I follow Dr.B's basic guidelines, but refer to Atkins for variety. In fact I use several of the Atkins food products and have found they work in very well w/Bernstein's guidelines. Yes, I test test test as Dr. B. recommends and his basic rule of 1 gm/carb=5 mg/dl. to be true. I can now easily stop at one ounce of nuts, I can't eat grapes, but strawberries don't seem to be a problem for me at all. That is the only fruit I can eat that doesn't have a significant affect on BG readings. Sometimes a bit of melon or pomegranate or some other berries. I read somewhere (Atkins BB I think) where green type apples aren't a problem, but I've not tried them yet. (Red apples are a no-no I've found). Yes tomatoes are a fruit, but since peppers and eggplant are all in the same family (nightshade) as are ground cherries and potatoes I pretty much avoid all of them as I've found they all affect my BG. So if tomatoes are fruits then so are peppers, eggplant and ground cherries as they are all formed the same way as tomatoes from the same plant family.

Having given up fruit I find that nuts are the only indulgence so I have some every day - can't really give them up - does anyone have any tips?

Nuts have a tremendous amount of fat (pecans - 70% fat!!) but technically that shouldn't be a problem - but the main thing is -- is there anything anyone has used (instead of nuts) as a satisfying snack after a meal?

I find that the only snack I can bring successfully to work is cheese.
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on a personal note-

Basically I too feel so much better after having been on this eating plan (for almost a year now). All secondary side effects of diabtetes have gone down - no yeast infections and even skin has improved. I agree that it is tremendous- have lost about 10 pounds. (now weigh about 130 pounds)

I don't think Atkins stresses vegetables enough sometimes though - I think you really need a lot of these to balance out the protein and to feel good.

I was eating a handful of nuts occasionally as a nice crunchy snack until a few weeks ago when I broke out in a major rash all over my upper body (face and neck included) after eating nuts 3 days in a row.
If I want to take the trouble to make them, deviled eggs make a nice snack. So do meat sticks and celery sticks with cream cheese. I've even resorted to pork rinds and ranch dip a few times. Since you're close to goal, you might want to experiment a bit with some of Dr. Atkins' products like the muffin mixes or brownie mix. They're quite tasty even if they are on the expensive side. Generally I'm not much of a snacker, though.
Most berries don't bother my blood sugar much, but apples and oranges do, even the green apples. I didn't even bother to test bananas as I knew what they would do. I have a raspberry patch in my garden, so I can get a great treat when they are in season, but this time of year I don't tend to eat much fruit at all as berries are out of season here and quite expensive as well as not terribly tasty. If they're not fresh from the garden, they don't appeal to me as much.

Dr. Atkins' newest release of "Diet Revolution" (2002 edition) is a completely different book. The basic diet is the same, but he's revamped the rest of the book. If you've read any other of Dr. Atkins' books you'd know he's *very* much into a balanced diet and improving health with nutritional support, it just doesn't really come across in his past editions of Diet Revolution. If he'd written the 2002 edition 10 years ago, he'd've never come under the 'fire' he's had from the AMA. (or maybe not as much) Remember, Dr. Atkins is NOT a 'diet doctor'--he's a cardiologist. I find Dr. Atkins and Dr. Bernstein complement each other and I use both books for guidance.

Hi Villica!

Dr. Bernstein doesn't restrict fats, either. On pages 112-116 of his book (where he uses the phrase "big fat lie" long before Taubes does), he pretty much agrees with Dr. Atkins that fat isn't the problem as far as obesity and heart disease goes...carbs are. The two plans are very compatible...you pretty much eat the same things on either plan with the exception that Dr. Bernstein does not permit fruit of any kind. The only difference is that on Dr. Bernstein's plan there is no induction period; you drop to 30 grams of carb per day and there you stay. Dr. Bernstein suggests that to lose weight, you decrease the amount of protein that you are eating by 1/3 first at one meal and then at a second if you are still not losing 1-2 lbs per week.
I'm primarily using Dr. Bernstein's plan with great results, but I have added in some aspects of Dr. Atkins plan as well by eating small quantities of melons and berries when they are in season. I found through testing that I was able to handle small amounts without a spike in my blood sugars, so they seem to be okay for me. Without restricting fats and actually eating more of them than I ever have in my life, my cardiac profile looks better now than it ever has and my doctor has been very pleased with the results that I have gotten with this.
Bottom line is that I believe your husband should be far more concerned about his increasing need for medication to control his blood sugars and the amount of carbs he is consuming than about the fats, but I understand that it's very hard to convince some people that everything that they have been told about fats and heart disease up until now is probably wrong for the most part. Maybe it would help to print up some of the research and studies for him to read?
I hope this helps and wish you both success!

