Yeah, I'm kind of confused too. There are lots of veggies and herbs that would be great, but are you only interested in fruit? Also, can I ask if you're diabetic?

I'll try to give you some answers from my experiences with both the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. Some people, maybe you, maybe not, but definitely me, have a low tolerance for high carb foods, such as pasta, white rice, potatoes, breads, sweets, and even things like fruit juice. If I eat some of those, my blood sugar spikes and I want to eat more and more of these foods - therefore, weight gain. If I eat a small portion of whole wheat bread and a small portion of the whole fruit (with fiber - not just the juice) the body has to work longer and harder to digest the "good" carbs and my blood sugar doesn't spike high. Atkins has you eat enough meat, eggs, salads, and lower carb vegetables to fill you up and make you feel satiated while keeping the carb count to 20-30 grams per day, which is very low. On this plan I felt great and had plenty of energy and lost 22 lbs. in 2 months, but couldn't maintain that strict way of eating. South Beach emphasizes the "good" carb foods like, whole wheat products, brown rice, beans, and less saturated fat in meats, butter, and cheese. I've lost 11 lbs. in 6 weeks doing the SB diet and feel that it is a healthier way of eating that I can stay on forever. SB does get a little confusing at times; they have updates where they add foods that previously were not on their list of foods to enjoy; some foods they promote are hard to find in all areas or are expensive. For myself, I'm sort of combining the elements of Atkins and SB. I make my own Whole wheat bread, stay away from lots of processed foods, and those chemically toxic bottles of Diet Coke/Pepsi/Mt.Dew/etc. - sorry, but I had to say it! I do put real butter on my morning toast but don't have any butter the rest of the day. I use olive or safflower oil in cooking. I start each day with 1 or 2 eggs with turkey bacon or my homemade lean sausage and I have a cup or two of coffee each day. I usually have a small portion of fruit during the day, but not eaten all at once. I take nuts and cheese for my snacks and keep dinner to a protein and salad or vegetable. I try to drink a lot of water each day and have just discovered that I like Crystal Lite diet drink mix - but I add more water than is called for as I like them weaker. And I don't drink it exclusively all day. My job provides me way more walking and physical activity than I want. I'm also dealing with menopause - which I thought I was completely through - arrrggghhhh! But I'm not on hormones and don't plan to be. When I used to eat too much of a high carb food like potatoes, I would feel like a big couch potato - no energy at all. When I stick to protein and vegetables, I feel better and have more energy. It just takes a while to get completely away from our old eating habits. I've said I'm going to post a big sign at home and at my office that says "REMEMBER HOW GOOD LOW CARB FEELS!" Hah! You might want to do some internet searching and read up on low carb diets in general and Atkins and South Beach in particular. This seems to be more than just a fad now - companies are investing in making low carb products, fast food restaurants are adding low carb menus and....Krispy Kreme doughnut stock has recently gone down!! LOL! If you have other questions, I'll be glad to answer if I can. Teresa

Chocolate Walnut Fudge Serves: 25    1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk    1/3 cup agave nectar    1 pinch salt    12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips    1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (4 ounces)  Mix sweetened condensed milk and agave in a small saucepan and stir to blend. Add a large pinch of salt. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add chocolate chips and lower heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts completely and mixture is smooth. Stir in walnuts. Pour the warm mixture into an 8 x 8-inch pan and smooth the top with a butter knife. Let cool and refrigerate until cold. Cut into 25 squares. ____________________________________________________________________ Banana Loaf Made With Spelt Flour Recipe Ingredients  1/2 cup butter at room temperature  1 cup or less light/golden brown sugar  2 organic eggs, beaten  1 tsp. vanilla (optional)  2 cups Spelt flour  1 tsp. baking soda preferably aluminum-free  1/2 tsp. salt  2 or 3 very ripe organic bananas, mashed  1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Directions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in dry ingredients. Blend bananas and walnuts and mix gently. Bake in a well greased and lightly dusted 5 x 9 inch loaf pan or three 3 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Lessen the baking time for the smaller loaf pans. NOTE: When using spelt flour as a substitute for All-purpose or whole wheat flour, always remember that spelt requires approximately 25% less liquid. You can either reduce the liquid by 25% or add 25% more spelt flour than your recipe calls for.

