South Beach Diet is known to “force” the body in burning fat, which requires more energy to burn, instead of carbohydrates. This happens when the body is low on carbohydrates and turns to fat stores for fuel. The only way to go to have this scenario is having a low carb-high fat diet. However, Dr. Agatston want the diet to be healthy for the heart especially for his patients, thus he categorized carbohydrates and fats as either good or bad.

Bad carbohydrates are the highly processed foods such as refined sugar and grains. Good carbohydrates are the relatively unprocessed ones like whole grains and vegetables. This control in carbohydrates results in lesser spike in the blood sugar level which can lead to hunger. Good fats are those that include oily fish, lean meat and nuts, all of which are rich in omega-3 fatty acid and unsaturated fats. They contribute significantly to HDL cholesterol which is the good cholesterol. Bad fats are those that contribute to LDL cholesterol like red meat fats and poultry.

To make things simpler, books and websites dedicated to South Beach Diet present a wide variety of South Beach diet recipes that anyone willing enough can whip out. South Beach cookbooks abound in major bookstores and provide comprehensive guides on how to come up with healthy recipes in line with South Beach diet plan. For those who prefer the internet, you can find South Beach diet online in a lot of websites that will give you not only recipes but also further knowledge of the program.

South Beach Diet boasts great advantages over other diet programs in terms of encouraging faithfulness to the program. The plan doesn’t put a limit in the consumption of food. You can eat until you’re full. The only restriction is on the kinds of food you are eating. This results to lesser disappointments since no one will be starving themselves, which is harmful, just to lose weight.

The South Beach diet foods are a wide variety of food choices that you can choose from, basing on your palate preferences. You can always find a recipe you’ll like. All recipes are made to be delicious so finding one that will suit your taste isn’t too difficult. However, take note that South Beach diet foods can cost more and, will need ample time and effort to prepare.

The South Beach diet is something everybody willing to lose some weight can do. With the proper knowledge and determination, it is the most effective and healthiest diet plan out in the market.

Weight Loss-The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a phased approach to weight loss and nutrition. In the three major phases dieters will eat selected foods and avoid others, in order to balance the glycemic index to lose weight and achieve optimal metabolism.

The Glycemic Index

The GI is a measure of the relative amount of blood sugar created in response to consuming carbohydrates. Different carbs metabolize at different rates and slowing the absorption of sugars is one way to shift insulin levels, which play a role in storing excess calories as fat, according to South Beach Diet inventor Dr. Agatston, a Florida cardiologist.

The basic equation – more calories used than consumed leads to weight loss – still holds. But this approach to dieting and weight loss attempts to shift how those calories are used.

Phase 1
In Phase 1 of the South Beach diet, which lasts exactly two weeks, the focus is on shifting from high fat carbs to low fat carbs, such as from fatty cuts of beef to boiled ham. It also attempts to reduce starches such as bread and potatoes, moving instead to foods such as pinto beans and black eyed peas. Sugary soft drinks are eliminated completely. No beer or wine is allowed during this period.

The idea is to adjust the body’s cravings away from high sugar-content, high-fat content foods. This, according to the theory, helps flip the body’s ’switch’ that causes us to store fat. When the switch is on we may crave certain foods, but after ‘retraining’ those cravings disappear gradually.

Portions remain at normal sizes however, and there’s no concentration on counting calories. That makes it simple to develop lists of allowed and forbidden foods to eat during these two weeks.

Phase 2

In Phase 2 some of the rules are relaxed a little. Certain formerly forbidden foods may be consumed. Pasta and bread, in moderate quantities, are back on the ‘Allowed’ list. Dieters can choose from a wide range of foods, such as rice, cereal, fruit and more. The allowed foods to emphasize should be those with a low-GI index. Red wine is re-introduced, again in moderation.

This period lasts as long as needed to achieve the individual dieter’s weight loss goal. For some that may be only a few weeks. For others, it may require several months or more.

Phase 3

Once the weight loss goal is achieved, it’s important to be able to keep those pounds off. Many dieters become frustrated because they see hard-to-lose pounds come sliding back on over time. Phase 3 represents a lifelong commitment to a change in eating habits that will help retain that hard-won goal.

The emphasis is on ‘good’ carbs versus ‘bad’ carbs, as well as choosing ‘good’ over ‘bad’ fats. Good, here, means low GI, bad is high-GI. High fat meats are still discouraged, except as an occasional indulgence. Refined sugars are a no-no. Fiber, to slow digestion of carbs, is considered good, as is eating foods with ample Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish.