sodium nitrate. sodium nitrate.
i mean actually this site really calmed me (reading through posts etc) i found that SO many mentioned this villainous sodium nitrate. week two for me was laden w/ yard-o-beef, uh, summer sausage, beef log, you get the picture. (it was on sale.) WELL. sale schmale, i noticed i wasnt experiencing the lack of hunger i had the week prior, in fact, i was acting reminicent of my carby days, walking into the house, just dying to use the bathroom, but somehow managing a quick trip into the kitchen to peruse the fridge and snack cupboard (heh, yeah empty, but you know, pavlovs dog) (or perhaps this was because i found these delectible treats at bread and circus, 'low carb diet' bars) are these a godsend or the devil himself? they were the perfect thing for work, quick and easy, on hand, and easier to have around while chatting up snickers wielding coworkers. not to mention yummy to boot!
hmmf, okay, so ive turned this into a compound question. but the deal w/ the bars, i was honestly obsessed w/ them. i felt they made me need/want sweet things, oh i dont know. please help. i have strong desire to prevail.

tanya

Hi Tanya

Members have varied views on Atkins bars. I must admit in England we do not have all this LC stuff readily available and I've never had any desire to purchase expensive products thus far.

That being said, some people swear by them, but I would limit yourself to no more than one a day. For some they have hidden carbs from the sweetners used.

Here are some links to other threads about low carb bars:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...8407#post238407
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...1075#post331075
The best thing you can do is stick to unprocessed foods and keep some pieces of meat, eggs, etc handy when you get really hungry.

Hi Tanya!

Yup...even the taste of something sweet can make some people want more. It seems you've already discovered that they seem to have that effect on you. My advice...ditch the bars until you get to pre-maintainance or maintainance. Many people find that they cause carb cravings and that they can't lose while eating them. I've kind of resigned myself at this point to the fact that I probably will not be able to eat these things, yummy as they are, and lose weight, so I've decided to leave them be for now except for perhaps a very occasional treat until I get to goal. My DH has had the same experience. He was losing great at first, then started eating the low carb chocolate and protein bars and has stalled completely. Some people seem to do fine with them. Unfortunately, we don't seem to be in that category.

thankyou, little anne and lisa.

ive already gotten rid of the remainder of the bars (ah, via consumtion) but this was days ago and i already noteably am not yearning for them.
thanks especially to those links little anne, i only thought they were producing that sugary desire due to their taste, not actual 'hidden carbs'. and someone in one of the links mentioned not replacing all of the naughty foods that got us here. i think i have been doing that.
just again about the sodium nitrate, it seems to be in everything, or at least lots of things. ive sworn off the yard-o-beef for a while, but it seems to be in bacon, ham, pepperoni (yeah, i havent had anymore of that either) any sort of meat in a can variety. now i know these arent the 1st foods anyone would say to eat, in fact everyone keeps mentioning 'real foods' im may just be going out on a limb here, but i wouldnt call spam real. but i have budgetary (is that even a real word?) limits, its sort of pricey buying real meat and produce. (i think thats one of the sad reasons so much of america is overweight. the conveinient and cheaper processed foods we all so readily eat.)
so any sodium nitrate info would please me thoroughly, i want to understand why its bad, is it on par w/ the hidden carbs? or just a scientific no no?

thanks again,
tanya

From http://atkinscenter.com/helpatkins/...alth/index.html
Doesn't a high-fat diet increase cancer risk?
During a recent European Conference on Nutrition and Cancer in Lyon, France, numerous studies under the heading European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) were presented. EPIC linked dietary factors and lack of exercise to an increased risk of cancer and supported the long-held belief that some food could increase the risk of cancer, while other foods have a protective effect. An epidemiological study of the diets of more than 500,000 people from 10 European countries, EPIC has confirmed once again that eating vegetables and fruits can lower the risk of cancer.
Preliminary results of EPIC have also raised questions about the long-held belief that eating red meat or other animal-based foods can increase the risk of cancer. The new data do not strongly support the red meat theory, although one study distinguished between processed and fresh meat, suggesting that meat processed with nitrates, rather than fresh meat, may be the culprit.

LOL...we've always referred to it as "mystery meat" at our house! One good reason that I can think of to stay away from Nitrates and Nitrites is that they are known carcinogens. Granted, the aminals that were studied ate large amounts of these chemicals, but why take chances? Also, meats that have these chemicals in them are also generally pretty salty which can cause you to retain water. I still eat regular bacon, but only rarely now (maybe once a month) and processed lunchmeats and ham have never been favorites of mine. If I get breakfast sausage, I buy bulk from the butchers case and ask to see the ingredients before I buy to make sure that there are no fillers, sugars or nitrates in it. I got some strange looks the first time I asked to see what was in the sausge, but when I explained that I have food sensitivities they were very willing to show me what was in it.

thanks...

well that really IS a good reason isnt it? thanks for laying it out for me. i think ive realized that im definetly eating a few too many processed things. and having known carcinogens is a poigiant reason to avoid those foods. indeed!

ill be working on it.
tanya