Atkins 40: The Easy & Effective Low Carb Diet Plan
Atkins 40 is an easy low carb diet plan based on portion control and eating 40g net carbs per day. If you have less than 40 pounds to lose, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or want a wider variety of food choices from the first day of your diet, Atkins 40 could be a great fit for you. With Atkins 40 you can enjoy a range of food that you choose from. From protein and veggies to pasta and potatoes, there is an extensive list of food to plan your meals around while still losing weight and feeling satisfied.
How the Atkins 40® Diet Plan Works
Start the Atkins 40 program by eating 40 grams of net carbs, 4 to 6-ounce servings of protein and 2 to 4 servings of fat per day. As you approach your weight loss goals, start to increase your carbohydrate portion size. By offering flexible eating options and a variety of food choices, it is simple to follow and easy to lose weight on Atkins 40 from day one. Your daily carbs can come from all food groups and you can choose to eat anything from the Acceptable Foods list below. With Atkins, you have the opportunity to customize your diet plan to achieve your weight loss goals in no time.
Net carbs represent the total carbohydrate content of the food minus the fiber content and sugar alcohols, if any. The net carbs calculation reflects the grams of carbohydrate that significantly impact your blood sugar level and therefore are the only carbs you need spread out between three meals and two snacks in a day.
How to Calculate Atkins Net Carbs
Acceptable Foods to Eat on the Atkins 40 Diet
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Nuts & Seeds (and their butters)
Serving Size Net Carbs Almonds 1/2 cup 5* Almond butter 1/4 cup 5* Brazil nuts 3/4 cup 5* Cashews 2 TBSP 5* Cashew butter 1 TBSP 5* Coconut, unsweetened 1 cup 5* Hazelnuts 1/2 cup 5* Macadamia nuts 1/2 cup 5* Peanuts 3 TBSP 5* Peanut butter 3 TBSP 5* Pecans 1 cup 5* Pine nuts 1/2 cup 5* Pistachios 3 TBSP 5* Pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup 5* Sesame seeds 1/4 cup 5* Soy nuts 3 TBSP 5* Sunflower seeds 1/2 cup 5* Walnuts 3/4 cup 5* -
Cheese and Other Dairy
Serving Size Net Carbs Havarti 1 oz 0 Brie 1 oz .1 Parmesan (grated) 1 TBSP .2 Goat (chevre) 1 oz .3 Bleu cheese 2 TBSP .4 Cheddar 1 oz .4 Gouda 1 oz .6 Mozzarella (whole milk) 1 oz .6 Colby 1 oz .7 Parmesan (chunk) 1 oz .9 Almond milk (unsweetened, plain) 1 cup 1 Coconut milk (unsweetened, plain) 1 cup 1 Laughing cow 1 wedge 1 Romano (chunk) 1 oz 1 String cheese (whole) 1 oz 1 Ricotta (whole milk) 1/4 cup 2 Feta 1 oz 1.2 Jarlsberg 1 oz 1.2 Swiss cheese 1 oz 1.5 Soy milk (unsweetened, plain) 1 cup 2 Buttermilk 1/2 cup 5* Cream cheese (full fat, plain) 5 TBSP 5* Cottage cheese 1/2 cup 5* Greek yogurt (whole milk, uns, plain) 1/2 cup 5* Half and half 1 cup 5* Heavy cream (liquid) 3/4 cup 5* Sour cream 3/4 cup 5* Whole milk 1/2 cup 5* -
Legumes
Serving Size Net Carbs Black beans 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Black eyed peas 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Cannellini 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Chickpeas 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10* Edamame 10 TBSP / 1-1/4 cup 5 / 10* Great northern beans 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10* Hummus (plain) 5 TBSP / 2/3 cup 5 / 10* Kidney beans 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Lima beans 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Pinto beans 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Soybeans (white) 5 TBSP / 2/3 cup 5 / 10* Split peas 3 TBSP / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* -
Fruit
