South Beach Diet Calories

The South Beach diet promises weight loss, improved health and delicious meals in portion sizes big enough to satisfy hunger. Not a quick-fix diet, this program wants to help you transition to a healthier lifestyle that includes exercise and plenty of whole, natural foods.

Rules

The South Beach Diet program advises against counting calories, carbohydrates, fat or ounces. Instead, you will learn to eat in a way that makes measuring and counting unnecessary. The South Beach Diet Cookbook, however, provides nutritional information for each recipe. Soups, salads, side dishes, desserts and snacks typically contain 100 to 200 calories per serving; entrees 200 to 500.

Purpose

The South Beach Diet's mission is to wean you off the processed junk foods that cause hunger and cravings instead of satisfaction. The program also shows you how to plan meals according to the glycemic index, a well-researched tool that can help you create satisfying meals that digest slowly and allow you to naturally control your caloric intake without counting.

Features

Each South Beach meal features calories from multiple sources, including protein, healthy carbohydrates and good fats. Staple foods for phases two and three include fish, tofu, nuts, beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean cuts of meat. Phase one, which lasts up to two weeks, excludes calories from fruits, grains and alcohol. During all phases, you eat three balanced meals and two healthy snacks or desserts every day.