I'm new to this LC thing, and am in my second week of induction on Atkins. I'm looking at some recipes and am wondering what kinds of things I need to pick up to start cooking, and where to find them.

So far, it looks like I should get some DaVinci syrups--I can buy those locally; at least some of the flavors. Almonds? Are those fairly low carb, or just lower than what they're substituting for?

And what is this milk and egg protein powder? Where would I get that? And the not starch stuff.

What else? I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I would like to have something once in a while. I bought a bag of Splenda yesterday. Should I get some Stevia too?

Terra,
Hi and welcome to LCE and the LC woe
You can purchase a lot of ingredients at your local health food store. I would recommend the following as "staples" for low carb baking:
almond flour or meal(it is called both, and is basically the same thing)
steviaPlus...a brand of powdered stevia from Wisdom Herbs
Milk and Egg Protein powder
Vital Wheat Gluten
Soy Protein Isolate...NOT soy flour
Depending on what you want to bake right away, you might want to buy these items a few at a time, as they can be rather costly, but should last you quite awhile. Later, you might also want to look into getting some flax seed meal(should be refridgerated or kept in freezer) and some wheat bran as there are several good recipes that call for these items also.
Davinci's syrups are also used alot in Lc cooking, I have about 3 or 4 flavors I use alot.
These are just a few items I always keep on hand, I'm sure some other folks will jump in also and give you some more ideas.
HTH,
Happy Holidays

Shelley

Welcome, Terrasanct ~

In my humble opinion, every ingredient you'll ever need for a lifetime of delicious lowcarb eating can be found in the meat and produce aisles of your local grocery store. Many people like to use special ingredients while low-carbing, but they aren't necessary, and most of the recipes that call for them are substitutions for higher-carb foods. Whether you want to replace such foods or eliminate them is an individual choice.

DaVinci syrups are basically "free flavorings, and a bag of Splenda is a good buy, since you'll want to avoid real sugar. Almonds are a pretty good snack choice once you're past induction - but like most other nuts, you do need to be careful about quantities, as it is easy for a handful to morph into a canful. And if you do decide to make/bake things to replace old favorites, do remember that cookies and cake and fudge and the like are still junk food, regardless of the carb count. Making them a regular part of your diet can be dangerous.

Best wishes!

Sky
Atkins since 8/02
186/144/under 150

My suggestion is to start reading recipes, here and other low-carb sites. Make notes of the ones you'd like to try and any ingredients that you don't already own!

Much of the stuff can be purchased online at places like netrition.com, n101.com, vitacost.com etc. If you do a Google search for the ingredient you're interested in, you'll be presented with tons of resources!

Also many health food stores, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods (or Wild Oats) etc. carry great stuff. It's fun to wander the aisles and read labels! (Well, I think it's fun anyway - but then, I'm easily amused....)

And if you ever get stuck for something, just ask away here, you'll be sure to get plenty of advice!

Char

Don't squat with yer spurs on!

I WISH we had a Trader Joe's here. I love that store.

I went to the health food store and got almost everything on my list, except the milk and egg protein powder. I wasn't sure if that was the same as whey powder that also listed albumin. So I'll get that later.

I do plan to use the baked goods sparingly. I like meat okay, and love veggies, so I should be okay. I stopped liking the sweet stuff when it made me sick. But once in a while you just have to have something. I figure that will help me stay eating right.

It is somewhat bizarre to get all these health food items, then a bag of pork rinds! I've never bought them before and it felt a bit strange. But they taste okay. When we go see a movie tomorrow I'll be glad to have something to munch on.