South Beach Diet

"The South Beach Diet is not low carb, nor is it low fat" - Dr Agatston

The South Beach Diet plan was created by cardiologist Dr Arthur Agatston based at Mount Sinai Hospital - in South Florida. The diet was originally developed for overweight heart patients. The patients experienced better health and weight loss. The South Beach Diet has come to be one of the most popular diets of all time.

The Book That Started It All

Agatston offers a free diet profile (see left), along with over 800 recipes and meal plans. There are a huge amount of features; such as Ask Dr Agatston, Online Registered Dietitians, Journals, Message Boards, Food Guides, etc, etc. Well worth joining.

NOTE
If you are a vegetarian, there IS a vegetarian version of the diet, but Dr. Agatston has only made this available in the online program.

South Beach Diet Supercharged

This version of South beach was released in 2009 and the diet is basically the same as that outlined in the original South Beach Diet with some extra foods allowed. Agatston says that he updated the diet to allow for greater flexibility based on feedback from his patients and on his website.

The main difference with the new Supercharged plan is the inclusion of 20 minutes of a specific type of exercise called ‘interval training’ that Agatston claims will speed up metabolism, increase the rate of weight loss and improve general health. He states that interval training allows dieters to achieve maximum results with a minimum time commitment.

South Beach Diet Plan Overview

Phase 1

The South Beach Diet begins with a somewhat restricted two-week induction phase - which will result in weight loss in most people. In this phase most carbohydrates (such as rice, pasta, and breads) must be avoided. There are three meals a day and snacks -- eating until your hunger is satisfied. Meats, shellfish, chicken, turkey, and fish are all on the menu - along with nuts, cheese (fat-free), eggs, salads, and vegetables. See the South Beach Diet Food List for more.

Phase 2

Phase 3

This is NOT Atkins

Although the South Beach Diet may seem similar to the Atkins diet or the Zone diet, Dr Agatston stresses it is not a strictly low-carb diet. It's all about balancing the good carbs against the "bad" carbs. Note that the first 14-day phase is definitely a low-carb phase. However the South Beach Diet is based around the Glycemic Index, and carbs are chosen according to this index.

It is quite feasible to follow the principles in the diet from Phase 2 only (i.e. forgoing Phase 1) - they make good sense. The scientific backing for an 'induction' phase is unclear.

South Beach Diet Recipes and Meal Plans

You may already own the South Beach Diet book itself. Complete meal plans and simple recipes make up almost half the book. Or you may want to join the online program at www.southbeachdiet.com - this has over 800 recipes (that cannot be found in the book) and meal plans - more than 350,000 people are subscribed to this program!

Arthur Agatston has also written:

• The South Beach Diet Cookbook - it has over 200 recipes, and 25 gourmet dishes from American restaurants.
• The South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Counter.
• The South Beach Diet Supercharged- the newest version of his diet.

Sample Meal Plan for the South Beach Diet

Any Negatives?

Virtually none.

The only thing we could think of is the potential food cost. If you look at the meal plan above you will see that some of the foods listed could get expensive. However it doesn't have to be that way. It is possible (not easy - but possible) to source the healthy foods required (lean proteins, quality carbs, etc) whilst on a budget.

See the South Beach Diet Online Program