South Beach DietWhat is The South Beach Diet?The diet was created by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon for his heart patients as an alternative to low fat and low carb diets. While the main purpose of The South Beach Dietwas to improve patient’s heart health, Dr Agatston discovered that as a side effect of the diet they also lost significant amounts of weight. In the early 2000s, the diet quickly gained popularity as a means to lose weight. Dr Agatston found that, in practice, patients had a difficult time sticking to the low fat diet. He turned for explanation to the scientific work with insulin resistance which led David J. Jenkins to develop the glycemic index in the early 1980s. 
When we've eaten, the carbohydrates in food get broken down into sugars, which then enter the bloodstream causing a rise in blood sugar. In response, the hormone insulin is released from the pancreas to remove the sugar from the blood. Many years of consumption of carbohydrate rich foods with high glycemic index (potatoes, white bread, cornflakes, bagels, etc.) would eventually result in cells becoming resistant to insulin. This resistance would leave sugar in the bloodstream longer which would then cause the pancreas to release even more insulin, which would rapidly drop blood sugar below normal levels, leaving you lacking in energy, craving more carbs and quickly feeling hungry so that you eat again. If this pattern is frequently repeated, in addition to potentially casing diabetes,
you're likely to gain weight as a result the body becomes more effective at storing fat (especially around the middle) due to the body resistance to the action of insulin. As a result, patients on low-fat diets were eating no less food than they had been before they started the diet. They simply had compensated for the fat by consuming additional sugar and simple carbohydrates. This led to the cycles of hunger - patients were consuming excess calories and gaining weight - the attempt to reduce the risk of heart disease actually increased it. Dr Agatston looked into low carbohydrate diet popularized by Robert Atkins (known as Atkins diet) in the 1970s, but dismissed it as this diet plan had too little carbohydrates, too much saturated fat, not enough fiber, and he feared if would lead to a number of health problems including an increased risk of heart disease. The South Beach Diet PlanThe South Beach Diet claims that it will help you to lose lose 8-13lb in the first two weeks. Once you enter Phase Two, you can expect a more reasonable loss of 1-2lb a week. The South Beach Diet is relatively simple in principle. It replaces "bad carbs" and "bad fats" with "good carbs" and "good fats." It is divided into three phases, each progressively becoming more liberal."Phase 1" lasts for the first 14 days of the diet. It eliminates most carbohydrates to give your body a complete rest from fluctuating blood sugar and insulin levels. The theory is this will help to resolve insulin resistance. "Phase 2" re-introduces lo GI carbs including most fruits and vegetables and some whole grains as well. The idea is to stay with this phase until you've reached your target weight. "Phase 3" is the maintenance phase and lasts for life. There is no specific list of permitted and prohibited foods. Instead, the dieter is expected to understand the basic principles of the diet and live by the principles. For each phase, there are no limits on portion sizes - you simply eat enough to satisfy your appetite - and you're encouraged to eat three meals and snacks each day. The South Beach Diet Sample Menu
What Experts say about the South Beach Diet?The South Beach Diet only requires serious willpower for the first two weeks during Phase One. This phase is extremely restrictive and the recommended weight loss of up to 13lb. Most nutrition experts are less happy with the recommended weight loss. General guidelines recommend losing no more than 2lb a week for good health and so experts are concerned that this diet promotes such a large weight loss in the first two weeks. Once you get past the initial phase, there are fewer dietary restrictions than some other diet plans. No major food groups are eliminated, plenty of fruit and vegetables are recommended and generally the diet follows the basic principles of healthy eating with the result that it should provide plenty of the nutrients you need to stay healthy. There's no starving or fasting involved and it takes heart health into consideration.Top Selling Books at Amazon about
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