Well, I haven't yet been able to find the name of the book. But I did take notes from that book and a health newsletter I get, the Blaylock Wellness Report. I followed the plan for a couple of months last fall, and felt so much better. But I really fell off the wagon from about Thanksgiving until recently. And during that time, the acid reflux returned, as did most of my other aches and pains. I started back with the plan about a week or two ago and feel better already. A couple of the most important points is to avoid omega-6 fats and get lots of omega-3's, and to consume low-glycemic foods rather than high. Here is what I eat: Wild salmon (absolutely no farmed salmon. All the fish I eat is wild) Fish - but none of the larger fish like grouper or swordfish. Raw nuts - almonds, walnuts, pecans and pistachios, mostly. LOTS of organic vegetables, and I eat about half of them raw. 5-10 servings a day. Healthy fats, like extra virgin olive oil and organic virgin coconut oil. I take Carlson's liquid fish oil everyday. If I need a spread, I will occasionally use butter, never margarine. Plenty of tea. White and Rooibos are the ones that Dr. Blaylock recommends. I also occasionally have a cup of green or oolong tea. I drink 3-4 cups of tea a day. Purified water - We invested in a water distiller. It takes about 4 hours to make a gallon. We love it and wouldn't be without it now. Moderate amounts of: Whole grains (limited; definitely not the 7-9 servings advocated in the food pyramid) such as oats, whole wheat, brown rice. I like a bread from Wild Oats that is made with organic whole wheat, filtered water, honey, yeast and salt. That's the entire ingredient list, no additives, chemicals or preservatives. Fruits - Berries are especially good, and I eat oranges and apples, too. I seldom have a banana, as it is higher on the glycemic index. Avocados are great, full of healthy fat (are they a fruit or a vegetable??) Shell fish - I try to avoid that which comes from China or Thailand, which is most of it, especially shrimp. Dried beans/legumes - I eat black or red beans mostly, and just an average size serving, not a huge plateful. Eggs high in omega-3's (Christopher eggs have the highest omega-3, 600 per egg and can be purchased at Kroger or Walmart) Chicken, pork, or beef - just one of these once a week and always organic. Things I avoid: The aforementioned omega-6 fats, found in corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, soybean and canola oils. This means no packaged snacks, which are full of this. Even if the label touts, "No saturated fat!", it's still a bad fat. High-glycemic foods. This means no white potatoes (darn!), white rice, white bread and sugar. All prepared and processed foods and soups. They are loaded with many things that cause inflammation. Limited or very little dairy. No soft drinks or diet soft drinks. These and omega-6's are the worst things you can put into your body. Regular soft drinks are full of the worst type of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup. And diet drinks have aspartame, another bad guy. No MSG, and it's everywhere in processed foods. Did you know that there are at least a dozen other names that MSG goes by? Manufacturers slip it by us disguised by another name. So basically, it's a whole food diet, with the majority of it being vegetables, fruits, and nuts, with some high quality proteins, dried beans, whole grains and healthy fats thrown in. It is quite restrictive, but the longer I stick with it, the less I miss the junk food and artery-clogging stuff I was consuming. And boy, I can tell a difference in how I feel, so it is worth it. Of course, I will from time to time treat myself to a slice of birthday cake, or some favorite thing that I miss, like sushi. I really do enjoy the foods that are allowed. Today's lunch was a Wild Oats whole wheat pita filled with veggies, lettuce, avocado. Last night's dinner was wild salmon, roasted asparagus spears and a salad of romaine and cherry tomatoes with a dressing made of olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. Then my evening snack was an apple and a few almonds. Tried not to think of the box of Cheese Nips in the pantry!