The South Beach Diet

The choice of eating plans has never been wider for dieters. There are so many diets to choose in today's society, just to name a few of them; low carbohydrate diet, low fat diet, low protein diet, reduced calorie diet and etc. And now, the newest competitor within this field - The South Beach Diet has taken America by storm, and is set to do the same worldwide.

The South Beach Diet plan was created by cardiologist Dr Arthur Agatston based at Mount Sinai Hospital in South Florida. The diet was originally developed for overweight heart patients. It emphasizes the consumption of "good carbohydrates" and "good fats". The diet first appeared in a book "The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss".

What is it?

It is a more advanced version of the Atkins diet. This diet focuses on a healthy balance between good carbs and fats. Highly processed foods like baked goods, sweets, and soft drinks are off-limits. Dr. Agatston says decreasing the bad carbs will help you metabolize what you eat more effectively and will also improve insulin resistance, leading to weight loss.

How does it work?

Like many diets, the South Beach is divided into three phases:

• Phase 1: In this phase, most carbohydrates are banned to give your body a complete rest from fluctuating blood sugar and insulin levels. The focus should be on eating lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, low-fat cheese, some nuts and olive oil. You follow this phase for 14 days.

• Phase 2: low Glycemic index (GI) carbs including most fruits, Granary bread, wholegrain cereals and pasta and low-fat milk are reintroduced. The idea is to stay with this phase until you've reached your target weight.

• Phase 3: In this phase, you introduce an even wider variety of foods. This phase is aimed at keeping your weight steady and the diet recommends you stay on this for life.

Advantages of South beach diet

• It has been tried and tested.
• It differentiates between Good carbs and bad carbs.
• It encourages consumption of low GI foods
• It encourages you to "de-junk" your diet

Disadvantages of South Beach diet

• Sometimes people feel weak and wobbly because of extreme carbohydrate restriction.
• Eliminating all carbohydrates means you'll be cutting out some other good sources of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

South Beach's diet plan is not only for people who wish to lose weight. Studies have shown that the diet can help to reduce cholesterol as well as decrease the risk of cardiovascular problems. Of course, as with any diet, South Beach's diet does require both determination and willpower. But for those who are accustomed to eating highly processed foods and saturated fats will have to make a radical change to their eating habits.