The South Beach Diet?
The South Beach Diet was developed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston to
help his patients lose weight and maintain a healthy diet for a lifetime. The
South Beach Diet is designed in phases, like the Atkins Diet, with
different eating recommendations in each phase of the diet.
All phases of the South Beach Diet 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 of the diet is specially designed to
accomplish
a particular goal.
Phase I of the South Beach Diet: Adjusting your
Metabolism
In Phase I of the diet, you eat three meals and two snacks daily, eating
until you are no longer hungry. Phase I of the South Beach Diet lasts
two
weeks, during which time your body will shed 8-13
pounds. These items are
not allowed during Phase I of the South Beach Diet: bread, rice,
potatoes,
pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, sugar or
alcohol
Phase II of the South Beach Diet: Weight Loss
The aim during Phase II of the South Beach Diet is to lose weight, with
weight loss averaging 1-2 pounds per week. During this phase of the
diet,
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 of the South Beach Diet: Lifetime Maintenance
The lifetime maintenance phase of the South Beach Diet is nearly
identical
to the weight loss phase of the diet, 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, including the
South
Beach Diet.
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