You can do a tiny bit of lemon or a splash of cider vinegar to help you get your water down. I don't. I really do like water. Be careful not to overdo the lemon, though, because even a squeeze has trace amounts of carbs, and if you add it up over a day's worth (8-10 glasses), you can hit the "hidden carbs" barrier. The basic induction menu is protein/fat for breakfast protein/fat for lunch plus 2 cups of salad veggies off the list protein/fat for dinner plus 3/4 cup cooked allowable veggies or another cup of raw veggies Make sure you are getting some fat at each meal. If you are going too heavy on the protein and trying to eat low fat, then your body will turn the protein into glucose and you might have trouble getting into ketosis. For me, the glucose can easily become enough to fuel my slow metabolism. I need the full metabolic advantage of being in ketosis, and then I need to carve back my total calories while still eating fat in order to lose weight. (This is why I have the most success while journalling. I'm a tricky science experiment.) I have a real challenge tonight. Dear friends have been inviting us over for weeks to have her homemade Asian food. It sounds wonderful, but I'm sure it will not be Atkins-compatible. I've been saving all my carbs for dinner tonight, but it will still be tricky. I hope I don't throw myself off. I haven't lost anything this week, after a gain of 1 pound last week. (Female things going on that are contributing to water retention, I'm sure, but it's still frustrating!) Have you had any trouble with "Induction Flu" symptoms? Fatigue, headache, shakiness? I got a bit of that at first, but it was gone by day 5 when all the glycogen had been used up and ketosis kicked in.

Be careful with cracker and bread selections - there are a lot of them that contain peanut oil. Due to the nature of nut allergies - some people can have life-threatening reactions to just a minute amount - I have personally opted to eliminate all forms of peanuts and tree nuts (these are two different allergies) from my home. My son has multiple food allergies - we aren't sure about nuts as he has so far never encountered them - but his doctor has adviced us to keeep him clear of them until he is older. Anyway, recently I made a cheesecake with a pecan crust... Those pecans crumbled everywhere. Then I ran my food processor (which I had chopped the nuts in) and the cheesecake pan through the dishwasher and had little pieces of pecans stuck inside my son's drinking cups (the little non-spill valve). That is when I decided - for me - it was just easier to avoid nuts completely than to work around them and try to keep them clean and separate. To someone with severe nut allergies, even the residue oils from nuts can cause a life-threatening reaction. That said - Duckie's advice regarding 'hidden' allergens is excellent - if you decide to make something with nuts, make it obvious! And do keep all your cooking and serving utensils super clean. Lactose intolerant - they can generally take med prior to eating to control the majority of that problem. Processed foods are awful about having hidden milk protiens - especially deli meats, prepared meatballs, crackers, etc. (I cannot find a single ground meat product that my son can eat as they all have "natural flavors," "carmel coloring," etc. that can mean they contain a dairy product.) Vegetarian - depends on the type. Vegan means no dairy or eggs, which can be difficult to work around. However, if they are lacto-ovo vegetarian, that just means no meat so your cheese platter and dips are fine. I wouldn't go to the bother of doing ingredient list, but would perhaps make simple signs, like Almond Cookies, Beef and Pork Meatballs, Rum Cake, etc. - just enough to let people know in general what is in the food. If all else - do ask them. I would love it if someone asked me what my son could or could not eat, rather than them inviting us over for pizza and having nothing for him to eat! Also, if they ask if they can bring something, allow them to as they will likely bring something they can eat. (Rant: My FIL and his wife recently invited us over for supper... I kept offering to bring something - they kept refusing. Mind you, they know about my son's food allergies. Luckily, I did take food for him to eat. But do you realize how hard it is to keep a one year old out of pizza?! He didn't want the food we took him so the whole evening was a battle getting him to eat his 'safe' food and keeping him out of the pizza. Now we are invited over for a pizza party at Christmas time... I don't know what we will do.) Best wishes on your party. ~ Suzie

