The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a best- selling diet book, created by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, who is the director of Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach Florida. South Beach diet bans bad unhealthy fat and promotes good healthy fats. This diet also bans unhealthy carbohydrates, as it will increase the weight, instead of losing weight. This diet centers on eating right kind of carbohydrates and fats and is very popular and unique from the other programs online.

Dr. Agatson has divided South Beach diet into three phases. All these phases allow people to eat good healthy food, while losing weight.

Phase 1:
This phase is the strictest of all the three phases. This phase lasts for the first two weeks. The most important thing during this phase is eliminating sugar and starchy foods and limit intake of carbohydrates. The foods excluded in this phase are potatoes, sugar, rice, alcohol, baked foods, fruits and bread. Carbohydrates and fat promotes insulin resistance in your body, which means the sugar level increases. The body then will not absorb excess fat and sugar, which will remain in your body. This phase regulates the glucose level in your body and also makes you committed to this diet plan. The craving for food that stores fat in our body, will disappear by the end of the first phase, and make our body adjust to the food we eat. It is only that carbohydrates and fat is avoided but you are allowed to eat normal portion of food, even snacks.

Phase 2:
Well all the food that was avoided in phase 1 are reintroduced in phase 2, but only with moderation. All the bad carbohydrates are replaced by fruit, vegetables and grains. Also bad fat like butter, cream and fried foods are eliminated. Instead they are replaced by olive oil, canola oil and nuts.

Phase 3:
By the time you reach phase 3, you have lost the weight that you desire. This is the maintenance phase. Now by following certain guidelines, you will continue to maintain your current weight. A few more foods are introduced, but your sugar level is stabilized by now.

Dr. Agatson was frustrated with the different types of unsuccessful diets. So he created a diet based on good fats and carbohydrates. According to him the bad carbohydrates and fats spike up the sugar level in your body, making you feel hungrier, for all the wrong foods. Fats contain the most amounts of calories. You should avoid trans fat and saturated fats found in milk, butter, fatty meat etc and substitute with monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats found in fish oil, olive oil, peanut oil etc.
The South Beach diet is a safe and effective weight loss diet. It inculcates a change in your eating habits and helps you to reduce your weight and retain it though out your life. A variety of pre packed foods are also offered by South Beach Diet, which makes dieting much easier. According to Dr. Agatston South Beach Diet “is not just a diet it is a way to eat for life”.

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