Don't Want to do Keto? Here's Atkins' Moderate-Carb Diet to Try Instead

If you don't want to do a ketogenic diet,
this sugar-free whole foods diet created by
Dr. Atkins can help you reach your weight-loss goal

Ever since Dr. Atkins published his original diet book in 1972, the name "Atkins" has been associated with the low-carb, moderate-fat, weight-loss diet that he created.

(Yes, I know that people call it low-carb high-fat, but Dr. Atkins did not! He always insisted that his diet was a moderate-fat diet. Not a high-fat one. It's just the low-carb community that refers to it as LCHF.)

Dr. Atkins didn't just treat overweight patients.

While those with metabolic syndrome, blood glucose problems, and sometimes inflammatory bowel diseases were placed on a ketogenic diet, the remaining patients were put on what he called the "Meat and Millet Diet."

The Meat and Millet Diet is a high-fiber, sugar-free, whole-foods diet that contains the protein foods and vegetables recommended in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, plus some unrefined carbohydrates to provide optimal nutrition.

It also uses an intuitive eating style, so you don't have to count calories, carbohydrates, or fat grams.

This moderate-carb diet provides good blood sugar control and most of the other health advantages of carbohydrate restriction without having to go into the state of Nutritional Ketosis. You'll still experience a better cholesterol profile, increased energy, and a feeling of well-being while on this plan.

Nutritional Ketosis isn't dangerous, provided your body can still make enough insulin to handle the unrefined carbs, so this whole-foods nutritional approach is often the better choice for those who are super sensitive to gluten, but don't want to do Keto.

This is because many celiacs are in starvation mode, due to inflammation of the upper digestive tract.

According to Dr. Atkins, most of his patients were overweight, so they were put on his low-carb diet, which is why this second, moderate-carb approach hasn't gotten much publicity over the years.

Even so, most of its principles and recommendations are exactly what nutritionists and dietitians are advocating that we eat and drink today.

This is My Tweaked Version of the Meat and Millet Diet

This diet was published in 1981 in Dr. Atkins Nutritional Breakthrough: How to Treat Your Medical Condition Without Drugs.

Dr. Atkins Nutrition Breakthrough

(Available at Amazon, Used)

I have made a few alterations to the original program to make it a weight-loss diet because the diet, as written, wasn't for weight loss. Dr. Atkins used it on his normal-weight patients or those who needed to put on a little weight.

I have also added a few tips and food choices that were not available back then. These foods and ingredients, such as sugar-reduced ketchup, would probably have been allowed were Dr. Atkins still alive today.

If you're looking to ditch some weight this year, but don't want to do Keto, Atkins' moderate-carb diet can be personally tweaked to fit a gluten-free diet and still give you the results you're looking for.

All it takes is an understanding of the glycemic index and a bit of portion control.

Why Call it the Meat and Millet Diet?

This moderate-carb diet contains a lot more to eat than just meat and millet, so why call it The Meat and Millet Diet?

Won't people get the wrong idea?

Perhaps.

But Dr. Atkins wanted his patients, and later on his readers, to remember that although they could have some carbohydrates on this alternative diet plan, those carbs needed to be wholesome, complex starches, and unrefined.

He also thought the word "millet" might coax you into trying some of the whole grains that you have never tried before.

This is what happens when people go gluten free.

Since wheat, barley, and rye are no longer appropriate for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, those on gluten-free diets usually branch out and experiment with a variety of gluten-free grains.

Unfortunately, those who are super sensitive to gluten, like I am, often have problems digesting whole grains, especially in the beginning of their gluten-free journey. Whole grains are pretty rough on the intestines, which can take a long time to heal.

If you're super sensitive to gluten, you might
need to skip the millet and use white rice instead

So, if you've recently gone gluten free or are gluten free and still experiencing symptoms, you might want to consider limiting your grain consumption to white rice and maybe a little bit of corn, instead of millet and other gluten-free grains, until you're at least partially healed.

According to Dr. Fasano, a pillar in the celiac community, rice is the safest grain to eat, due to the way it's grown and processed. However, biologically, the body doesn't need any grains at all. You get plenty of the same nutrients from meats and produce.

