Sample Menu Plan

I recently came across a low-carb starting plan, and I was very unhappy with what I saw. As you should know from my earlier post, you should consume very few carbs on the first few days of the low-carb lifestyle. It takes a little while for the carbs that are stored in your body to get out. For this reason, you want to stay very low-carb while this process is taking place. The suggestion meal plan that I came across while playing around on the Internet doesn't seem to agree with me. While I did agree with much of the food that is listed, there were a few items that did not belong on the menu for the induction phase of low-carb. The plan was as follows:

Monday
Breakfast-Two egg omelet with sausage and roasted red peppers
Lunch-Reuben sandwich (corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut) on one slice low carb bread, and green salad with low carb dressing
Dinner-Grilled chicken breast and steamed asparagus and yellow squash and mixed salad with vinaigrette or low carb dressing
Snack-Celery sticks with low carb dip

Tuesday
Breakfast-Two poached eggs with smoked salmon in cream dill sauce, and half small tomato
Lunch-Grilled beef patty with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and mixed green salad with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner-Roast chicken with herbs with broccoli with Parmesan curls and Endive and radish salad with vinaigrette
Snack-Red pepper sticks with low carb dip

Wednesday
Breakfast-One low carb muffin and one hard-boiled egg
Lunch-Cobb salad (avocado, tomato, chicken, hard-boiled egg, blue cheese and bacon over lettuce) with olive and balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner-Salmon with Steel’s Wasabi Teriyaki sauce and steamed green beans with sesame oil cabbage slaw with low carb Cole Slaw dressing
Snack-Olives and Cheddar cubes

Thursday
Breakfast-Two scrambled eggs with two slices of bacon and one slice of low carb bread
Lunch-Shrimp salad over lettuce and tomato slices with low carb dressing
Dinner-Broiled lamb chops with Swiss chard with garlic and olive oil and mixed green salad with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette
Snack-Atkins Advantage shake

Friday
Breakfast-Two low carb pancakes with low carb syrup and three turkey sausages
Lunch-Large tossed salad with tuna, tomatoes and low carb dressing
Dinner-Roasted pork tenderloin and sauteed spinach and red peppers
Snack-Stallone high protein low carb pudding

Saturday
Breakfast-One low carb muffin and two slices of Cheddar cheese
Lunch-Steak and pepper fajitas on low carb tortilla and Romaine and avocado salad with Olivado Avocado oil and lemon
Dinner-Grilled tuna with spice rub and zucchini and mushrooms skewers
Snack-Atkins Advantage bar

Sunday
Breakfast-Poached egg on one slice low carb bread, two tomato slices and two slices Cheddar cheese
Lunch-Chef Salad (roast turkey, cheese, red onion and sliced tomatoes over romaine) with olive and balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner-Turkey meatloaf and green bean, snow pea and pepper medley
Snack-Olives and Cheddar cubes

Now that you have seen the suggested meal plan, see if you can spot my three biggest problems with this meal plan for the induction phase.

Give up? If you know me at all, you know I am going to tell you the flaws that I found. Usually, the flaw would be something with grammar or spelling. This time, though, it's the content, and not the spelling. My first issue is that there is flour product eaten 6 of the 7 days. Sometimes it's low-carb bread. Sometimes it's a pastry, like a muffin. It also comes in the form of pancakes and tortillas. They do make sure that the reader realizes that it's a low-carb version, but still, during induction, low-carb flour products are a no-no. Even after induction phase, they should be eaten in moderation. The next issue that I have with this meal plan is that you eat salad almost everyday, and sometimes twice a day. Vegetables are wonderful, and you can of course eat them on the low-carb lifestyle, but in the induction phase, this is just too much salad, and not enough protein to go with it. The other problem that I had when I saw this was the way I felt like it was advertising products. I enjoy all of the products mentioned, including Atkins products and Stallone products. However, I thought it was in poor taste to "advertise" in this way. I was left uneasy with the entire menu plan.

I did like the idea of menu planning, though. It's especially important to menu plan for the first week. During the first week, you will still be craving carbs, because you are technically "addicted" to the carbs. By all means, menu plan. But, when you do...watch out for those hidden carbs, and eat the low-carb food you like. Don't fall for slick advertising campaigns.