I recently started the Atkins diet, which, like any diet, should be adopted as a nutritional approach because it’s a lifestyle change — not something you do for a few months to look good for summer. Rather, it’s an investment in your long-term health that requires a paradigm shift of how you view and understand food and its affects on your body. So, what did I eat this morning on Atkins? Read on to find out all the details.

The number one cause of death is heart disease, and the number one cause of heart disease is diabetes. Millions of people develop Type 2 Diabetes because they eat an excessive amount of carbs and sugar, while simultaneously living a sedentary lifestyle. As you can imagine, the COVID pandemic, more than likely, accelerated this trend, especially when most of us were self-isolating. Being an Italian-American, I love carbs, so I knew Atkins was going to require a rewiring of my brain, if I was going to do it right.

Heart attacks in the United States only started becoming a significant trend when our food changed to being largely compromised of refined carbohydrates. Now, nearly all of us know people who’ve had a heart attack, take heart-related medicine, or have a heart condition. I do not want to be one of those people, nor do I want to be among the millions ridden with diabetes.

Bread, cereal, and pasta are the biggest carb culprits in my life, so I’ve changed all three. I now eat Sola bread, which is fantastic! It tastes like regular bread, but it has only four net carbs (carbs minus fiber) per two slices. And just last night I tried out their hamburger buns, and I was amazed — they taste just like wheat burger buns. Being high in fiber and protein, this bread is filling without all the unnecessary carbs. It’s not cheap, but it’s more affordable than having diabetes or a heart attack.

This morning I had two slices of Sola bread (toasted and buttered), two organic, pasture-raised eggs (scrambled, with organic ketchup), two pieces of organic, no-sugar, uncured bacon, and Trop50 orange juice (2 oz.). It was delicious, filling, and, most importantly, healthy. All told, this meal came in at nine net carbs, and I aim to have around 100 net carbs or less per day. Prior to Atkins, I might have had a bagel, thinking it was healthy, not knowing I was eating about 50 carbs, which is more than a donut — can you believe it?! Once I started understanding what’s good and what’s bad for me, everything changed.

I’ve been doing Atkins for a little over a month, losing about one pound per week. Now, others can lose more weight at a faster rate, if they choose to be more stringent. I’d rather be slow and steady. After all, that’s how you win the race. I’ll continue to keep you posted on my Atkins journey, healthy foods I enjoy, and books that can educate you on this revolutionary nutritional approach.