medicine. For the overweight, this program, of course, is the other pillar.( Actually, controlling carbohydrate intake is the key to good health in general, even if you do not have a weight problem.) The operative word is individualized, for each person requires a different roster of vitanutrients, depending upon his or her individual health profile.
I won ' t spend a lot of space in this book describing all the many ways vitanutrients can help you overcome health problems. If you ever need information on how nutrients can solve health problems better than drugs do, you ' ll find it in Dr Atkins ' Vita-Nutrient Solution.
In this chapter, however, all I want to do is provide adequate nutritional support for Induction. When you opt to become a lifetime Atkins follower( notice, I didn ' t say " if '), you will have to familiarize yourself with the content of Chapter 23. But for now, these are the nutritional supplements you should be taking during Induction:
• A broad multiple vitamin and mineral supplement that contains considerably more than the recommended daily intake( RDI) of B complex factors and vitamin C, and that also contains at least thirty other different nutrients( and no iron). Ideally, chromium picolinate or polynicotinate( between 200 and 600 mcg) should be included.
• Essential fatty acids( EFA). EFA-deficiency may be the most prevalent dietary shortage in our culture, thanks to the misguided obsession with avoiding dietary fat and the overconsumption of trans fats instead of healthy natural fats. An EFA supplement should include gamma-linolenic acid( GLA)-primarily found in primrose or borage oil-and omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil or flaxseed oil.( You can, of course, also eat salmon and other cold-water fish.)
• If you have sugar cravings, you should also take 500 mg of L-glutamine( one or two tablets) prior to each meal. L-glutamine has been shown to curb alcohol addiction as well. If you previously ate lots of carbohydrates, this will help to ease the transition to controlled carbohydrate eating.
As mentioned in the Rules of Induction, you should also be supplementing with one or another form of fiber, usually wheat bran or psyllium husks, to prevent constipation. For more on the benefits of fiber, see " Fiber: A Form of Carbohydrate " on pages 75-76.
Blast Off! You ' ve Begun-Munch Away.
So, here we go. You ' re doing Atkins, and naturally you begin by eating-something you ' ve previously done with some degree of guilt. Say good-bye to all that. It ' s time to plow into those prime ribs and that cheese omelette. You must have faith. As you savor high-calorie food you always thought would make you fat, you can now relax. When carbohydrates are sufficiently reduced, the body has no choice but to burn its own fat. Moreover, at this stage, eating rich, fatty foods can only be advantageous.
I encourage you to eat until you ' re satisfied. Just don ' t confuse being satisfied with being stuffed. If you have been overweight for a long time, it may take you a while to distinguish between the two sensations. If you are not sure, stop eating before you feel full and see if you are still hungry a few minutes later. If you are, have a few more bites and stop again. Repeat until you are satisfied. Soon you will discover you are pleasantly full sooner and can avoid that feeling of getting up from the table feeling as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey.
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