The New Atkins Made Easy (16 page)

In Phase 2, you'll start looking for your personal carb balance, increasing your Net Carb intake as you gradually reintroduce the foods on the five Phase 2 (Balancing) rungs of the Carb Ladder. (Since you can add nuts and seeds if you stay more than two weeks in Phase 1, they are not shown below.)

Now, let's take a closer look at the acceptable Phase 2 foods incorporated in the Balancing process. Understand that you may not be able to reintroduce all of them in this phase. Nor may you be interested in eating all of them. The following lists are representative of each rung on the Carb Ladder. For a more complete list of options, complete with serving sizes and Net Carb gram counts, see the printed, online, or mobile app Atkins Carb Counter.

NUTS AND SEEDS

Peanuts, cashews, and soy “nuts” are not true nuts, but they can also be reintroduced in Phase 2. Do avoid chestnuts, which are very high in carbs, and salted nuts, which are notoriously difficult to eat in moderation. Also avoid products such as Nutella, which contains added sugars.

• Almonds

• Brazil nuts

• Cashews

• Coconut (fresh or grated and unsweetened)

• Macadamias

• Hazelnuts (also called filberts)

• Peanuts

• Pecans

• Pine nuts (also called piñons)

• Pistachios

• Pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas)

• Sesame seeds

• Soy “nuts”

• Sunflower seeds

• Walnuts

BERRIES, CHERRIES, AND MOST MELONS

The fruits suitable for OWL are lower in Net Carbs than most other fruits, because their fiber content is relatively high and fruit sugar content is relatively low. Still, have small portions and always accompany them with fat or protein. The following fruits can be fresh, frozen (as long as they're unsweetened), or canned in water or juice (but not syrup). You can also have 1-tablespoon portions of berry or cherry preserves that have no added sugar and are sweetened only with acceptable sweeteners.

• Blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, fresh currants, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries, and strawberries

• Cherries, sour or sweet

• Unsweetened cranberries and cranberry sauce made with acceptable sweeteners only

• Melon: cantaloupe, Crenshaw, and honeydew (but not watermelon)

MAKE IT EASY

MORE DAIRY OPTIONS

In addition to Phase 1 cheeses (
page 36
) and additional dairy products and dairy substitutes (
page 37
), your options now expand. Always select whole-milk or full-fat dairy products, including yogurt. Low-fat dairy products are higher in carbs.

• Cottage cheese (not low-fat), creamed or curd style

• Ricotta cheese, whole-milk

• Yogurt or Greek yogurt, whole-milk, plain, unsweetened

• Whole milk, fresh (limit to 4 tablespoons) or evaporated (limit to 2 tablespoons)

MAKE IT EASY

LEGUMES

Most legumes are sold dried, although a few, such as green soybeans (edamame) and baby lima beans, are usually sold fresh or frozen. (Green and wax beans are foundation vegetables, as are snow peas, meaning they are acceptable in Phase 1.) Avoid products such as baked beans made with added sugar. Hummus is a fine choice, but watch out for bean dips made with sugar or starches. You may choose to wait to reintroduce legumes until you move to Phase 3.

• Black beans (also called turtle beans)

• Black-eyed peas

• Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)

• Edamame

• Fava beans

• Great northern beans

• Hummus

• Kidney beans

• Lima beans

• Peas, split

• Pinto beans

• Soybeans

TOMATO AND LEMON/LIME JUICE

In Phase 1 you could have 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice; now you can have:

• 
¹
/
₄
cup lemon or lime juice

• 
¹
/
₂
cup tomato juice or tomato juice cocktail

All other fruit and vegetable juices remain off-limits.

Understand that as you move through the phases and up the Carb Ladder, your objective is not to increase the
amount
of food you eat, but instead to introduce greater variety. In many cases this means that you'll be making substitutions rather than additions. To stay in control of your appetite as you reintroduce carb foods:

• Put aside certain foods in the morning, such as 20 pecan or walnut halves or 4 large strawberries, to incorporate into your accustomed Induction meals.

• Add pepitas or sunflower seeds to salads rather than eating them out of hand.

• Swap out aged cheeses for fresh cheeses.

• Treat berries and melon as garnishes—perhaps a couple of strawberries atop a salad or a slice of melon wrapped in ham as part of your lunch.

• Top berries with Greek yogurt instead of whipped cream.

• Stir a couple of tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt into steamed spinach.

• Combine yogurt with mayo when making egg or tuna salad.

• Stuff celery sticks with hummus instead of cream cheese.

• Have a small glass of tomato juice in lieu of sliced tomatoes with your breakfast eggs.

• Instead of radishes or bell pepper slices, pair edamame with a piece of cheese as a snack.

Although not part of the Carb Ladder, certain low-carb products can be introduced in this phase, including the Atkins All Purpose Baking Mix and any remaining Atkins shakes or bars with Net Carb counts higher than 3 grams. You may also be able to have, in moderation, products such as low-carb bread, tortillas, wraps, or chips with no more than 6 grams of Net Carbs per serving. Atkins cannot vouch for the carb counts or ingredients in other companies' products, so study the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient list carefully to assess the Net Carb count and find any added sugar or other unacceptable ingredients. If any of these foods provoke cravings, stop eating them for the time being. For more detail, see the Atkins Carb Counter.

As in Phase 1, you'll spread your carb intake out across the day to keep your blood sugar on an even keel. You'll continue to enjoy the protein, foundation vegetables, and acceptable Phase 1 dairy products you've been eating, but you'll add nuts and/or seeds. To make this transition easy, we've modified the Week 1 Phase 1 meal plan to show you how to include about 5 grams of Net Carbs of nuts or seeds each day (shown in boldface italic type). Your daily intake should range from 23–27 grams of Net Carbs, averaging out to 25. As with earlier meal plans, feel free to modify this one to suit your preferences, substituting your own recipes or those in the section starting on page 245.