It may not seem like it quite yet, but spring is right around the corner—and before you know it, swimsuit season will be here. Now is the perfect time to spring clean your kitchen—purge your pantry and your refrigerator of any high-carb packaged foods and stock up on all the low-carb foods you need to stay on track with your weight loss goals. Start by creating a meal plan and a shopping list for the next week or so. Next, follow our “toss” or “keep/buy” guidelines (remember that you can donate any high-carb shelf-stable food to your local food bank):

Pantry

Toss:

  • Canned soups (most are high carb)
  • Canned fruits
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Packaged crackers, cookies, cereals or snacks
  • Anything with added sugars—Look for terms such as brown syrup, evaporated cane juice, glucose, dextrose, honey and corn syrup

 

Keep or buy:

  • Canned seafood (tuna, salmon, crab)
  • Sardines
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Salsas (make sure they have no added sugar)
  • Pasta sauce or tomato sauce with no added sugars
  • Canned green chilies
  • Tomato paste
  • Pumpkin
  • Roasted red peppers (make sure they have no added sugars)
  • Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • Chicken/beef/vegetable stock
  • Pesto
  • Dill pickles
  • Anchovies
  • Nut butters (natural and unsweetened—only after Induction)
  • Coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • Caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee
  • Caffeinated or decaffeinated tea
  • Herb tea (without barley or fruit sugars)
  • Atkins bars and shakes 
Condiments

Toss:

  • Regular ketchup with added sugar
  • Tomato-based chili sauce and cocktail sauce (unless no-added sugars)
  • Salad dressings with sugar added
  • Tartar sauce
  • Plum, sweet and sour sauce, oyster sauce
  • Teriyaki sauce
  • Honey mustard 
  • Steak sauce and barbecue sauce
  • Jams, jellies, preserves (unless low carb and no added sugar)

 

Keep or buy:

  • Mustard (yellow and Dijon)
  • Mayo (full-fat, no added sugars)
  • Cider and wine vinegars
  • Bottled hot sauces
  • Salsas
  • Tamari soy sauce (we recommend tamari because it is not made with wheat)
  • Tahini
  • Black bean sauce (without added sugar)
  • No added sugar salad dressings (or you can make your own) 
  • Capers
  • Horseradish sauce
  • Pesto
  • Herbs and spices (watch for added sugars)
  • Extracts (vanilla, lemon, almond)
  • Broth
  • Low-carb ketchup
  • Balsamic vinegar (check label for sugar content)
  • Rice wine vinegar (check label for sugar content)
  • Worcestershire sauce (check label for sugar content)
Refrigerator/freezer

Toss:

  • Fruits and juices (unless appropriate for your Phase of Atkins)
  • High-carb frozen foods such as pizza, pasta, dessert and waffles
  • Any other high-carb dairy products such as ice cream and sweetened yogurt

 

Keep or buy:

  • Vegetables appropriate for your Phase (fresh and frozen)
  • Fruits appropriate for your Phase
  • Meats (frozen and fresh)
  • Eggs
  • Dairy—hard cheeses, cream, sour cream, butter and other appropriate dairy products for your Phase
  • Unsweetened, unflavored soy or almond milk
  • Club soda
  • Diet soda sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners
  • Water (tap, spring, filtered or mineral)
  • Tofu
  • Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, peanuts—you can keep them in the freezer)
  • Seeds (sunflower and pumpkin—you can keep them in the freezer)
  • Lemon or lime juice
  • Extra veggies for snacking—cucumber, bell peppers, green beans, etc.—keep a clear plastic container of washed, cut-up veggies so you always have a quick snack at your fingertips 
  • Bags of greens for quick and easy salads
  • Lettuce for wraps and roll-ups
  • Shirataki noodles
  • Frozen berries
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Posted by Linda O'Byrne
Atkins Nutritionist