by Stefan Vincent
South Beach Diet created by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietitian Marie Almon is originally a diet to prevent heart disease. Dr. Agatston see the danger of low fat diet suggested by American Heart Association in 1980 which increase the risk of heart disease, not reduce it; so he create this diet as its substitute.
Actually, the basics behind South Beach Diet are not that complex: replacing “bad carbohydrates” and “bad fats” with “good carbohydrates” and “good fats”:
1. Put relatively unprocessed foods such as vegetables and whole grains in daily meal instead of foods that contain heavily refined sugar.
2. Eliminate trans fat and saturated fats which contribute to LDL cholesterol and replace it with unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids which will contribute to HDL cholesterol.
South Beach Diet will divide the process into 3 parts; the first 2 parts are designed to teach you about the concept, getting used to it, and lose weight at the same time. The 3rd part is aimed to make this diet a part of your lifestyle; this is where you are expected to understand the basic principle and apply it your every day’s life.
Pros
1. The diet is originally created to prevent heart disease; weight loss in only one of its side effect.
2. The food list focus on replacing saturated fats and trans fats with unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids, thus will reduce the risk of many other disease.
3. Fast weight loss; up to 13 pounds during the first phase.
4. The diet choose its foods based on low Glycemic Index (GI) which automatically restrict junk food consumption.
5. When you finish 1st phase, the food selection will be broader and doesn’t erase certain food groups.
6. Do not require any complicated methods such as calories counting or portion control. You simply pick from the food list provided.
7. The program suggest you to eat at regular portion and having 2 snacks time per day, so there are no reasons to worry about hunger.
Cons
1. The 1st phase is very strict, limiting the consumption of all carbohydrates completely. Some people believe that the weight loss gained during the phase is all water loss, not fat loss; this will cause you to gain weight again after you resume your carbohydrates intake.
2. Various side effects; during the strict phase 1, there are lots of side effects, including fatigue, dehydration, lack of vitamins and minerals, and weakness.
3. Using GI to determine good and bad foods is not approved by all the experts in medical community. This method is still controversial because it will remove any food with high GI even when the food is nutritionally beneficial.
4. The diet doesn’t include proper instruction on exercising; this make some dieter wondering about the importance of exercise in South Beach Diet.
5. The food list contain high protein which will force your kidneys to work harder.
6. Extra cost is required, especially in the first phase which involving lots of more expensive high protein foods that less expensive high carbohydrates foods.
7. South Beach Diet is definitely not for vegetarian or people who can’t consume dairy products. It prohibit any soy consumption during the first two week; a vegetarian will find it hard since they depend on soy as meat substitute. The program also suggest various dairy products as snacks.
8. The fist and second phase consist of very limited food choice that can make you get bored really quickly if the cook is not creative.
9. Preparing the meals using the suggested recipes usually takes a lot of time and complicated process.
South Beach Diet is just another alternative for you to lose weight. After you read the pros and cons you should be able to judge whether it can fulfill your need or not. The main issues I want to pinpoint here are this diet offer lifetime maintenance, which is good; but ignore the importance of exercise in a healthy diet, which is not good.
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Selecting a diet that suit you is not an easy task; before you decide anything, visit
Diets That Work for a useful information regarding selecting a diet wisely and
healthy diet to found out criteria that should be met by a good diet by Stefan Vincent. Hopefully these 2 guides will make your task a lot easier