Serving Size Net Carbs Apple 1/3 fruit / 2/3 fruit 5 / 10* Apricot 1-1/2 fruit / 3 fruit 5 / 10* Blackberries 3/4 cup / 1-1/2 cup 5 / 10* Banana (1 small) 1/4 fruit / 1/2 fruit 5 / 10* Blueberries 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Boysenberries 3/4 cup / 1-1/2 cup 5 / 10* Cantaloupe 1/2 cup / 1 cup 5 / 10* Clementine 2/3 fruit / 1-1/3 fruit 5 / 10* Cranberries 2/3 cup / 1-1/3 cup 5 / 10* Cherries 3 TBSP / 6 TBSP 5 / 10* Coconut 1 cup / 2 cup 5 / 10* Dates (1) 1 fruit / 1 fruit 5 / 10* Figs (1) 3/4 fruit / 1-1/2 fruit 5 / 10* Gooseberries 1/3 cup / 2/3 cup 5 / 10* Grapefruit 1/4 fruit / 1/2 fruit 5 / 10* Grapes 3 TBSP / 6 TBSP 5 / 10* Guava 1/3 cup / 2/3 cup 5 / 10* Honeydew 1/3 cup / 2/3 cup 5 / 10* Kiwi 2/3 fruit / 1-1/3 fruit 5 / 10* Lemon juice 5 TBSP / 10 TBSP 5 / 10* Lime juice 4 1/2 TBSP / 9 TBSP 5 / 10* Mango 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Orange 1/2 fruit / 1 fruit 5 / 10* Peach 1/2 fruit / 1 fruit 5 / 10* Pear 1/4 fruit / 1/2 fruit 5 / 10* Pineapple 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10* Plum 3/4 fruit / 1-1/2 fruit 5 / 10* Raisins 3/4 TBSP / 1-1/2 TBSP 5 / 10* Raspberries 3/4 cup / 1-1/2 cup 5 / 10* Rhubarb 1-1/2 cup / 3 cup 5 / 10* Strawberries 1/2 cup / 1 cup 5 / 10* Watermelon 1/2 cup / 1 cup 5 / 10* -
Starchy Vegetables
Serving Size Net Carbs Acorn squash 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10 * Beets 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10 * Butternut squash 1/3 cup / 2/3 cup 5 / 10 * Carrots, sliced 1/2 cup / 1 cup 5 / 10 * Corn 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10 * Parsnips 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10 * Peas 1/4 cup / 1/2 cup 5 / 10 * Potato (baked, 1/2 small) 1/4 small potato / 1/2 small potato 5 / 10 * Rutabaga 1/2 cup / 1 cup 5 / 10 * Sweet potato (baked, 1/2 med) 1/4 medium potato / 1/2 medium potato 5 / 10 * -
Whole Grains
Serving Size Net Carbs Barley, cooked 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10 * Brown rice, cooked 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10 * Coconut flour 2-1/2 TBSP / 1/3 cup 5 / 10 * Cous Cous, cooked 2-1/2 TBSP / 1/3 cup 5 / 10 * Grits, cooked 2-1/2 TBSP / 1/3 cup 5 / 10 * Millet, cooked 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10 * Oat bran (raw) 2 TBSP / 4 TBSP 5 / 10 * Oatmeal (steel cut, dry) 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10 * Polenta, dry 1 TBSP / 2 TBSP 5 / 10 * Quinoa, cooked 2-1/2 TBSP / 1/3 cup 5 / 10 * Wheat bran (raw) 6 TBSP / 3/4 cup 5 / 10 * Wheat germ 2 TBSP / 1/4 cup 5 / 10 * Whole wheat pasta, cooked 2-1/2 TBSP / 1/3 cup 5 / 10 * Whole wheat bread (1 slice) 1/2 slice / 1 slice 5 / 10 * -
Low-Carb Products
Serving Size Net Carbs Atkins Bars & Shakes shop.atkins.com 3 Atkins Frozen Meals shop.atkins.com 5-7 Atkins Penne shop.atkins.com 19 Low-carb hot cereal dixiediner.com 3 Bran crispbread brancrispbread.com 7 Andre's Carbo-save Cracker Bread netrition.com 4 Bella Vita Pasta Sauce netrition.com 4 Sugar-Free Syrups davincigourmet.com 0 Mission Low-carb Wraps missionmenus.com 3-6 Yummy Snack Chips vitacost.com 1 Breyers Carb-smart Ice Cream breyers.com 2-4 Edy's Slow Churned - no sugar added edys.com 13 Great Low-carb Rolls netrition.com 2 Great Low-carb Bread netrition.com 1 Flax Meal bobsredmill.com 0 Almond Meal bobsredmill.com 3 -
Alcohol
Serving Size Net Carbs Bourbon 1 oz 0 Vodka 1 oz 0 Rum 1 oz 0 Scotch 1 oz 0 Champagne 1 oz 2-3 White Wine 3.5 oz 2 Low carb beer 12 oz 2.5 Red Wine 3.5 oz 2.6 Light beer 12 oz 5.6
On Atkins 40, the rest of your daily net carbs will come from these food groups. Choose 3 to 5 servings of food like fruit, dairy, nuts, whole grains, or even wine!