The Meat and Millet Diet is NOT Ketogenic

When followed properly, the Meat and Millet Diet is not ketogenic. You will not go into Nutritional Ketosis when following this plan, unless you purposely design it that way.

You also don't have to eat from the grain list if you don't want to. You can create a paleo type of diet that uses sweet potatoes and other tubers if that's more suitable for you.

The amount of carbohydrate you eat on this plan will vary, depending on your blood glucose control, but you won't have to drop down to very low levels of carbohydrate like those doing Keto or a more traditional Atkins.

Instead, the Meat and Millet Diet is a sugar-free nutritional approach to dieting that uses mostly whole foods, making this a very nutrient-dense plan. You'll eat non-refined starches, instead of sugars, and whole foods, rather than lots of processed foods.

This no-sugar rule means that milk, yogurt, fruit, and fruit juices are only used sparingly, or eliminated all together, during the first stages of the weight-loss process, depending on whether you're insulin sensitive, or not.

Dr. Atkins kept a close eye on the blood glucose levels of his patients, and used that as the determining factor regarding which patient could have some of these naturally sweet foods.

In fact, he believed that controlling your insulin and blood sugar was the cornerstone of any effective diet plan.

Meat and Millet Diet Principles

Here are the principles for the Meat and Millet Diet.
You get all of the benefits of low carb, except
you don't go into Nutritional Ketosis

On this nutritional approach, you're going to restrict the carbohydrates and simple sugars that you eat, especially during the initial phase of the diet, replacing these carbs with vegetables, salads, and whole grains.

The diet also includes all of the protein foods normally found on the Atkins Diet, as well as the essential fatty acids that the body needs for optimal function. Dietary fat isn't as low as it is on Weight Watchers or other weight-loss diets, so it's easier to make your food taste good.

This moderate-carb weight-loss diet is based on the theory that when starches are broken down and absorbed slowly into the bloodstream, the slow absorption can help to control your blood sugar. This is the same approach that the Sugarbusters Diet also used.

When blood sugar doesn't rise too high after meals, less insulin is needed to bring your blood glucose level down into a safe range. The longer your insulin is at a normal level, the easier it is for the body to mobilize and use it's fat stores for energy.

Low carb works by driving your insulin levels down and dulling your hunger, so it's easier to eat at a calorie deficit. For insulin sensitive individuals, however, insulin can act as a satiety hormone, as well.

Also, you don't want your insulin dropping too low. When insulin falls too low, your blood glucose will go up. The key is to keep your blood sugar level steady and within a normal range for as long as possible.

The Truth About the Glycemic Index

Before I get into the nuts-and-bolts of the Meat and Millet Diet, I'm going to share a few facts about the Glycemic Index that you might not know.

This index originally came about due to research done in Canada in 1981, which was focused on how carbohydrates might affect those with diabetes.

The research has put an end to the notion that sugar and sugar-containing foods are worse for blood glucose control than complex starches are. In fact, some complex starches impact blood sugar more than sugar does, due to portion size.

Portion size of starchy carbs matter most because a large portion of a low-impact food can raise your blood glucose higher than a small portion of a moderate-impact food!

However, this research used healthy individuals to create the index, so it doesn't always accurately reflect what goes on in those who have pre-diabetes, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.

It is just a way to help you determine which foods might make better choices for your health.

4 Reasons Why this Moderate-Carb Diet Works

Here are 4 reasons why the Meat and Millet Diet works:

Reason #1: It Stabilizes Your Blood Sugar

Starches are digested very slowly when you eat complex carbs. The body has to strip off the outer kernel of the grain or seed before it can begin to break it down by way of enzymes.

This makes the breakdown of your food into glucose much slower, requiring less insulin to help get that glucose into your body's cells. This results in a stable blood glucose level that's more flat than spike.

Reason #2: Insulin Level Normalizes

In addition to the blood glucose level falling to normal, basal insulin will also do the same thing. Basal insulin is the amount of insulin that is secreted into your bloodstream between meals.

Overall, less insulin is needed to process the glucose from complex carbs, so the body won't secrete as much insulin in between meals.

