The South Beach Diet changes the balance of the foods you eat to promote weight loss as well as a healthy lifestyle. During phase 1, you will follow a strict eating plan that eliminates many of the carbohydrates you might normally include in your daily diet, but that doesn't mean you'll be going hungry.
South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet, a commercial diet plan developed in 2003 by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, involves three separate phases. Phase 1 lasts two weeks and has the strictest rules of all the phases. As the diet progresses, you can slowly reintroduce some foods that are off limits during the first phase. The South Beach Diet is considered a modified low-carb diet because it does not restrict carbohydrates over the long term to the level that other low-carb diets do. During the first two weeks, however, carbohydrates only make up about 10 percent of your daily calories.
Phase 1 Guidelines
During phase 1, the goal is to eliminate cravings for sugar and carbohydrates, so these foods are limited. Your menus should consist mainly of protein and vegetables. Lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, low-fat lunch meat, and lean cuts of beef or pork, are good sources of protein during the first two week. Eggs, beans, tofu and nuts are other allowed protein sources. Additionally, you can have low-fat milk and reduced-fat cheeses during this phase. Healthy fats, such as olive oil and canola oil, are also encouraged as well as leafy green vegetables.
Foods to Avoid
Starches and sugary foods, including rice, potatoes, bread and pasta, are forbidden during the first two weeks of the South Beach Diet. You cannot eat whole grain breads or cereals during this phase, either. Fruits and fruit juices are also off-limits. While on phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, you cannot drink any alcohol including beer or wine. Cream cheese is eliminated from the diet during this phase as well.
Sample Menus
You should consume three meals and two snacks each day during phase 1. An additional dessert is optional. A sample menu for the first two weeks of the plan may include a breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs with bell pepper, onion and mushrooms, decaffeinated tea sweetened with a sugar substitute and a slice of lean ham. As a lunch, you may choose a tuna salad with Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, radishes and an olive-oil based dressing, and iced tea or diet soda. Dinner can include oven roasted chicken and vegetables with a side salad and sparkling water to drink. In between meals, you can have two small snacks such as spiced nuts, low-fat cheese, peanut butter or hummus on celery sticks or buffalo chicken bites. A dessert made with ricotta cheese or a cup of sugar-free gelatin can satisfy any cravings for sweets you might have.
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