Hi all,
I've been on Atkins for almost 3 months now, and I've been pleased with the weight loss. My energy level is good, and the diet fits in fairly well with my lifestyle.

A month ago I came down with food poisoning, and I'm only just now getting back to normal, digestion-wise. But I'm still having trouble digesting anything that is too protein-rich. Now, whenever I eat eggs I have terrible stomach pains and nausea. Nuts are too harsh at this point, as well as some of the heavier meats. Too much lettuce and salad also seem to have a bad reaction. I've been eating hot drinks, chicken, soups, cooked veggies, and cottage cheese for a few weeks now. But every time I try to introduce eggs or salad back into my diet it's a disaster.

Since most of the easily-digested foods that a doctor would recommend are now restricted to me, (ie. apple sauce, bananas, toast, rice, carbs) I'm concerned that I will really hurt my health if I keep putting too many demands on my digestive tract by sticking to Atkins right now. Reversely, I am concerned that I'll never get back on track if I lapse on the diet now.

Does anyone have any suggestions for easily-digestible, Atkins-acceptable foods? Has anyone else been in this predicament before? I'd appreciate your feedback.
Thanks, Joan Winters

Hi Joan! Sometimes we need to pay attention to our general health and put Low carbing on hold. I had a kidney stone last weekend (i have had problems with them in the past) and the doctor told me to drink cranberry and grapefruit juice like mad all week. I have been sticking to Atkins so well that I really hated to drink all that sugar! But I went ahead and did what was best for my health and now I am back on Atkins. We have to remember that this journey is about progress not perfection. If you deal with your health problem now, you will soon be ready to low carb once again. Right now, treat your digestive system gently, and start low carbing when you are able. Cindi

Joan -

My sister had pancreatis which has put her on a low fat diet. She had it years ago but to this day whenever she has a higher fat meal she reacts in a similar way to you. It is very painful for her.

All, i'm trying to say here is that each body has different needs and maybe yours has changed since the illness.

Low Carb works for my body and tastes but may not for you at this point of time.

Anyway... all the best and feel good (by the way, if this helps, the low fat diet works very well for my sister, she has never looked better).

Hi Joan,
A similar thing happened to me. Just starting Atkins I ate eggs every morning for breakfast for 2 months, and then all of a sudden they just started making me really sick to my stomach. It ended in diareah and then I felt better. The same exact thing happened with broccolli, I ate it quite frequently and one day my body just rejected it and I felt the same way I did when I ate the eggs. I don't have any problems with meat, but I did haveto cut my veggie intake because, I was getting pretty severe diareah. I really never figured out why this was happening to me, I just don't eat eggs or broccolli anymore.

Thanks to Shelly, Cindi and lkonzleman for your responses. At this point I'm still not sure whether to cool off on the Atkins for a while or if I should just avoid certain foods. Thanks Shelly for your input, because our situations seem really similar, so it leads me to think that I don't have a serious health problem.

Anyway, I've already cut out the eggs, but now I'm searching for other breakfast foods that are acceptable. I've been eating a little cottage cheese every morning, which of course is terribly exciting. Does anyone have any good suggestions on non-egg Atkins breakfasts? (And, please, nothing that features that Atkins Bake Mix, because I definitely cannot stomach that
Joan

Greetings! Have you tried any of the lc shakes that are on the market? THey come in ready to drink (rtd) and powder form. I had to get away from eggs for a while myself just because I ate WAY too many of them. I now have a shake in the morning with a tbsp of milled flax seed. Also, there are several very good meatless soy products on the market these days. Boca makes a meatless brautwurst that is actually really good---also there are meatless chicken patties and veggie burgers. Some have huge amounts of carbs and some are low. You just have to check around. These may be easier on your digestion. Also, yogurt may help. The enzymes are known to help recovery from stomache ailments. If you get the plain and add splenda, it may not be too high in carbs. Anyway, hope you are feeling better!

Hi Tricia,
Thanks for your suggestions. I have not tried any of the lc shakes yet. I was little bit hesitant to before, since there is a certain ingredient found in the Atkins-brand protein bars that I find very unpleasant. But I will give the shakes a try at your recommendation.

I bought some plain yogurt yesterday, and I added sweetener and blueberries, and it was so good! I forgot how rich and good yogurt could be! Now I'm nervous that I'll get used to it and want it all the time. It was a nice treat, though. I will also try the Boca products if I can find them, since I love bratwurst.
Thanks!
Joan