Reason #3: Provides Nutrient-Dense Foods

The Meat and Millet Diet provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals from whole carbohydrate sources like produce and grains, as well as the full range of protein-containing foods. Also, all of the essential amino acids are provided in adequate quantities.

When the body gets adequate nutrition, it's able to perform optimally.

Reason #4: Provides Essential Fatty Acids

This moderate-carb diet provides essential fatty acids found in protein foods and healthy fats. The ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids is improved, due to the reduction in processed foods and increased intake of fish and healthy fats.

How to Do Phase 1 of the Meat and Millet Diet

The following weight-loss plan is the first phase of this nutritional approach. It functions as the foundation level. Because of that, it is restrictive in order to bring your blood glucose under control.

Foods not allowed during this introductory phase may, or may not, be included during further levels of the diet. It depends on whether your blood glucose control can handle the extra food choices, or not.

Protein Foods

The Meat and Millet Diet Lets you eat plenty of
protein foods, without restriction

The following protein foods are not restricted. You can eat as much as you need to feel satisfied, but keep in mind that satiety isn't a feeling of fullness. Eat just enough to not be hungry:

• meat
• poultry
• fish and shellfish
• eggs
• cheese

Protein foods must be completely sugar free, according to the rules of the diet. Dr. Atkins didn't allow any sugar, corn syrup, or other natural sweeteners during this initial phase of the diet. It's okay to use sugar substitutes, though.

In addition, I've never seen a brand of bacon that is sugar free, so use your own judgment here. What you want to avoid is processed meats that contain carby fillers and corn sryup.

Additional vegetable protein sources include:

• nuts and seeds
• soybeans (including tofu)

Vegetarians won't have a problem designing a suitable weight-loss diet, since there are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein allowed.

Vegetables

The following vegetables can be eaten to satiety. Vegetables are extremely low on the glycemic index, as well as very low in calories. They also provide fiber and lots of micronutients for health:

• alfalfa sprouts
• artichoke hearts
• asparagus
• bamboo shoots
• bean sprouts
• beet greens
• bok choy
• broccoli
• brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• carrots
• cauliflower
• celery
• chard
• collard greens
• chives
• cucumber
• eggplant
• green beans
• jicama
• kale
• leeks
• okra
• lettuce
• mushrooms
• onions
• parsley
• peppers
• potatoes, all varieties
• pumpkin
• radishes
• sauerkraut
• scallions
• snow peas
• spaghetti squash
• spinach
• summer squash
• tomato (limited quantities)
• turnips
• water chestnuts
• wax beans (yellow)
• yams
• zucchini

If you're using this moderate-carb diet as a weight-loss tool, make sure that you eat vegetables in reasonable quantities and only enough to make you not feel hungry.

Foods that are Limited

The following foods are limited for weight loss. If you're on maintenance, or trying to gain some weight, they can be eaten in larger amounts.

Whole Grains

There is no carbohydrate counting on this diet, but grains need to be limited to reasonable portions for weight loss to occur. Sugarbusters and the Old Weight Watchers exchange plan limited grains, potatoes, and starchy vegetables to 2 or 3 servings per day.

Like any other weight-loss plan, you must eat at a calorie deficit.

One serving would be 1/2 cup rice or starchy vegetables, 1 slice of bread, or a very small potato.

Best choices for gluten-free grains include:

• amaranth
• buckwheat
• corn
• oats (only purity protocol)
• quinoa
• rice, brown
• rice bran
• sorghum
• teff

Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are also acceptable on Phase 1 but need to be eaten in reasonable quantities.

These foods are used to control calories.

Also, keep in mind that this category is for those who can tolerate whole grains. If you can't tolerate whole grains, then white rice is fine.

Breads and Cereals

Although, Dr. Atkins placed breads and cereals in a separate category from whole grains, he did this because ground or broken grains need to be eaten even more sparingly than whole grains do.

Only certain stone-ground whole-grain breads or cereals are permitted.

Wheatless breads, such as millet-only bread and oat-only bread are allowed if you can handle those. These are the only breads that were allowed on the plan, but only because no other gluten-free breads were available when the diet was created.