Thank you, Dr. Henry, for that paper on toxic GM-effects on goats. Corn & soybean & canola & cottonseed are genetically modified, the Republic Magazine stated that other grains are safe: "Other than corn, no GM grains are sold on the market. Look for 100-percent wheat pasta, couscous, rice, quinoa, oats, barley, sorghum, and dried beans (except soybeans). Most GM ingredients are products made from the “Big Four:” corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed. Sugar beets and 50% of Hawaii papaya are genetically modified." **** from Straw: That's why I buy sugar-cane products, rather than sugar made from beets. I fed my kid those Pepperidge Farm cookies (made from cottonseed oil) and she broke out in rashes and scratched herself bloody. I ate those cookies and had the worst hayfever: runny nose & sneezing. Went shopping yesterday: They had strawberries for $2.50 versus organic strawberries for $3.45. I sniffed both: the organic strawberries was more fragrant, versus the regular with a slight chemical scent. After sniffing both for several times, my nose was in pain (I stuck my nose too close). I realized that it's the pesticides sprayed on that inflamed my nose. My nose burned for hours afterwards Two years ago I tasted grape at the store, and had a tummy ache. Strawberries is known for the most pesticides I'm very sadden by UK’s Daily Mail report that an estimated 125,000 farmers in India have committed suicide because of crop failure and massive debt since planting GM seeds. Recent Center for Human Rights and Global Justice report: "Indian farmers bought genetically modified Bollgard Bt cotton seeds from the Gates Foundation-backed Monsanto corporation ... 85 percent of cotton grown in India being Monsanto-controlled Bt cotton by 2009. However, the seeds were expensive, and spiralling prices (coupled with planting restrictions from the multinationals selling the seeds) led farmers to hefty loans. Almost 300,000 cotton workers have committed suicide to date, some of them by drinking the same insecticides they were sold by multinationals." From Straw: Years ago I watched a documentary film "Seeds of deception" where Mexican agriculture scientists voiced concern with GM seeds corrupting the bio-diversity of local seeds, which are well-adapted to drought and adverse local conditions. Dr. Frank Lipman, from http://www.drfranklipman.com/basic-questions-on-gmos/ stated, "The major benefit of all commercial GMO’s is that they are bred to either tolerate direct application of herbicides and/or have the ability to produce their own pesticides. They have not been bred to increase yield, become drought tolerant, improve nutrition or to have any other benefit to the consumer. So at present they have no health benefit, their benefits are purely economic." *** From Straw: It's about power, money, and control. Politics and economic factors are factors, besides ill health. The vindictive dirt-throwing, defamation attacks against international scientists, and bullying tactics of big corporations made me more sick than the ill-effects of GM-foods. We are saved from our wheat being genetically-modified, thanks to the farmers voicing concerns that our wheat can't be exported, if genetically modified. More from Dr. Lipman: "In Europe, over 175 regions and over 4500 municipalities have declared themselves GM-free zones. And in 2009, Germany along with France, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Austria, Poland and Romania banned Monsanto’s MON 810 GM corn because of its documented dangers to biodiversity and human health. Additionally, states in Australia, regions in New Zealand and Brazil and the countries like Venezuela, Zambia, Sudan, Angola and others, all want to be GM-free.The balanced reporting of the press in Europe of the dangers of GMO’s made a significant contribution to the decision to reject GMO’s. Below link is a detailed list from Republic Magazine on which foods are GM-tainted: Here is a link that might be useful: List of GM foods vs. non-GM This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, Mar 1, 14 at 15:06

I can't tell by your post if your husband has undergone screening to see if indeed he is a celiac. One doesn't "get there". It's a genetic issue and there is a blood test that will help with the determination of celiac. But, the catch is you have to be eating normally, with all the gluten stuff found in normal diets. I had biopsies but couldn't do the blood test. It was decided I am gluten sensitive because of the lack of blood testing. Whateverm the treatment is the same. Avoidance of the offending food. And it's EVERYWHERE! Originally I gave up gluten in an effort to help my thyroid. Wheat can aggravate autoimmune issues. The quick result was I could move easier and I just felt overall better. More recent results show really positive improvements with my thyroid and autoimmune markers. Yay. Not so yay for lipids but that is a work in progress. I have been GF for 8 years. I mention all this because it's forever and I know I don't look at food the same as before I made the change. Thinking back, I had this problem forever but it presented without any gastro issues. You may need to find a really good Gasteroenterologist and nutritionist. Celiacs and gluten sensitive people can become deficient in certain nutrients, for instance, B Vitamins. All our grains are fortified. If you eliminate them, you probably will need to supplement in a different way. I am an avid cook and baker. I have converted many recipes but it's very tricky because of chemistry. Sometimes, it's just easier to not eat it instead of being dissapointed. I have many web sites that offer gluten free recipes. For instance, chinese food is out of the question because of soy sauce. But Tamari sauce can be