those. You will get the hang of it after a while.

Thanks for your suggestions. I will try to incorporate some spinach/broccolli into my meal plans. I guess I have this "FEAR" of eating too many carbs when in fact I think I'm eating too few! I know its ok to go up to 20 grams, but I believe I'm prob. averaging at like 10-15 grams a day. Is this ok? Oh, and you mentioned I should be eating 3 cups a day. If I do this, wont I go over the 20 grams a day if I'm still eating cheese, eggs, and other foods that will add up on the carb count!

Have you read through the list of allowed foods. Veggies are extreamly important not only for weight loss, but nutruents.

Cheese is limited. If you are getting 20g net from eggs and cheese, there is a problem.

I was under 20g net for the day and my veggies included
Breakfast - 1 cup cabbage
Lunch - 4 cups salad
Dinner - 2 cups salad plus 1/2 cup spaghetti squash

I also had my eggs, coffee with cream, and shell fish for dinner which is another carb source. It is very hard to get high carbs with salad veggies.


Acceptable foods
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html

Rules of Induction
http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-325810.html

Also check out the article in the induction section about how important veggies are and what veggies are real superstars.

I also eat green beans a lot. They are fairly low in carbs and very easy to cook.

3 cups of broccoli = 6 net carbs (according to fitday)
3 cups of cauliflower = 8 net carbs
3 cups of raw spinach = 1 net carb

9 cups of some of the more carby veggies and you still arent at your 20 yet. and plenty of room for eggs and cheese.

Add some spinach to your omlettes and replace lettuce with spinach in your salads (raw)
melt some cheese on top of broccoli or roast it together with some cauliflower and just toss some olive oil and spices on it or cook it with chicken thighs and let the broccoli roast in the juices/fat

You would really be eating a ton of veggies to get 20g of carbs from them, unless you were eating a lot of sugar snap peas, onions, sqush and tomatoes.

Asparagus is another veggie that is easy to overdo and mushrooms.

make sure you get these veggies in, they are super important, and it does you no added benefit to hover around 10-15g of carbs a day... you need your fiber. I stay at around 18 a day and give myself a bit of room for hidden carbs (spices etc.)

I appreciate all you taking the time to respond with all the great information. I have taken it to heart and I'm going to the store very soon! Thanks.
Love,
Brittany

Thats Good Cause this plan does not work on "lesser is better" Use those 20 carbs a day :>)

Kathy

Different varieties of lettuce have nutritional value.. Iceberg is the worst! I love Romaine and spinach in my salads.
And I agree with all the other people who responded.. eat your veggies!!! On the Atkins website there is an article about eating less than 20g of carbs does not speed up your weight loss any and can actually cause some constipation problems.