Since all gluten-free grains are acceptable, look for gluten-free breads that use brown rice instead of white, gluten-free whole grains like teff and millet, and that don't contain carby starches, such as tapioca, potato starch, and corn starch.

Some of the paleo breads use coconut flour and almond flour, which are also okay. If whole grains are not tolerated, use a white rice based bread instead.

Breads and cereals fall under the same 2 to 3 servings per day advice given above for whole grains. This enables you to have a sandwich for work and a starchy side dish several times during the week.

Fruits

Only one-half of Dr. Atkins patients were able
to eat fruit during Phase 1

Half of Dr. Atkins patients were able to include fruit in their diet, from day one, and half were not.

Avocado and olives were allowed for all of his patients, since these botanical fruits are very low in carbs.

In those with pre-diabetes, fruit can easily raise your blood glucose too high, especially if it isn't already in the normal range.

Those who were allowed fruit received one whole fruit per day, such as an:

• apple
• orange
• peach
• banana

No fruit juices allowed on Phase 1.

If you have:

• hypoglycemia
• unstable blood sugar
• pre-diabetes
• diabetes
• or metabolic syndrome

It's best to start without the fruit, except for avocado and olives.

There's plenty of time to test your reaction to fruit later on, after your blood glucose level has stabilized using protein foods, vegetables, and a small amount of grain.

Milk and Dairy Products

The following dairy products are to be used sparingly:

• hard, aged cheese (no cheese spreads or cheese foods)
• heavy cream
• light cream
• sour cream

Milk, yogurt, and buttermilk are limited to 4 to 8 ounces total, per day, so that foods and beverages that contain a small amount of these items can still be enjoyed on Phase 1.

Fats and Oils

Only moderate portions of fats are allowed.

Fat is stored by the body shortly after ingestion, and then pulled back out of storage, as needed.

You don't want to overeat fat, but you need enough to give your body the essential fatty acids it needs for cell structure. Plus, a little more for satiety.

Best choices are cold-pressed oils that have not been chemically extracted, such as:

• sesame oil
• sunflower oil
• safflower oil
• nut oils
• olive oil
• grape seed oil

Mayonnaise and real butter are also allowed in small quantities.

Worst choices for fats in Dr. Atkins' opinion?

• margarine
• hydrogenated oils
• coconut oil
• shortening
• lard

I don't know if he would have changed his opinion on coconut oil and lard, were he still alive today.

Coconut oil is digested and oxidized differently than other fats, since it's a medium-chain fatty acid. Like lard, it also contains a high amount of saturated fat, so use your best judgment there.

For intuitive eating, consume just enough fat to make your diet plan work for you.

Desserts and Sweets

The only desserts and sweet treats allowed are artificially sweetened desserts that use only the ingredients found on this Phase 1 list.

Condiments

Condiments need to be basic, sugar free choices like:

• salt
• pepper
• powdered or Chinese mustard
• dried herbs without sugar
• spices without sugar
• sugarless extracts
• horseradish
• vinegar
• soy sauce (less than 1 ounce day)
• Worcestershire sauce (less than 1 ounce day)

Ketchup was not allowed when this diet was created, but Heinz has a sugar-reduced ketchup today that contains no sugar, and is low in calories, so use your best judgment again.

While tomatoes were not allowed on the original diet, the condition of your blood sugar is what determines whether tomato products are appropriate for you, or not. In 2002, Dr. Atkins added tomatoes to his list of acceptable vegetables for Atkins Induction.

Only a few individuals actually need to avoid tomatoes.

Beverages

Drink liberally, but don't force liquids past your capacity to drink. Spring water or mineral water is preferred, according to Dr. Atkins, but tap water or club soda are fine as well.

Today, I use a reverse osmosis filter.

Herbal teas that are caffeine and sugar-free are preferred over other flavored drinks. Caffeine is restricted on this plan. You can't drink all of the caffeinated beverages you want to.

Therefore, coffee was not allowed on the Meat and Millet Diet and you were instructed to limit diet soda to 3 servings per day. Also, note that regular tea contains caffeine, so brew it weakly, if used.

