What Is The South Beach Diet?

By: Kirsten Hawkins

The South Beach Diet was developed by cardiologist Arthur
Agatston to help his patients lose weight and maintain a healthy
diet for a lifetime. It is designed in phases, like the Atkins
Diet, with different eating recommendations in each phase. All
phases have the same underlying philosophy, though. Weight loss
and maintenance depends on establishing a balanced diet that
avoids 'bad' fats and carbohydrates. The proponents of the South
Beach diet claim that you can lose weight and maintain the
weight loss without counting calories, weighing portions or
depriving yourself of good-tasting, satisfying foods. This is
accomplished by cutting out empty, high-carbohydrate foods like
sugars, potatoes, rice and white bread. Each phase is specially
designed to accomplish a particular goal. Phase I: Adjusting
your Metabolism

In Phase I, you eat three meals and two snacks daily, eating
until you are no longer hungry. The phase lasts two weeks,
during which time your body will shed 8-13 pounds. These items
are not allowed during Phase I: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta,
baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, sugar or
alcohol Phase II: Weight Loss

The aim during Phase II is to lose weight, with loss averaging
1-2 pounds per week. During this phase, you will gradually add
the restricted foods from Phase I back into your diet, but you
will eat less of them. The daily diet on Phase II should consist
of: All the protein you want Minimum of 4 1/2 cups of vegetables
Up to 3 servings of fruit Up to 3 portions of starch 1 1/2 cups
of milk/dairy (including yogurt) 3 tbs. fat In real terms, a
typical menu for a meal on the South Beach Diet might include
something like this: ½ grapefruit 2 scrambled eggs mixed with
Monterey Jack cheese and salsa 1 slice of whole grain toast
Decaffeinated coffee or tea, fat-free milk and sugar substitute
if desired The eating plan recommended by the South Beach Diet
emphasizes low carbohydrate foods, restriction of sweets,
processed starches, white sugar and 'unhealthy fats', and all
the protein you want. It specifies minimum amounts of low carb
vegetables to be eaten daily that are remarkably close to the
recommendations made by the USDA and the American Diabetes
Association. A key concept in the South Beach diet is the
Glycemic Index. Foods are ranked on a scale of 1-100 according
to their Glycemic index - the amount by which they raise blood
sugar levels after meals. The focus of your diet should be on
foods low on the GI level, such as yogurt, cucumbers and
broccoli and whole grain cereal, while avoiding those high on
the GI scale such as white bread, potatoes and pretzels. In
addition to the above, the South Beach Diet offers the following
guidelines:

* Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water and other decaffeinated
beverages per day (excluding fruit juices) * Limit your intake
of caffeine-containing beverages to 1 cup each day * Take one
multivitamin and mineral supplement daily * Take between 500 and
1,000 mg of calcium daily Phase III:

The lifetime maintenance plan is nearly identical to the weight
loss phase, with more portions of foods allowed. Dr. Agatston
cautions that patients being treated for diabetes, impaired
kidney function, pregnancy or other chronic illness should
consult their physician before embarking on any weight loss
regimen.

About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a nutrition and health expert from Nashville,
TN. Visit http://www.popular-diets.com/ for more great
nutrition, well-being, and vitamin tips as well as reviews and
comments on popular diets.