The Atkins diet, also known as a protein diet, was created by American cardiologist Dr. Robert Atkins and is based on restricting carbohydrate intake and increasing protein and fat intake throughout the day.
According to the doctor, with this strategy, the body begins to use accumulated fat to produce energy for cells, resulting in weight loss and better control of blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides.
- The foods allowed in the Atkins diet are those that do not contain carbohydrates or have a very small amount of this nutrient.
- Such as eggs.
- Meat.
- Fish.
- Chicken.
- Cheese.
- Butter.
- Olive oil.
- Nuts and seeds.
- For example.
In this diet, daily carbohydrate intake varies depending on the phases of the weight loss process, starting with only 20 g a day; carbohydrates are present, especially in foods such as bread, pasta, rice, crackers, vegetables and fruits, for example. See the full list of carbohydrate-rich foods.
The Atkins diet consists of 4 phases, as shown below
This phase lasts for two weeks, with a maximum consumption of only 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Protein-rich foods, such as meat and eggs, and high-fat foods such as olive oil, butter, cheese, coconut milk and vegetables such as lettuce, arugula, turnip, cucumber, cabbage, ginger, endives, rábanos, mushrooms. chives, parsley, celery and chicory.
During this phase, faster initial weight loss should occur.
In the second phase, it is allowed to consume 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per day, and this increase should be only 5 grams per week; Phase 2 should be followed until the desired weight is reached, and some fruits and vegetables can be added. to the menu.
Thus, in addition to meats and fats, the following foods can also be included in the diet: mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, cranberry, raspberry, melon, strawberry, almonds, chestnuts, seeds, macadamia, pistachios and nuts.
In Phase 3, it is permissible to consume up to 70 grams of carbohydrates per day, it is important to observe whether or not weight gain occurs during this period, if you notice a weight gain when consuming 70 g of carbohydrates per day, you should reduce this amount to 65 go 60 g, for example, until you find your body’s balance point when you can move on to phase 4.
At this stage you can introduce the following foods: pumpkin, carrot, potato, sweet potato, yum, cassava, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, oat bran, rice and fruits such as apples, bananas, cherries, grapes, kiwi, guava, mango, peach, plum and watermelon.
The amount of carbohydrates to consume will be the amount that keeps the weight stable, which was discovered in phase 3 of the process, at this stage the diet has already become a way of life, which should always be followed for good weight and maintain health.
The following table provides an example of a menu for each phase of the plan:
It is important to remember that each diet should be monitored by a health care professional, such as a nutritionist, so as not to harm health.