It seems to me after all of these years of being on a low carb program (back and forth), I have alot of knowledge about Atkins. However, I remember from day one remembering that orange foods....should be strictly limited. That was easy for me to remember orange...stay clear if you can. But, today I decided for dinner I was going to have a lean cusine (the chicken marsela with green beans) well as I open the box I realize that there are alot of carrots in the container? I thought...huh? Why would they even consider making a low carb meal and then put carrots in it? Knowing that carrots are one of the top orange no no's to stay clear of and are loaded in sugar. These meals don't necessary say that they are for low carb eaters, however on the box it reads...Counting Carbs? 9 grams. And then there are other meals that are "designed" for the low carber and they are all pretty high in carbs! Like Maintenance program people would be able to eat. 20 grams of carbs...is my entire day!

Funny the carrots popped up in my salad today too! And I thought....better pick these babies out. I am not going to have my blood sugar sky rocket over dumb carrots. And then there they were again in my dinner. I had to raise this question to see if any one had any insight on them?
Did the low carb revolutionaries start opening their arms to CARROT while I wasn't looking or abiding by the program?

Any idea how many carbs I might've saved in the meal today but not eating them? ( I didn't btw)

I would love hear some insight on this!
Thanks!

I'm not familiar with the "orange" rule. Pumkin is low carb and melons (like canteloupe) are right there along side berries in terms of "first rung" fruits.

Cooked carrots are about 4-5 net carbs for a 1/2 cup serving. Cooked, they have a fairly high glycemic index. Raw carrots, on the other hand, because the celulose walls of each cell are not softened, have a lower, slower glycemic response.

This proved true for me, according to my BGL's. Since they are such powerhouses of vitanutrients, I ate shredded carrots if they came on my salad right from induction. I often have a couple of carrot sticks along with my other raw veggies for munching.

HTH.

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Thanks Maggie!

I don't buy and eat carrots normally, but I won't pick them out of my salad, either. They have a lot of good nutrients. You have to wonder about your diet if you start to worry about eating veggies.

Yeah, the orange rule is new to me, too.

Like Maggie and Terra, I eat carrots, 'cause they are a good source of betacarotene and other nutrients. However, I treat them like an ingredient, rather than a veggie...I put them in stir-fries, salads, and the occasional baby carrot with my raw veggies and dip. If I eat them as a veggie, I mix them with broccoli or green beans. I think they are too healthy to give up entirely; I just use caution when eating them because of their high glycemic index.

And, PQ, if you aren't on induction, isn't 20 grams of carbs a day a little low?

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Trina

Vice-President of the Intergalactic Order of Brussels Sprouts Haters

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UGH! A whole topic for carrots! Those are about the only food I totally detest. I find they try to sneak them into so many food!

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high weight 207

Current
156/160/136(?) thats where the clothes fit before but time will tell

I wouldn't say that I eat carrots all day, everyday, but I also don't limit them. If I am at a picnic and they are on the veggie tray, I definitely use them as the vehicle to get the dip into my mouth! I don't eat them cooked often, however, because I don't make them at home, and at restaurants they are often glazed and then cooked...no way I am messing up a veggie choice with any kind of glaze!

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I have never picked the carrots out of my salads, nor have i cut them out completely. Some times i feel the nutritional values are worth the few extra carbs in them... though i do not eat cooked carrots -- only raw.

my Gram has macular(sp?) degeneration -- and i am not going to risk that, or my eye sight later in life, for a few extra carbs.

I never heard of the orange rule either. I dont particularly like carrots, and don't use them deliberately. If they are in a salad in little slivers I leave them alone, but if they are big slices I pick them out. There are too many good ,, and unquestionable things allowed on Low carb to worry about them...

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In the cookies of life, we are the chocolate chips.

PQ,

Like you, I have avoided carrots like the plague! I thought that I read in the Atkins bible that carrots were on the avoid list. Now, I can't wait to get home and see if I just dreamt this. They aren't a favorite veggie, but they would add some variety.

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Atkins since 09/01/03
275/185/135 :silly:

I also don't pick out the carrots if they come in a salad or if they come in a steamed vegetable meledy that I usually get as a side at a local steakhouse. I figure it's a vegetable and as long as I don't eat an enormous amount of them it definately can't hurt.

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Melissa
Restarted Atkins 1/03/05
Lost 30 Pounds the first time around in 2004.
Back on for the long haul now :fork:
210/201.5/150

I LOVE shredded carrots in my salad and I ADD them in on purpose! I'm careful not to had 1/2 a cup but a small sprinkle isn't going to hurt anything.

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It is always necessary to leave some part
of cooking to improvisation. - Paul Bocuse
Member since 2001

Thanks for the input from everyone! I think that a few people are confused. I am on Induction stage and I usually stay there as long as I can, I lose quickly and I feel great. According to the good Doctor one can remain on Induction as long as you feel good and are overweight.
I think that I will still pull them out of salad and avoid them at dinners. I don't want anything that is going alter my blood sugar levels or make me hungry!
Thanks Again Everyone!