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Is the Atkins Diet safe for teens?

Well, I do worry that any restrictive diet -- that is, a diet that doesn't let you eat many different foods -- may not give you all the nutrition you need as a teen. That said, if you want to cut down on carbs, it's probably safe for you. Try not to eat sugar, sweets, white bread, cakes, white rice. Instead, when you do want carbs, eat whole wheat bread or brown rice, and only small amounts of these.  This would be a modified Atkins diet, and is probably safer for you than the original version of the diet.

Q. How does the Atkins diet work?

A. Since the body is being severely restricted of carbohydrates, it goes into a state known as ketosis, which means that it is burning its own fat for fuel. While in ketosis, you tend to feel less hungry resulting in less food consumption. Instead of burning carbohydrates, the body starts to burn fat.

Q. How quickly will I start noticing a difference in my weight?

A. It can take the body 3-4 days to enter ketosis. After that point, your body will start shedding some pounds, but initial weight loss may be water weight. You will most likely start noticing a difference after a week or two.

Q. What are some examples of Atkins approved food?

A. The introduction phase is the toughest part of the diet. It is the most restricting. While this is not the entire list of foods you can eat, some popular foods to consume during the introductory phase include:
 

• All fish including tuna, salmon, sole, trout, flounder, sardines, and herring.
• All fowl including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, Cornish hen, quail, and pheasant.
• All shellfish including oysters, mussels, duck, clams, squid, shrimp, and crabmeat.
• All mean including beef, pork, lamb, bacon, veal, ham, and venison.
• All eggs including scrambled, fried, poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, deviled, and omelets.
• 3-4 oz of full-fat, soft, and semi soft aged chesses including cheddar, cow, sheep, and goat cheese, cream cheese, gouda, mozzarella, Roquefort and other blue cheeses, and Swiss.
• Salad vegetables including alfalfa sprouts, mushrooms, parsley, peppers, celery, chives, lettuce, cucumber, endive, escarole, and fennel.
• Other vegetables including artichoke, pumpkin, asparagus, sauerkraut, bamboo shoots, scallions, snow peas, spaghetti squash, eggplant, hearts of palm, broccoli, spinach, kale, summer squash, tomato, bean sprouts, leeks, turnips, cauliflower, onion, and zucchini.