The South Beach Diet plan has become popular since the book was released in early 2003. Dr. Arthur Agatston, the creator of the diet, had been prescribing this diet program for several years to his patients with great success.
This South Beach Diet is a nutritionally sound program that can aid in weight loss, increasing heart health and ward of diseases such as diabetes.
The South Beach Diet program is neither low-carb, nor low-fat. Rather, it teaches you about the right carbs and right fats that the body needs to maintain health. You will also learn why white breads and other highly processed foods can lead to weight gain and disease.
The diet plan is really pretty easy to follow. There are basically two phases to the diet.
The first phase, generally the first two weeks, is more restrictive. All breads, pastas, rice and sugars are restricted. However, you can eat an unlimited amount of low sugar vegetables such as green beans and salads. Grilled chicken, lean steak, eggs, fish and nuts are the main protein sources.
The second phase adds back good carbs such as whole grain breads and more vegetables. Just like in phase one, you are allowed healthy vegetables, snacks and dairy. In contrast to Atkins, the South Beach Diet recommends lean proteins such as chicken and fish, and healthy fats such as olive oil. You also don't have to count daily carbs since this is not strictly a low carb diet.
The diet plan gives rules for which foods to eat during which phase of the diet, and the rest is left to you. There are sample menus in the South Beach Diet book as well as some recipes. It is a pretty flexible diet and you can find great success by following the simple rules it provides.
I have certainly found this to be an easy to follow diet plan. When I started this diet, I wanted a sound, nutritional approach to loosing weight. While I already knew that processed foods, such as white breads and the myriad of "junk foods" on the grocery shelves were not healthy, I needed to know how to cut these unhealthy foods from my diet. This plan gave me a way to do that. I have really enjoyed the South Beach foods and found them easy to incorporate into my life.
I lost 8 lbs in the first two weeks alone! And in Phase two I am currently on my way to my goal weight of 125.
If you think this could be a great eating plan for you, please read the book before beginning the diet plan. You will gain a much better understanding of how to follow the diet program and why the diet works by reading the South Beach Diet book.
by Arthur Agatston, M.D.
In the mid-1990s, I became disillusioned with low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets. They didn't work for many of my patients, especially over the long haul. Being a cardiologist, my concern was not for my patients' appearance, of course: I wanted to find a diet that would help prevent or reverse heart disease.
I never found such a diet. Instead, I developed it myself.
The South Beach Diet is not low-carb. Nor is it low-fat. Instead, it teaches you to rely on the right carbs and the right fats--the good ones--so you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and get rid of cravings without feeling hungry.
In one 12-week study of 40 overweight people, those who followed the South Beach Diet lost an average of 13.6 lb, almost double the 7.5 lb lost by those on the strict "Step II" American Heart Association (AHA) diet. And the South Beach group showed greater decreases in waist-to-hip ratio (belly fat) and triglycerides, and their good to bad cholesterol ratio improved more. Plus, only one person dropped out compared with five in the AHA group.
By choosing the right carbs and the right fats, you simply won't be hungry all the time, and portion sizes will take care of themselves.
Caution: If you have kidney problems, talk to your doctor before starting this diet. If you have diabetes, get tested to make sure that your kidneys are not impaired before starting this diet.
Good Carbs versus Bad Carbs
Much of our excess weight comes from the carbohydrates we eat, especially the highly processed ones found in baked goods, breads, snacks, soft drinks, and other convenient favorites. Modern industrial processing removes the fiber from these foods, and once that's gone, their very nature--and how we metabolize them--changes significantly, and for the worse.
One side effect of excess weight, we now know, is an impairment of insulin's ability to do its job of processing fuel (fats and sugars) properly. This condition is called insulin resistance. As a result, the body stores more fat than it should, especially in the midsection.
Decrease consumption of those bad carbs, studies showed, and the insulin resistance starts clearing up. Weight decreases, and you begin metabolizing carbs properly. Even the craving for carbs disappears once you cut down on them. Finally, cutting out processed carbs lowers triglycerides and cholesterol.
The Right Fat
To make up for the overall cut in carbs, my diet permits ample fats and animal proteins. The low-fat regimen's severe restrictions on meat were unnecessary. The latest studies had shown that lean meat did not have a harmful effect on blood chemistry. Even egg yolks are good for you, which is contrary to what we once believed. Chicken, turkey, and fish are recommended, along with nuts and low-fat cheeses and yogurt.
As a rule, low-fat prepared foods can be a bad idea; the fats are replaced with carbs, which are also fattening. But dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt that are low-fat are exceptions to this rule; they are nutritious and not fattening.
I also allowed plenty of healthy monounsaturated fats such as olive and canola oils. These are the good fats. In addition to actually reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, they taste good and make food palatable. They're filling too.
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