BROWSE DIETS

South Beach Diet

South Beach Diet on-line program

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 excellent results, not only in their general health but also lost weight.

Since hitting the shelves, Agatston’s book The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss has remained a bestseller (despite a pretentious subtitle). The diet is becoming known as the “healthy” version of the Atkins diet. This diet is good - very good, and includes foods such as whole grains, healthy fats, fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables.

South Beach Diet Plan Overview

Three Phases
The South Beach Diet begins with a somewhat restricted two-week induction phase — generally producing weight loss of 8 to 13 pounds. 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.

There are two subsequent phases that include specific meal plans and recipes. The second phase reintroduces some of the foods avoided in Phase 1 - but only sparingly. In this phase weight loss should be in the region of 1-2 pounds per week.

The third phase is about living the lifestyle more than a phase - its about eating healthy foods, and maintaining weight.

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. Although when looking at the first 14-day phase - there is no doubt that this is a low-carb phase. However the South Beach Diet is based around the Glycemic Index, and carbs are chosen according to this index.

South Beach have an on-line program that includes an 800 recipe database, and options for vegetarians. (see top right).

South Beach Food brand fits in with the diet guidelines for snacking.

South Beach Diet Phase 1

Breakfast
Tomato juice, 6 oz
Scrambled eggs with fresh herbs and mushrooms
Canadian bacon, 2 slices
Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Snack
Part-skim mozzarella cheese stick

Lunch
Chicken Caesar salad (no croutons)
Prepared Caesar dressing, 2 Tbsp

Snack
Low-fat cottage cheese (½ cup) with ½ cup chopped tomatoes and cucumbers

Dinner
Mahi mahi
Oven-Roasted Vegetables
Arugula salad
Low-sugar prepared dressing

Dessert
Lemon Peel Ricotta Crème

Phase 2

Breakfast
Berry smoothie (8 oz Dannon Light ‘n Fit fruit-flavored yogurt, ½ cup berries, ½ cup crushed ice, blended)
Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Snack
1 hard-boiled egg

Lunch
Lemon Couscous Chicken
Tomato and cucumber slices

Snack
Dannon Light ‘n Fit yogurt, 4 oz

Dinner
Meat Loaf
Steamed asparagus
Mushrooms sautéed in olive oil
Sliced Bermuda onion and tomato with drizzled olive oil

Dessert
Sliced cantaloupe with 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese

Phase 3

Breakfast
½ grapefruit
Tex-Mex eggs (2 eggs scrambled with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and salsa)
Whole grain toast, 1 slice
Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Lunch
Roast Beef Wrap
Nectarine

Dinner
Grilled salmon with tomato salsa
Tossed salad (mixed greens, cucumbers, green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes)
Olive oil and vinegar to taste or 2 Tbsp low-sugar prepared dressing

Dessert
Chocolate-Dipped Apricots

Look for more high protein, low carb recipes here.

South Beach Diet Summary

The South Beach Diet is nutritionally sound, however the more expensive food items could make the cost difficult to meet for some. Unfortunately good nutritious foods do tend to cost more than their highly-processed counterparts.

The principles of eating in balance, little-and-often, low-GI carbs are all included in the South Beach. Despite some feeling that the diet is a fad, and has had a major positive impact on the eating habits of millions.

See the review of the updated version South Beach Diet Supercharged

See More

South Beach Diet - Official Site.

User Reviews

  • Cyn
    April 11th, 2009

    It’s not too bad, I used it about 2 years ago and lost 15 lbs but found it a little expensive at times.

  • natalie and michelle
    March 25th, 2009

    me and my friend natalie were doin a sereach project on this diet we both are ocnvinced and want to try this diet. will report results later.thanks evryone for thier comments byee

    Rating: natalie and michelle gives a rating of 5natalie and michelle gives a rating of 5natalie and michelle gives a rating of 5natalie and michelle gives a rating of 5natalie and michelle gives a rating of 5
  • Jon Siegal
    March 10th, 2009

    i love this diet, i lost 76 pounds!!!! its great

  • Steve Parker, M.D.
    February 14th, 2009

    Dr. Agatston’s theory to explain overweight is that we eat too many sugars and starches. The detrimental carbohydrates are concentrated sugars—such as soft drinks, some fruits, and commercial fruit juices—and over-processed low-fiber starches, such as enriched white flour and white rice. These are his “bad carbs.”

    According to his theory, bad carbs increase insulin levels sharply, leading to increased fat storage (especially abdominal fat) and increased cravings for carbohydrate as the insulin eventually causes abnormally low blood sugar levels a few hours after the carb intake. Then you eat more carbs to raise your sugar level back to normal. Dr. Agatston spends much time explaining the glycemic index, a measure of how rapid and high a spike in blood sugar is seen after ingestion of particular foods.

    This “bad carb” theory is not original or exclusive to Dr. Agatston. Remember “Sugar Busters”? The “bad carb” theory has been popular since around the turn of the century, even though Dr. Robert C. Atkins and others wrote about it many years earlier.

    Figuring less prominently in Dr. Agatston’s scheme are his “bad fats”—saturated fats and trans fats. Some of the “good fats” to eat are olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and omega-3 fatty acids.

