South Beach diet

The South Beach diet was developed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, based on the consumption of "good carbs" and "good fats". Dr. Agatston developed this diet for his cardiac patients based upon his study of scientific dieting research but nowadays the diet is also popular in the rows of healthy patients.

Dr. Agatston believes that excess consumption of so-called "bad carbohydrates", such as the rapidly-absorbed carbohydrates found in foods with a high glycemic index, creates an insulin resistance syndrome. In addition, the excess consumption of "bad fats", such as saturated fat and trans fat, contributes to an increase in cardiovascular disease. To prevent these two conditions, Agatston's diet reduces to minimum bad fats and bad carbs, encouraging an increased consumption of good fats and good carbs.
The diet is based on three steps, called phases, during which the focus is on reducing the intake of bad fats.

· Phase I is lasting two weeks, when dieters attempt to eliminate insulin resistance by avoiding high or moderately high-glycemic carbohydrates. This means that sugar, candy, bread, potatoes, fruit, cereals and grains are significally reduced. According to the doctor, during this phase the body will lose its insulin resistance, starting to use excess body fat, causing the dieter to lose between 8 and 13 pounds. However, most of this initial loss is water weight, especially during the first phase as carbohydrates are eliminated from your system.

· Phase II begins with whole grain foods and fruits gradually returning to the diet, but in smaller amounts. Foods with a low glycemic index are still the most important components of the diet at this stage.

· When the dieter reaches the desired weight, Phase III begins, where we still keep the eye on foods with low glycemic index, but the diet expands to include three servings of whole grains and three servings of fruit a day.

As an overall look at the diet, eating whole grains and large amounts of vegetables is encouraged, along with adequate amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3 fatty acids, such as are contained in fish. It discourages the eating of overly refined processed foods (particularly refined flours and sugars), high-fat meats, and saturated fats in general. During the whole procedure you don’t need to count calories, the daily menu being divided to 6 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with small snacks between each meal.