The South Beach diet is one of the more popular diets today and was started in Miami, Florida. The name appeals to people all over the world, as South Beach conjures up the image of thin, tanned bodies strolling down South Beach. Cardiologist Arthur Agatston developed the diet for his patients based on his studies of scientific researching data. He emphasizes eating “good carbohydrates” and “good fats”.
The South Beach diet claims that its focus is not on people depriving themselves of food, but eating foods that work with your body safely and effectively. It is very similar to the Atkins diet because the emphasis is on consuming protein and not carbohydrates. By cutting out bad carbs and eating lean protein it is believed that the body will produce less insulin which can cause weight gain . The South beach diet has three different phases, and within each phase the dieter is only allowed to eat a set number of carbohydrates. The first phase is supposed to eliminate cravings people may experience when changing their diet. Even fruit is not allowed because it contains high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates. After two weeks the dieter is supposed to move onto the second phase of the South Beach diet. In this phase you will gradually reintroduce some high fiber, high nutrient, and certain carbohydrates into your diet. Once the dieter has lost all of the weight they have been trying to, they proceed to phase three. In this phase a variety of different foods are introduced back into the diet in a way that is sensitive to maintaining the weight loss.
The South beach diet is quite strict and its results vary from each individual. Although it allows a moderate amount of fat consumption, the quantities are very restricted. If you are vegetarian or vegan there are not a lot of options because most of the protein is supposed to come from meat such as chicken breast or eggs. On the other hand if eating meat and salads sounds good to you, the South Beach diet may work for you as many people have reported excellent results of weight loss.