    The author had intended to produce a diet with few rules, yet he tells you exactly what and when you will eat for 6 straight weeks. The recipes are prepared from readily available ingredients. How much do you eat? “The meals should be of normal size—enough to satisfy your hunger, but no more than that.” So the author never says how many calories you will eat. Although he says it is not a low-carb diet, it is. Especially the first four weeks.

    Strongest points?

    * The composition of South Beach is generally reasonable and would tend to improve health and longevity while controlling weight, compared to the usual Western developed-world diet.
    * The recipes look tasty and relatively easy.
    * High-fiber, minimally processed carbohydrates are indeed healthier than pure sugars and refined starches.
    * Plenty of people say it has worked for them.
    * Food variety.
    * South Beach is an improvement over Atkins, especially to the extent that the author moves Atkins toward a Mediterranean-style diet. [By the way, Agatston never claims his diet is Mediterranean.]

    Weakest points?

    * Six weeks of prescribed eating, leaving no room for flexibility.
    * Exercise is recommended—essentially a brisk walk for 20 minutes daily—but is not stressed nearly enough.
    * There is certainly no scientific consensus that sugars and starches—“bad carbs”—have caused our obesity epidemic.
    * There in no reference section and very few references are given. You cannot read for yourself the scientific journal articles, if any, that support the author’s opinions.

    An improvement to South Beach would move it further away from Atkins and even closer to the time-honored healthy Mediterranean diet of the mid-20th century, in which more “good carbs” and fewer proteins would be encouraged. And myriad benefits of exercise should not be taken lightly.

    Steve Parker, M.D.

  • kaeli
    October 23rd, 2008

    my name is kaeli and im doing a health paper over this diet and would like everyones opinion please and thank you

    how did this diet work for you?
    Is it expensive?
    would you recomend it to other people?
    who is this diet ment for?

  • Silly!
    October 1st, 2008

    I tried this diet a while back and at the start i was over weight… i loved eating junk food until this diet.. this diet helped me loss so much weight… i love this diet… my husband didnt even notice me wen he got back from his business trip overseas… it was so funny…. he loves the new me better and i get alot more complicments then i use to… im so happy iwth the new me thanks to the south beach diet :)

  • Food Dude
    September 30th, 2008

    I did this diet 4.5 yrs ago. It worked and I lost 25 lbs in about 3 mos time. Little exercise and I even cheated. I ate chocolate and drank a few beers each week. I’m sure the results would have been greater had I stuck to the diet plan word for word. But overall - fad diet or not. It work!

  • MR.YOUNG HIP DADDY
    September 25th, 2008

    THIS DIET IS THE BEST AND I WOULDN’T TRY ANY OTHER DIET BUT THIS ONE. TRYY IT IF YOUR CRAZY YOUN AND WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND LOOK GOOD!!!

    Rating: MR.YOUNG HIP DADDY gives a rating of 5MR.YOUNG HIP DADDY gives a rating of 5MR.YOUNG HIP DADDY gives a rating of 5MR.YOUNG HIP DADDY gives a rating of 5MR.YOUNG HIP DADDY gives a rating of 5
  • mina
    August 27th, 2008

    this diet is great! I lost close to 40 pounds on it!

  • Just-Fit Guy
    August 14th, 2008

    not bad

  • jhgfu
    August 2nd, 2008

    it is not a fad diet you stupid idiot and i think it looks goood so i am gonna try it

  • Kari
    August 1st, 2008

    I’ve done this before and I’ve done Atkins and each times I have lost about 12 pounds in two weeks. It helps to shrink the waistline in a short amount of time, but the weight can come back on just as fast as you lost it if you’re not careful. I would recomend it as a jump-start diet to a more normal, balanced diet (like WeightWatchers), or as a way to lose weight quickly for a formal affair, but not as a long term diet.

  • S.Vanity
    July 28th, 2008

    It’s CRAP fad diets dnt work

  • Danielle
    July 23rd, 2008

    All of kinds of food you are allowed to eat it’s amazing!

  • Asmi
    July 14th, 2008

    My husband and I tried this. He lost 15 pounds and I lost 10 in a 2 week period. It works!!

    Rating: Asmi gives a rating of 4Asmi gives a rating of 4Asmi gives a rating of 4Asmi gives a rating of 4Asmi gives a rating of 4
  • paul galvez
    June 28th, 2008

    good for you all!! lol im taking online health classes and i have to write a paragraph about this xD! 09!!!

  • briannah
    June 5th, 2008

    i didnt think this diet wroked until my aunt and I tryed it she lost about 70lbs and I lost around 25

  • freddy
    May 23rd, 2008

    this diet was amazing

  • jeff
    May 21st, 2008

    It is different from Atkins, especially following the two week induction phase.

  • hannah
    May 21st, 2008

    I lost 55 pounds on this diet..be sure u use this diet its probably the best one i have ever trieddddd so do it if ur looking to loose weight

  • ilovetj4lyfe
    May 5th, 2008

    really good

  • Bob
    May 2nd, 2008

    this diet was so amazing it made me look better for all the guy out ther so all you other faggs out there try this diet

  • Ellie
    April 24th, 2008

    Beware Migraine Suffers. If you ever had a migraine Ask your Dr. before starting this diet!

  • saihara
    April 8th, 2008

    this diet is great and it really works like really. ITS FANTABOULOUS








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    Last modified: April 19, 2009