Apparently, at this point in time, Dr. Atkins believed that caffeine impacted your blood sugar. However, in 2002, he lifted that ban for his weight-loss diet, so I'm assuming he would have changed that restriction for this weight-loss diet, too.

If you want to drink coffee in the morning, there's no good reason not to, but you'll want to limit the amount of heavy cream and sweetener you use.

Clear broth and bouillon are generally allowed and recommended if you're doing a lower carb diet. Some broths contain up to 3 grams of refined starches or sugar, however, so pay attention to the labels if you are not making your own.

If the broth you're using contains starches or sugar, you need to limit it to just one serving a day.

Alcohol

None permitted until later on.

Quantities Allowed

Measuring your blood sugar is the best way to measure how much carbohydrate you can tolerate on this diet.

Blood Ketone and Blood Glucose Monitor

(Available at Amazon)

General recommendations today are to keep your blood glucose to less than 140 mg/dl at 1 hour after eating and 120 mg/dl at 2 hours. This will help you avoid diabetic complications and can slow down the progression of diabetes.

For weight loss, it's better to use 120 mg/dl at 1 hour and 100 mg/dl at 2 hours. Above 100 mg/dl, the body will continue to make and secrete insulin to bring your blood glucose level down below that 100 mark, making it more difficult for the body to mobilize your fat stores.

Frequent small feedings will help keep your blood sugar stable, but will also keep your insulin level higher, so just eat whenever you're hungry or every four hours if you're experiencing hypoglycemia.

Once your blood glucose is under control, and has normalized, the eating interval can be stretched out.

If you do not have blood glucose problems, and want to lose weight, then you'll need to cut back on your typical serving size. For example, you can skip the toast at breakfast and limit your starches at dinner to half a cup, or so.

Diet Products and Medications

Many diet products contain some form of sugar. Catsup, sweet relish, and even mustard can contain sugar or corn syrup. Read the list of ingredients very carefully and know what you're putting into your mouth.

One of the posters at the Low Carber forum this morning was shocked to discover that her bouillon cubes contained three different types of sugars.

Also check out your over-the-counter medications. Cough syrups, cough drops, and liquid meds generally contain sugar. Search for a sugar-free alternative, if available.

Further Carbohydrate Levels (Phase 2 and Beyond)

Like all Atkins diets, the above list of basic foods is just the foundation diet you'll be using for the rest of your life.

Once your blood sugar is stable and your body has adjusted to the above moderate-carb diet, future levels can be created by reintroducing the absent foods from the above lists very gradually.

Start by adding a small amount of the starchy foods which contain some refined carbohydrates, such as gluten-free bread that contains starches, gluten-free cereals, gluten-free pasta, white rice (if you haven't already), or something else you've been missing.

If you handle this okay, and you're still losing weight eating that way, you can try returning foods with a slight sugar content, such as fruit or milk products.

With each edition, don't just look at what the scale is doing. Dr. Atkins advises you to also evaluate how you feel.

If you start to feel like you're losing ground, you're gaining weight, or don't feel well, then it would be a good idea to go back to your starting point -- the first level -- long enough to confirm that you are back on track.

Then shift back to the last level you were following successfully.

What to Do if the Meat and Millet Diet Doesn't Work for You

According to Dr. Atkins, this moderate-carb meal plan is suitable for a lifetime. When used in the way described above, you can occasionally have something that is not on plan. You don't have to give up chocolate cake on your birthday or pass by those Christmas cookies.

Some people who are normal weight, however, will find that only a ketogenic diet is able to control their blood sugar and symptoms. In that case, you will have to restrict your carbs to fit your carbohydrate tolerance level.

If all doesn't go as hoped, Dr. Atkins recommended that you "work out a regiment based on your own personal observations."

Questions to help you do that might be:

1. Did your symptoms come from not eating?
2. From eating a simple sugar?
3. Or from eating one of your favorite foods -- to which you have become allergic?

In addition, eating intuitively does not work for everyone. You have to have enough self-discipline to stop when you stop feeling hungry.

Some of you will have to use calorie counting along with the above dieting principles and rules. But what you learn from self observation and moving through the intuitive process can be essential information that let's you create the perfect diet plan for you.