Vitamins
 

I started the Atkins diet last week and I use the fitday site to track my eating, weight, exercise, etc (I love it!). But when I look at the nutrition report, I am really low in most of the nutrients. I've gone through the Atkins products to find a multivitamin but there are so many. Which one is best for induction? I have GNC Multi Gel tabs but they have way over the recommended % of so many and I know its not good to have too much of certain vitamins.

Can someone just recommend a product to buy that is good for a low-carb diet?

Also, I'm still confused over net carbs versus diabetic exchanges, etc. For example, in my local grocery ad, there is a recipe for a pork tenderloin roast w/vegetables. Per serving there is 540 calories, 38g carbs (7g fiber) 46g protein, 23g fat (5g sat fat). I'm going to list each ingredient in Fitday and substitute or eliminate vegetable, breadcrumbs (replace w/ground pork rinds??), etc. to see if I can make this lower in carbs. BUT, the recipe as is, says that while it has all of those carbs, it counts as only 2 1/2 carbs for diabetic exchanges. Why do diabetics only get 2 1/2 carbs when the ingredients clearly state 38g carbs??? Even if you minus out the fiber it's still 31g (although I think the 38g already accounts for the minus fiber since it's in parenthesis?). Do low-carbers get to count recipes the same as diabetics? If so, how did it get from 38 to 2.5 carbs?

I thought I was understanding this carb count thing, but after this I'm confused :confused: I'm really into this diet and have lost 8 pounds in one week so I know it works but I sure would like to understand these carb counts better! Especially now that I have my daughter and my sister on it as well and they look to ME for advice and recipes! :eek:

Thanks for any advice/comments anyone can offer me!

In the Atkins book there is a section on vitamins and supplements. He says the basic multivitamin is his formula number three. He lists the ingredients and their daily values and why selected ingredients are used. I use a centrum multi-vitamin instead. And I take some of his reccommended supplements, like chromium. He lays it all out in his book, what he thinks is important and why.

As far as diabetic exchanges, they are actually groupings of grams. A diabetic exchange of carbs for instance has about 15 grams. So 2.5 exchanges has the 38 grams of carbohydrate. My mother was a diabetic and I remember her trying to get her meals in line with the exchanges and how hard it was, expecially eating at a restaurant.

We have it easier by basically focusing on net carbs. For more information its in the Atkins book.

slowday. :)

Thanks for the quick reply! I checked the recipe and you are right, it is 2 1/2 carb "exchanges". :o

Regarding the vitamins, I was leaning towards the Basic #3 so I will take a closer look at that. Is there a particular reason why you chose Centrum instead?

I better get the book. I was able to borrow one from a friend to get motivated into starting but I had to give it back so I can't use it for reference. I'll pick up one with my vitamins!

Have a great day!
:roll:

I chose Centrum because I had it in the house when I started doing Atkins. ;) Also looking at the success stories on the atkins center website ( www.atkinscenter.com ) a lot of participants mentioned using a multivitamin without specifying the Atkins #3.

There are a lot of people on this forum that are way more knoweldgeable about this stuff than I am. But the way I figure it, a multivitamin from a known manufacturer taken on a regular basis is better than no multivitamin at all. And I can get the centrum at the market. I do take other supplements. My doctor reccommended Vitamin E, folic acid, esential oils and a baby aspirin. After reading the Atkins book I started taking chromium picolante, and a B complex. After reading the forum I started taking a green tea extract. I get all those at my market too.

But it all starts with the mutivitamin and for most people that's where they stop as well, and they lose weight anyway.

If you told me a year ago I would be taking so many supplements, giving up sugar, white flour and fast food in general, I would have thought you were from somewhere on an outer galaxy. But after three weeks I feel better, sleep better, and all my minor digestive complaints have disappeared.

Getting the book is a great idea. Its always great to have it on hand as a reference. The atkinscenter website is also a great resource.

slowday. :)

Slowday,

Funny how you say your minor digestive complaints have disappeared. Mine have come back! I have had acid reflux for the past year and was taking Prevacid for it. I had stopped about a month before I started Atkins because my symptoms disappeared but after 3 days on the diet, I got wicked heartburn. I thought it was because of a pork dinner I ate with heavy cream sauce but it seems I have it no matter what I eat. I started taking Prevacid again but it barely touches it. Of coures, this keeps my carbs way down because with heartburn, I practically have to force myself to eat something. Seems like under this diet with all of the meat, everything seems to make it flare up.

I read that this may happen to some people on this diet and hopefully in time it will go away. I have one more week of induction (lost 9 pounds so far :thup: )So maybe when I get to add 5 more grams of carbs, I can find something less irritating!

Have a great day!
Dina
:roll: