According to Dr. Atkins, you can eat luncheon meat, sausage, hot dogs, etc. but you arent supposed to have sodium nitrates. I dont know about everyone else but every single product I have looked at has sodium nitrate in it. Could someone please give me some advice on this? Will sodium nitrate slow down weight loss? What is the reason Dr. Atkins forbids it, he doesnt exactly explain!

One more question, is it possible to drink too much water? Alot of my coworkers and family say I drink too much water. At least 15 glasses a day and I could still drink more. I dont however because I am not sure if this is a bad thing!

Thanks for any advice!

I can't really answer you on the sodium nitrate, but some people think it's bad for you. You might be able to buy nitrate-free products in large supermarkets or possibly organic groceries (not vegetarian ones, obviously!).

I don't think it's possible to drink too much water (well, if you chug a couple of gallons all at once you can drown yourself, but I don't think you can do that by accident!). Of course, what goes in must come out, and it will take some minerals with it, so you might consider taking a potassium supplement, which is a good idea when you're on low-carb anyway. A lot of people here use No-Salt, which is potassium chloride; just sprinkle it on food, or mix 1/8 teaspoon with a glass of water and drink it.

Rachel

Occasionally, I buy sausage products, sandwich meats and hot dogs without nitrites at an organic food store. They carry bacon and ham sans nitrates also. For years, nutritionists have warned everyone about the potential harm from eating products with sodium nitrate - so I just avoid them. Hope you have an organic grocery store near you. Good luck!
Darcy