I am in the induction phase of the Atkins diet and I picked up some Jolly Rancher Gel Snacks (jello). I was surprised that sucralose is in it but I dont know about the rest of the stuff. Here are the ingredients: filtered water, maltitol, carregeenan, citric acid, adipic acid, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, locust bean gum, artificial flavor, salt, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, xanthan gum, red 40 and blue 1. Can I eat this food?

I was going to buy vanilla extract but saw corn syrup in the ingredients and put it back. Is artificial vanilla extract flavoring legal to eat during induction. Any insight anyone can give me would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Marcella

There are 4 pages of allowed foods in the DANDR book. If a food isn't listed on those 4 pages then it isn't allowed.

The reason behind induction is to help break the addiction to carbohydrates. You can not do this by consuming sugar free candies, jello etc etc.

He allows you 3 artifical sweeteners a day. Period. No exceptions. After you finish induction, you can have things in moderation provided they do not cause cravings or insulin spikes.

Well, jello is allowed in the induction phase. I do not know what the other ingredients are-that is why am I asking this questions. If there is something in the jello that I can't eat in any phase of the diet, I would like to know.

Marcella

I don't recall seeing Jello listed in my book on those four pages. Do you have his newer version? In the yellow covered book it isn't on the induction list.

I have the old version of the Atkins book. However, when Dr. Atkins describes a sample induction meal, he talks about sugar free jello with heavy whipping cream on it for dessert. It is on page 100. Gelatin is carb free and is legal to eat during induction. Can someone tell me if the other Jolly Rancher gel snack ingredients are ok to eat?

Thanks,

Marcella

In moderation, yes they are fine...


-shelly

Thanks Shelly! By the way, you had posted a week or so ago about this chocolate bar or chocolate recipe you have. Does that ring a bell? Could you post it?

Thanks,

Marcella

Sure! but you gotta promise no chocolate until after induction, OK?

You need:

One bar Baker's Chocolate (unsweetened that is about 20 grams of carbs for the whole bar minus 12 of fiber).
1 TBSP butter
2-4 TBSP heavy cream
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla, or extract of your choice (orange or peppermint work well, and you only need a few drops of these...trust me!)
5 packets Splenda (must be splenda, not equal) or more to taste
little paper mini muffin cups

melt butter in double boiler (or little sauce pan on VERY low heat) add chocolate and stir constantly. Slowly add cream. Start with 2 Tbsp and add more if you like "creamier" chocolate (I do), and keep stirring. Add extract and Splenda and stir all together. When mixture looks all silky, poor into little cups and refridgerate about half and hour to an hour. This "ganache" recipe will curb anyone's chocolate cravings, I guarantee! I also like to make the "vanilla" version and poor it over sliced strawberries or raspberries that I have put in the cups...

let me know what you think...

-shelly

Dr. Atkins does say that products sweetened with Splenda (Sucralose) are okay for induction, but he also cautions to count 1 packet of sweetener as 1 gram of carb and to limit them to 3 a day on induction. I'm not sure how many packets of sweetener the average sugar free jello cup would have, but the I believe that the Jolly Rancher Jello cups list the total carbs at about 3 per cup so that may be your whole day's artificial sweetener allowance right in one place. In Dr. Atkin's updated version of his book, he also says that he discourages his patients from using anything with Aspartame in it because of health concerns and concerns over safety of the product.

Thanks, Shelly and Lisa!

I wont eat any chocolate under after my induction and I will buy the updated Atkins book. I will also be cautious about eating the jello snacks. It is nice to know that I can get a quick snack from the supermarket. I have to wait and let you know how the recipe turned out.

Marcella

Yes jello is allowed on induction.. jolly ranchers sugarfree jello is great.... I have it at least 3 days a week... just be careful that it want start you craving other sweets.. if it dont then it is fine... i think the jolly rancher jello's are anywhere from 2-3 carbs for each cup.. dependign on what flavor you get... also eat it with soem heavy cream... its great... or eat with a meal...

Tammy