Free The New Atkins Made Easy by Colette Heimowitz Page A

salty snack foods until now or are fairly active. To ensure that you escape the above symptoms (or, at the very least, moderate them), I strongly suggest that you add a little extra sodium to your diet. (See “Sensitive to Salt?”, below, if you have high blood pressure.) There are three ways you can do this. Each day, in addition to salting your food as you always have, add one of the following:
    â€¢Â An additional 1 / 2 teaspoon salt
    â€¢Â 2 tablespoons regular (not low-sodium) tamari (soy sauce)
    â€¢Â 2 cups regular (not low-sodium) beef, chicken, or vegetable broth—you can used the canned kind or a bouillon cube in boiling water
    SENSITIVE TO SALT?
    If you have hypertension and take diuretics to control your blood pressure, talk to your health care provider before adding additional sodium to your diet. Many people find that their blood pressure drops naturally when they start eating the low-carb way, so monitor your blood pressure when you start Atkins and discuss any change in dosage with him or her.
    If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms described above, you can add another 5 grams of Net Carbs in the form of nuts or seeds or a small can of tomato juice until you feel like yourself again. Then drop back to 20 grams of Net Carbs (and omit the nuts or tomato juice) to fast-track weight loss.
    THE SCOOP ON SUGAR: MULTIPLE ALIASES
    Like some criminals, sugar commits its offenses under many names. Regardless of the name, sugar in foods and beverages quickly turns to blood sugar (and then fat) in your body. Some names indicate the source of the sugar: cane, date, grape, maple, or beet sugar. Others indicate color: white, brown, yellow, or golden sugar. Some refer to texture: confectioners’, superfine (castor), or icing sugar. Other names imply minimal processing: raw, Demerara, turbinado, or muscovado. Some are familiar: caramel, honey, maple syrup, or molasses. Bottom line: they’re all sugar. Also be on the lookout for these aliases on the labels of packaged foods:
    â€¢Â Agave syrup or crystals
    â€¢Â Barley malt
    â€¢Â Cane juice crystals
    â€¢Â Corn syrup, corn syrup solids,
  high-fructose corn syrup
    â€¢Â Dextran or dextrose
    â€¢Â Diastase, diastatic malt
    â€¢Â Fructose
    â€¢Â Fruit juice, fruit juice
  concentrate
    â€¢Â Galactose
    â€¢Â Glucose, glucose solids
    â€¢Â Golden syrup
    â€¢Â Lactose
    â€¢Â Maltose, maltol
    â€¢Â Refiner’s syrup
    â€¢Â Rice syrup
    â€¢Â Sorghum syrup
    â€¢Â Sucrose
    â€¢Â Treacle
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
    Q. Do I have to start Atkins in Phase 1?
    A. No. You can start in any of the first three phases. If you have just a few pounds to lose, up to about 15, you can probably start in Phase 2 (Balancing) at 25 to 30 grams of Net Carbs a day. If you are heavier, you can also start here, but it could take considerably longer to lose weight without the kick start that you get in Phase 1. You can also begin in Phase 3 (Fine-Tuning) at, say, 45 grams of Net Carbs a day if you have very little weight to lose or are willing to shed it very slowly.
    Q. Do I have to count carbs if I follow the meal plans exactly?
    A. No. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll follow them to the letter day in and day out unless you eat every meal at home, so it’s a good idea to use the Atkins Carb Counter. Also, if you aren’t precise about serving size, you may be consuming more carbs than the meal plan indicates. In any case, it’s important to know how to count carbs (actually, grams of Net Carbs) as you start to add back more foods. Counting provides a double check that improves your likelihood of success from the start.
    Q. Must I have two snacks a day?
    A. Not necessarily. If you’re having four or five small meals a day, you may not feel the need for snacks, but be very careful not to go more than four to six hours between meals. Instead, have a