Before I tell you about the food items included in “Diet 600 Calories a Day” it is imperative for you to have a brief understanding of what actually a Diabetes Diet is. Nutritional Plan is actually the world’s most popular food plan especially designed for those who want to lose weight. It was introduced by Dr. Robert Atkins, not for rapid weight loss but for permanently ridding people of excessive weight. The basic theme of this dietary plan is based on having food items low in carbohydrates. Diabetes Diet demands you to avoid food containing refined sugars and encourages the intake of low calories in small meals.
After the induction phase, which is characterized by the intake of an extra low-calorie diet, the next stage is ongoing weight loss. This is the “Diet 600 Calories a Day“ and just like phase 1, it requires the dieter to follow certain restrictions. Let us have a detailed look at the “Diet 600 Calories a Day”
“Diet 600 Calories a Day”
“Diet 600 Calories a Day” is called the Ongoing Weight Loss Phase (OWL phase). It requires you to intake extremely low-calorie food items, however; it allows some variety in your meals because of the inclusion of more carbohydrate foods. The dieters at this stage are allowed to increase carb consumption by 5 net grams every successive week. But make sure that the carb is not increased too rapidly.
Nuts, fruits, seeds, dairy products, etc are permitted for the dieters in “Diet 600 Calories a Day”, but in small quantities. The weight which you managed to lose during the first phase of the Diabetes Diet needs to be maintained and it shouldn’t increase more than 1 to 2 lbs in a week.
How long the “Diet 600 Calories a Day” last is totally dependent on how much weight you want to lose. However, once you have managed to lose at least 5 to 10 lbs from your final goal of weight loss, you should consider “Diet 600 Calories a Day” to have been completed successfully.
Doctor Robert Atkins has further devised a Carbohydrate Ladder for this specific phase which is based on the glycemic value of different types of food items to be taken. The sequence of this ladder moves in the following way
- Salads and vegetables
- Fresh cheese,
- Seeds and nuts,
- Melons and berries,
- Low-carbohydrate beverages,
- Legumes,
- Fruits,
- Vegetables containing starch,
- Whole grains
The sequence means that the number of food items enlisted above should be taken in accordance with the priority given to them. E.g. vegetables and salads should be taken in higher quantities as compared to fresh cheese and fresh cheese should be higher in quantity than nuts and seeds and so on.
The recipes for this phase are dependent on the carb value of each ingredient. Given below is a list of items to be taken in “Diet 600 Calories a Day”:
“Diet 600 Calories a Day” Food List
In addition to the items which were allowed in Atkins Diet Phase 1, the following items can be included in recipes for “Diet 600 Calories a Day”:
– Vegetables: try to use fresh and raw vegetables. ½ to 1 cup of vegetables can be taken in “Diet 600 Calories a Day”. vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, and spinach would be beneficial. Vegetables are on the list of foods to eat when you’re pregnant
– Dairy products: you are allowed to consume 5 oz of different cheeses like mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, pot cheese, farmer’s cheese, and ¾ to 1% cottage cheese at “Diet 600 Calories a Day“ along with other dairy products in the allowed amount.
– Nuts and seeds: they can be included in the quantity of 1 oz each e.g. almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, peanuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.
– Fruits and Juices: at this phase, you are allowed to have juices of fresh fruits like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc up to ¼ cup. Moreover, the same quantity of other juices can also be consumed like lemon juice, lime juice, tomato juice, etc.
– Legumes; any legumes like black peas, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, cranberry, fava beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pink beans, pinto beans, black soybeans, green soybeans, etc can be used in ¼ cup quantity. However, there are some people who suggest that legumes should be skipped in “Diet 600 Calories a Day” and that they should be included in Atkins Diet phase 3.
The main goal of this stage is to fix the Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing and to make possible the healthy loss of weight while expanding the choices at the same time.
Robert Coleman Atkins (October 17, 1930 – April 17, 2003) was an American physician and cardiologist, best known for the Atkins Diet. More about Dr. Atkins at Wikipedia
