South Beach Diet 

What is the south beach diet?

The south beach Diet was developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a well respected cardiologist.

The South Beach Diet is very different to most of the conventional diets that we see on the market today.  It teaches a new way of life where you rely on eating only the right types and amounts of carbohydrates and fats. 

What are the good carbohydrates?

Fruit:

Loads of vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, potassium and quite often the E vitamins.

Vegetables: 

Rich In fiber, protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and quite often the E vitamins. 

In general, vegetables can give a much greater number of minerals than fruits.

Whole grain foods: 

Very fiber rich, B vitamin rich with lots of minerals.

Any carbohydrates that you eat, should ideally come from foods that are rich in carbohydrates that resemble the form that occurs in nature.

The nearer that the carbohydrate type food is as Nature intended, the greater density of other vital nutrients. 

What are bad carbohydrates?

A great deal of the foods that we eat today are processed.  

Things that you might not even consider like soft drinks or soda pops may well be high in refined (bad) carbohydrates.  Also snack items like chips, cookies and I'm afraid alcohol, can contain refined carbohydrates.  These kind of foods are known to be quite bad for you and should not be eaten very often.

The source of the carbohydrates used in these types of food, may have lots of sugar and flour that have been very highly processed and refined.

If you continue to eat a diet that is very high in refined carbohydrates and is also very high in processed foods, you may well be increasing your chances of heart disease or stage two diabetes.

Good carbohydrates: will help to satisfy your hunger and eventually lose weight.

Bad: carbohydrates: will make you feel even hungrier, which causes you to eat more, eventually causing more weight gain.

If you start eating properly you will become healthier.  Do it right and you are destined to lose between 8 to 14  pounds in just the first two weeks.

The South Beach diet works in phases:-

The first two phases last for a specific time and the third phase will last for life.

When taking on this new approach you will no longer have to weigh food portions, count calories or be prevented from eating nice good tasting foods.

What you will be doing is eating three normal meals a day, a couple of snacks a day and get to choose from a menu that is so flexible that you can pick what you fancy for that day.

The really great part about this diet is that in a very short time you will begin to get amazing results.  Your stomach, thighs and hips will lose weight, your cravings for excess food will be gone, you will be able to look in the mirror and say WOW.

Can you imagine what it's like to go out and enjoy a lot of your favorite foods and still lose weight.  You can dine on some really great chicken menus, seafood menus, and even some of your favorite chocolate puddings.

There are basically three phases in South Beach Diet:- 

Phase 1:

In phase 1 you eat normal portion sizes but the carbohydrate levels are restricted. This particular phase lasts for just two weeks and is the strictest part of the diet.

In this phase of the diet you are allowed to eat nice lean meats, like turkey, fish, chicken, and a variety of shellfish. 

You are allowed to eat foods that fall into the low-glycemic category, vegetables, nuts, low-fat cheese and eggs. 

During this stage of the diet, you should expect to lose somewhere between 8 to 14 pounds.

Phase 2: 

During Phase 2, some of the foods that were banned in phase 1 are slowly re-introduced, while the weight loss continues to be about 1-2 pounds per week. 

You should remain on this phase until you lost your desired amount of weight. 

Phase 3: 

Phase 3 is for maintaining your chosen weight and should be continued for the rest of your life. 

Basically it Is all about following a healthy balanced diet to maintain your desired weight.

Should your weight start to rise again, just return to Phase 1.

The author of South Beach Diet page is Anthony George

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Source:  Article South Beach Diet was submitted by Anthony George for publication.

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© Anthony George 2005 South Beach Diet