The South Beach Diet has been referred to as a modified-low carb diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, people on the South Beach Diet are allowed as much as 28 percent of their daily carbohydrate intake to come from carbohydrates. Cardiologist Arthur Agatston created the South Beach Diet to encourage weight loss by changing the balance of the foods people eat.
Healthy Foods
The South Beach Diet emphasizes lean proteins, healthy fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables. People who use the South Beach Diet get an abundance of vitamins and minerals if the food plan is followed correctly. The South Beach Diet has little to no refined sugars. Following the South Beach Diet and learning the difference between "good" and "bad" carbs can lead to healthier overall eating habits. Because the South Beach Diet is followed in stages, a person has the ability to incorporate better eating habits at their own pace. Once a certain level is reached, a maintenance plan is put into place. The maintenance plan encourages the person to follow along an already established eating pattern.
Cardiovascular Health
The South Beach Diet was created by a cardiac physician. Dr. Agatston developed this diet as a way for his patients to succeed where other diets had failed them. Dr Agatston claims that the South Beach Diet can improve your cardiovascular health enough to "save your life", according to the Mayo Clinic. Even though the diet offers nutrient dense meals and a low glycemic index, no studies have been reported that state it can improve cardiovascular health to that degree,
Exercise
While the South Beach Diet is aimed at improving cardiovascular health and weight loss, it offers no specific recommendations on exercise. Exercise is vital to the cardiovascular system and essential in many weight loss programs. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise is necessary to prevent regaining weight that has been lost while following the diet plan. Physical activity is needed to burn calories and strengthen the cardiovascular system but the South Beach Diet offers few guidelines to encourage it.
Ketoacidosis
Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet eliminates sugars and starches from the diet. In the body, sugars and starch are broken down into glucose for the body to use as fuel. When the body runs out of usable sugars and glucose, it begins to break down stores of body fat. Even though this is the shortest phase of the diet lasting only two weeks, if too much stored body fat is broken down, it can lead to a build of ketones.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these unhealthy levels of ketones and acids can build up in the body and can lead to confusion, coma and rare cases, death.
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