the basis for making my own teriaki sauce. So now I have several Asian inspired recipes. Italian, same thing. I buy rice pasta or use Spaghetti squash. I use oatmeal in my meatballs, Grind it in your food processor, blender. Then measure the same way. Just check it's not too wet or dry and adjust accordingly. Cooking takes longer and requires planning. I would suggest 14 main course recipes and rotate them every two weeks. Have a file of things you might like to try and sub them in the rotation for variety. I always keep homemade soup for lunches and one dinner. You can't go wrong with a protein and veggies. America's Test Kitchen " How can it be gluten free cookbook" is a definite winner. They give you a recipe to make your own all purpose flour. Every recipe I have tried has been wonderful, complete with pie crusts and making bread. All recipes website has many GF recipes to choose from. Gluten Free Girl and The Chef just published a book of classics remade to be gluten friendly. I have made many of their recipes with good success. Last year at Thanksgiving we were invited to relatives house. I volunteered to bring sides and desserts ( so I could eat). I even made awesome gravy and green bean casserole. There was one actualy celiac, just recently diagnosed. I think she posted a pic on facebook of this pumpkin cheesecake " slice ", like half the cake. The whole afternoon she kept coming over and asking me if she could eat all this food. She was amazed. It looked just like a normal Thanksgiving table. All it takes is time, Planning, Preparedness and a lot of work. Believe me, I am already thinking about it! Don''t look at this as what your family can't eat but as a way to make really good healthy food choices. Take your grocery store flyer and use it to plan your meals. Double up certain things, like meatballs or meatloaf so you have something in the freezer for those nights when things are crazy. Brown Rice tortillas make a decent base for individual pizzas. Test Kitchen book has a good pizza crust recipe, but it requires planning. Oatmeal: Bob's Redmill GF old fashioned oatmeal. My grocery has it in the special section for GF items. The nut allergy isn't that uncommon but does make things more difficult. You may be able to get a crust with a rice flour mixture, corn flakes or potato chips. Ghee is another option for oil/fat. It's cooked to remove the dairy solids. Many people with dairy issues can tolerate ghee. Gluten free breads are dry by chemistry nature. You won't find a prepared one that is soft and has that nice mouth feel UNLESS you make it. That will get you close but still, it's different. And it will only last that day and then you will need to freeze your bread. I have Udi's in the freezer for those times when I need it. Rudi's is also fine for me. I do find that if I am preparing a sandwich, I very lightly toast it so that it will hold together. Gluten is the glue that holds the bread together. Without it, the bread will sort of fall apart. Gluten free plain bagels make awesome croutons to go on top of GF Clam Chowder or Potato soup. If he is eating out, he can always order sort of al a carte, a protein and veggie or salad. BTW, salad dressing is dangerous. I find the only thing I can tolerate is a vinagerette. Just stick to really clean, plain food. Seasonings can be another landmind area. BTW, if you are out, tell your waiter you have food allergies. Most restaurants now have a menu just for that. I visited friends near Disney world. I only had to ask IF they had a GF menu and the chef came out to personally take my order. Disney really gets this and is so helpful. But, always ask if you are out. Don't assume it will be okay. One of my local restaurants has chili on Saturday. One would think Chili would be okay. NOT! Ask, don't assume. A celiac may or may not have a gastro issue but silently there is damage going on in the gut. For me, I am sick for days, yet no positive test. I guess the best thing is you and your family are not alone. This is more of an issue than most people would think. Start slow with just one recipe. Try to get him involved. He can't be GF just at home. Life is about choices and he needs to know how to make them. And read every label. Just because it was fine the last time you bought it doesn't mean they didn't change the formula. Shop off times, like late at night or early morning so you can read without interruption. Whole foods has a "class" where they take you around the store to show you options. A nutrionist might do the same thing. It's all so overwhelming, I know. I remember when I could eat whatever I wanted. I could go to any restaurant. No more Now I have food anxiety, geesh. It's a really good thing I like to cook otherwise I might starve or be broke from buying GF food which is always so much more expensive than the comparable non GF food. And they say it's just a fad. Wll, that just makes my blood pressure go up. Thank heavens wine is GF. BTW, liquor can be a problem so you want distilled like some Vodkas and it goes without saying normal beer is out of the question but there are some GF beers out there. Then there would be those who would say, why bother??? LOL! Best to you and yours!