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The South Beach Diet may bring pictures of cool Mai Tais and salmon salads to mind, but it's really all about eating healthy so that one can lose weight.
This interestingly named diet was created by Miami-based cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD in the 1990s. The diet is so named as a tribute to Dr. Agatston’s area of practice, and the diet first became popular in the Miami area. Dr. Agatston wanted to change the way his patients ate to protect them against serious medical conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The same plan was published in 2003 as a book by the name of The South Beach Diet. The book is widely popular and has sold millions of copies since then.
How to Follow the South Beach Diet?
The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases: two for weight loss and one for weight maintenance.
Phase 1
This phase of the South Beach Diet lasts 14 days and is quite strict with what you're allowed to eat.
It limits fruit, grains and many other high-carb foods with the intention of decreasing blood sugar and insulin levels, stabilizing hunger and reducing cravings. This phase requires you to consume three meals per day with a focus on lean protein, non-starchy vegetables and small amounts of healthy fats and legumes.
For your two snacks for the day (mandatory), you may have a combination of lean protein and vegetables. This phase is designed to get your body used to digesting a higher amount of protein and lower amount of carbs. It will get your body prepped and ready for the weight loss process.
You can expect to lose anywhere between 8–13 pounds (3.5–6 kg) of bodyweight during this phase.
Foods to include (for exact amounts, refer to the book or The South Beach Diet website):
- Lean meat (beef, pork, lamb), skinless chicken and turkey breast, fish, eggs, and egg whites, low fat ricotta and cottage cheese, soy-based protein sources, low fat dairy.
- You can eat any vegetables except beets, carrots, corn, turnips, yams, peas, white potatoes, and most types of winter squash.
- Varieties of beans and lentils.
- Nuts, nut butters, and seeds.
- Olive, avocado, macadamia or canola oil preferably.
Foods to avoid:
- Foods prepared with refined sugar, honey, maple syrup and agave nectar.
- Fruits and fruit juices.
- Beets, carrots, turnips, peas, white potatoes, yams, and winter squash.
- Grains, alcohol.
- Fatty meat and poultry.
- Whole milk, butter, and coconut oil.
Phase 2
This phase of the South Beach Diet begins on day 15 and continues till as many weeks as necessary to help you reach your weight goals. On an average, you should be losing 1–2 pounds (0.5–1 kg) of weight per week. This phase entails a more gradual weight loss.
Foods to include (for exact amounts, refer to the book or The South Beach Diet website):
For the first week, phase 2 includes all phase 1 foods and gradually introduces higher-carb foods, beginning with one daily serving of fruit and whole grains or starchy vegetables.
You can consume all 1-3 of all fruits per day except for dates, figs, pineapple, raisins and watermelon. Serving size should be one small piece of fruit, or 3/4 cup of berries, cherries or grapes.
You can also include whole grains in the form of breads, cereal, pasta, and starchy vegetables like yams, turnips, winter squash, etc. You can have one daily serving of light beer or dry wine.
Phase 3
After reaching your target weight in phase 2, you move on to phase 3 of the South Beach Diet. This phase is all about weight maintenance. Now that you have reached your target weight, you need to maintain it in phase 3.
You should generally follow the guidelines from phase 2 during this phase. However, as no foods are completely off limits, you can include 'treat' foods on occasion.
If you overindulge and gain weight, you can return to phase 1 for one-two weeks before turning to phase 3.
Dr. Agatston also recommends regular physical exercise and provides a three-phase fitness programme to accompany the diet phases in The South Beach Diet Supercharged.
Benefits of South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is especially popular for its ability to bring about weight loss without much hunger.
As the diet promotes eating protein-rich meals that will keep you full for longer, it's an excellent way to keep the body satiated. Protein can also increase metabolic rate and modify hormone levels to reduce hunger and promote fullness. So, you will naturally eat less.
The diet also focuses on green leafy vegetables and non-starchy ones - foods that have been shown to fight against inflammation. The South Beach Diet also promotes eating fatty fish, which is very beneficial for brain health.
Other components of the diet like eggs, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, and fish are known to improve heart health. Also, adding carbs back to your diet gradually will help you stick to the diet in the long term.
Drawbacks of South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet can be overly restrictive when it comes to fat intake. It also allows potentially harmful fats in the form of vegetable oils (safflower and soybean oils) in the diet. These oils are rich in omega 6 fatty acids, which can be harmful in large quantities.
It also restricts the consumption of butter and coconut oil. Although both are high in saturated fat, coconut oil is known to be beneficial for heart health, weight loss, and reduction in obesity.
Overall, you may want to restrict yourself to olive oil and canola oil if you wish to religiously stick to this diet.
