South Beach Diet
September 14, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
One of the most popular of the “good carb” diets is the South Beach diet invented by Dr. Arthur Agatston, M.D, a cardiologist who actually started the diet as way to help in fighting heart disease. Besides it being a healthy diet that can help your heart, it is also a great way to lose weight!
The South Beach diet is a nutritional way of eating healthy and delicious foods. It focuses on eating good carbs which help keep your blood sugar stabilized so you don’t get those peeks that cause cravings. These foods also help you feel full longer. In addition, it focuses on good fats like olive oil and emphasizes combining the proteins, fats and good carbs to make healthy and nutritious meals.
Foods On This Diet
The foods you eat on this diet include nutritious, low glycemic index foods that will not only help you lose weight but will improve almost all aspects of your health. Instead of white bread, you’ll be eating whole wheat but less of it. Love spaghetti? You can still have it but you might need to switch to the whole-wheat version as well.
Don’t worry, though, you really won’t have to give up your favorite foods, but you need to acquire a taste for some different versions of these foods that are just as delicious. Using olive oil instead of vegetable oil for cooking and avoiding trans fats are all part of the diet.
You’ll eat plenty of vegetables; especially the leafy green kind. With the South Beach diet, you might develop a whole new appreciation for beans and legumes.
If trying to prepare and cook these balanced meals seems like a lot of work, you can get the South Beach diet frozen TV dinners in just about any grocery store that will give you the exact amount of nutrients, carbs, fats and proteins that you’ll need to stick to this plan.
Pros
Of course, one of the big benefits of this diet is that it is extremely healthy. Not only will it help you lose weight it will cut down your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses. You will also be getting a ton of vitamins and nutrients in the foods you eat.
There are websites that have all the tools you need to succeed. Some feature over 1000’s of recipes, weight loss strategies and hundreds of new plans that you can customize to the foods that you like provide you with a large variety of things to eat. When you make your customized menus, they can automatically generate a shopping list for you to take with you to the grocery store.
Cons
The South Beach diet works by eliminating “bad” carbs from your diet. Carbs not only pack on the pounds, but they also have an adverse effect on your blood sugar level and your overall health. One of the drawbacks to this, however, is that it needs to be done in three phases with the first phase being the most restrictive. It’s important to follow these phases strictly because the first phase is what gets your body out of the mode that it is in and into a healthier mode that actually burns more fat. This initial phase is what causes the most dislike among dieters. However, knowing that it only lasts a short while and that you will soon be able to add more foods into your eating regimen after you complete it is somewhat of a saving grace.