5 a Day the Low Carb Way

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OK. Let's put this idiocy to rest once and for all.

YOU DO NOT "ELIMINATE VEGETABLES AND FRUIT ON A LOW CARB DIET"!!!

Did everyone hear me??????

Gosh, I hope so. Along with many others in the low carb community, I'm getting awfully disgusted by the misinformation about low carb being propagated by (I hope) well-meaning nutritionists and media people. You know the ones I mean? The ones who keep saying, "Yes, it works short term, but how can cutting out fruit and vegetables be healthy long term???" Yada yada yada, ad nauseatum.

Rather than just say "you're wrong," (and since telling people they're wrong never works anyway) I thought I'd show you how you too can get in your "5 A DAY" - the five servings of veggies and fruit that we're all supposed to get for our health. I almost always do - and I'm willing to wager that any successful, long-term low carber does, too.

Friends, this isn't rocket science. And anyone who's taken the time to read ANY of the low carb books (including Atkins) would be able to come to this conclusion themselves (assuming that they could count). But maybe they can't. So let's do the math, shall we?

First the basics:

1. This discussion does not apply to the first stage of your diet such as the Atkins Induction Phase. You may only get in 3 or maybe 4 servings during that SHORT TIME. Operative word there being short. I'm not a doctor, but I think you'll survive. But make sure to check with your doctor anyway.

2. When I say veggies I am referring MOSTLY to the lower glycemic, high fiber vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc. This doesn't mean you never have sweet potato or an acorn squash. Just that you have those less often.

3. Ditto for fruit. Low on the glycemic index is generally the order of the day on most low carb plans. Of course, I do have an occasional half a banana, or a few grapes. But mostly I stick with berries, certain melons, pears and apples. (I don't eat citrus because I just plain don't like the pulpy stuff. I know it's good for me, but what can I say? Sorry, mom.)

So let's start with minimums.

At every Lunch you should be having one serving of veggies.
At every Dinner you should be having two servings of veggies.
This adds up to three servings. Last I checked.

Now, add in a serving of low glycemic fruit like strawberries or blueberries for a dessert at dinner, or an extra helping of veggies at lunch. Four.

Now, add another serving of veggies or fruit during the day - EITHER spinach or mushrooms in your omlette at breakfast (one of my favs!), OR a snack of cucumber wedges or celery sticks with some cream cheese mid morning, OR even a half an apple or pear with a little bit of cheese or almond butter in the afternoon.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. FIVE SERVINGS FROM THE FRUIT AND VEGGIE CATEGORY EASILY EATEN BY AN AVERAGE LOW CARBER ON ANY GIVEN DAY.

And guess what? YOU know, and I know, and the powers that be know, that MOST AMERICANS - LOW CARB OR NOT - DO NOT EAT THAT MANY VEGGIES AND FRUITS A DAY.

Can you imagine? You can be on a low carb diet and eat more servings from the fruit and vegetable group than most Americans??? Yes, indeed. Many of us have been saying this for a long time.

So, to steal the phrase from the cellphone commercial, Can you hear me now?

I hope so.

And I hope that if you're a low carb dieter who's gotten past your "induction" phase and you're NOT eating "5 a Day the Low Carb Way" that you reconsider. It's not hard. But it's surely worth it.