OK, been reading wherever I can about induction and the proper foods for induction...and I have a really stupid question: am I imagining it or are GREEN BEANS not on the induction list?
Please tell me I am just imagining it....green beans are my most favorite veggie and I plan on staying on induction for a long haul.
If green beans really aren't on induction, how come?
I was surprised when I noticed that too. I speculated that green beans probably vary a lot in terms of how many carbs they contain, depending upon how developed the seeds are. The young pods are more veggie-like; the mature pods are more legume-like. Legumes aren't allowed on induction. But, if I recall correctly, pea pods are allowed. So, I think that eating young green bean pods would follow the spirit if not the letter of Atkins induction (but double check the carb count).
I have always considered them on the list under "string beans." String beans and green beans are the same thing, I thought. They are most definitely not a legume, go ahead and eat them! I have them all the time! Nom nom nom
Botanically, legumes include all beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts, as well as a number of inedible species (wisteria, locust). Nutritionally, people are typically referring to the actual seed when they say something is a legume. Chinese cuisine includes the use of tender pea greens (the shoots) and I don't think Atkins would characterize that as a legume. String beans are basically skinny green beans, usually with underdeveloped beans, and therefore more like a vegetable. The same is (usually) true of Chinese pea pods (the flat kind, not sugar snap. BTW, I've grown Chinese pea pods and if you let them mature, they look more like the snap pea pods).
Anyway, that's a possible source of confusion and why I suggested that eating young pods would likely follow the spirit of Atkins, even if they aren't on the list you use.
I have been doing Ideal Protein for the last 4.5 months and green beans were on the no-no list....something about the natural sugar content. Worked out okay for me, because I don't like the sugary veggies too much (carrots, tomatos, beans, peas)
OK, I found the answer to why green beans are not on the induction list, ladies:
Using a nutritional tracker, your basic store brand frozen green beans: 5 grams of carbs per HALF A CUP!! Fiber = 2g, so I guess really it's 3 carbs?
If I ate 2.5 cups for dinner last night....oy!
So I imagine that the reason they are not on the list AT ALL is that that it's rather a high carb count for the buck -- I will eat way more than half a cup at a meal...
This makes me sad! I love love love green beans, but I want to really do a strict induction.
Last edited by Flamanette; 01-24-2011 at 01:54 PM.
OK, so I pulled out my google fu and tried to find the carbs in baby green beans because I thought they might be a viable alternative. I could not find a separate analysis for them.
But, along the way, I discovered that I was wrong about string beans. They are not skinny green beans. They are the old garden variety of green bean that had to be de-strung -- you had to snap off the bottom and pull the "string" off the pod before cooking them. I should have known that -- I've done my share of that as a child.
FWIW, I dug out a can of green beans I had hiding in my pantry. It claims a total of 4 g carb and 2 g fiber per half cup.
Quite a few people eat green beans in Induction Phase. I switch between Induction and OWL and I know in OWL I am fine eating them. I do avoid them while I am in strict Induction though.
Quite a few people eat green beans in Induction Phase. I switch between Induction and OWL and I know in OWL I am fine eating them. I do avoid them while I am in strict Induction though.
Thank you everyone for your input on this issue. I suppose if I am going to say that I am "strict induction" my green beans have to go! However, I don't know if I can actually give them up! And honestly, I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it's NOT a good thing to eat while trying to lose weight. I think I will use them, track the carbs, and see what happens. If I am not happy with the results, I will cut them out and see.
Is it my imagination....