Willeke...

I replied to your PM, but it might be easier to do this by e-mail or here in the forum (the information might be helpful for other readers as well).
I'm sorry that your husband is giving you such a hard time about this, but you can tell him that I tried it the low fat/high carb way and wound up getting much worse, not better. Diabetics can't handle carbs like a normal person can. Fat has absolutely no impact on blood sugars and protein only minimally. Carbs have a huge impact on blood sugars. In diabetics, insulin production and the corresponding insulin resistance are always abnormal and feeding them more carbs will only make things worse. If it makes him feel better, he can try to follow low carb with a lower fat intake, but I can practically guarantee that he will be hungrier and find it harder to stick with. There are more and more studies coming out all the time that confirm that dietary fat has very little to do with heart disease...excess insulin production and insulin resistance are much bigger culprits. He might be interested in reading Ravnskof's (not sure I spelled that right) book called "The Cholesterol Myths". There's a lot of great information in there on how the dietary fat gives you heart disease theory is full of holes.
Another good book would be by Udo Erasmus called "Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill".

Your husband might be interested in this article published in the 2001 issue of Science magazine. It gives an interesting perspective on how the whole low fat movement got started; not by scientists, but by politicians and lawyers: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...&threadid=40182

Hi, Newbie here (a returning LC'er who went off the WOL but who is back).


I haven't read Dr. Bernstein's book yet, only DANDR. I am a type 2 diabetic. I have a question or two about this, hope someone can answer it.

Doesn't the carb content seem high for LC?



Also, regarding Dr. Bernstein's theory on not eating fruits ... what about things like scurvy, etc.? I am not a pill person and don't want to take supplements and pills. Can one get the same nutritional benefits from Dr. B's or Dr. A's WOL without having to take supplements?

Hi Snowbird!

I guess compared to induction levels of Dr. Atkins' plan, 30 grams of carb would seem like a lot, but it's actually about the same amount as several other plans such as Protein Power and The Schwarzbein Principle and that's just at the beginning phase of those plans. Different plans allow different levels of carbs depending on their primary focus.
Remember, the primary focus of Dr. Bernstein's plan isn't weight loss, but tight blood sugar control although weight loss is possible on his plan as well; I've lost about 75 lbs. so far.
About not eating fruits: Dr. Bernstein doesn't allow it because of their affect on blood sugars. Fruits usually create a larger rise in blood sugars than what Dr. Bernstein wants; no more than 20 points following any meal. Fruits are not needed to prevent scurvy as you can get the vitamins and minerals that you need from vegetables and meats just as well. Having said that, I've found by testing with my meeter that I can have small amounts of melons and some berries without getting a big rise in my blood sugars, so I do include them when they are in season.
No matter which WOE you choose, a good multivitamin is almost a necessity today with foods being produced on nutrient-depleted soils unless you eat exclusively organic products and even then I'd recommend a good multivitamin at least.

Have been following Bernstein's approach to diabetes management since January of 2000. Saw him in March 2000 for treatment and instruction for Type 2. Have generally been doing very well, although my weight went up over the past 6 months, due to another medical condition, which required protein restriction! Fortunately, this condition is just now resolving and am having good results by resuming the plan.

Am fairly well-versed on the Bernstein approach and would be glad to be of help to anyone who needs assistance.

Hey SnowbirdNJ, learn to like kale! I like the red kale the best and a single serving is just chock full of good stuff including plenty of vitamin C. The USDA has a website:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

You can pop in there whatever you are eating to see what kind of nutrients it has.

As a type 2 diabetic who was on meds for a couple of years before finding Atkins, I have found that I must stick to 5 grams of carbohydrates per meal or less. I can have 30 carbs a day, more even, but not at greater increments than five every couple of hours. If I eat more than 5 at once, I get a blood sugar spike and all the bad diabetic side effects, including pain.

I recently rediscovered this when I ate sugar for the first time since beginning Atkins in March of 2002. I had half a piece of birthday cake on Saturday, the part with less frosting, and within one hour was thirsty and urinating and in pain - and that was even with carb counting. I stayed well under 30 for the day, but that small bit of cake was too many carbs at once - AND was sugar.