The South Beach Diet and the Zone Diet are commercial, nutritional programs that claim to help you achieve the body weight you desire if you abide by their guidelines. Both diets work to minimize your sugar and simple carbohydrate intake within the first week. Complex carbohydrates and sugars are re-incorporated into your diet through healthy alternatives such as natural sugars and whole grains. Consult your physician before drastically changing your dietary plan.
Diet Objectives
The South Beach Diet was introduced by Dr. Arthur Agatston and targets weight loss by controlling glucose and insulin levels in your body. The Zone Diet, created by Dr. Barry Spears, urges the consumption of healthy fats and carbohydrates to reach and maintain desired body weight. Both diets focus on consumption of foods with a low glycemic index and are designed to train your body to burn fats as fuel for energy, instead of carbohydrates. The South Beach Diet places more stringent limitations on carbohydrates and sugar than the Zone Diet, which places more emphasis on caloric intake.
Diet Guidelines
The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases, According to the American Dietetic Association. The first phase two weeks long and allows you to consume three meals a day with a radical reduction of carbohydrate consumption. In the second phase complex carbohydrates are introduced into your system in order to achieve ideal weight. The third phase goes on indefinitely and helps maintain your ideal body weight.
The Zone diet aims to stabilize your insulin levels through the consumption of frequent meals. It recommends that you consume two snacks and three balanced meals daily. The Zone Diet focuses on consumption of all food groups in moderation, whereas, the South Beach Diet restricts certain food groups and places a heavy emphasis on consumption of others such as protein.
Food Consumption
The Zone Diet allows consumption of lean meat, complex carbohydrates such as fruit and vegetables, healthy fats and low-fat dairy. The South Beach Diet does not allow fruits or carbohydrates, with the exception of non-starchy vegetables, during the first phase. You are only allowed to obtain a maximum of 28 percent of your total daily calories from carbohydrates on the South Beach Diet. According to everydiet.org, the Zone Diet recommends that carbohydrates, proteins and fats be consumed in the ratio of 40:30:30, therefore, they take a more balanced diet approach than the South Beach Diet. South Beach recommends that you consume healthy fats and protein to avoid your body going into a state of deprivation. Suggested healthy fats include nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, fish like salmon and other forms of protein found in lean meats and low-sugar dairy products.
Warning
According to an article published in "The Journal of American College of Nutrition," there is no concrete proof that the insulin level is managed any better in the Zone Diet than in normal meals. The study showed that Zone Diet is an inadvisable method of weight loss. The South Beach Diet may lead to digestion issues, as you may not consume sufficient fiber. Limiting carbohydrates, specifically during the first phase of the South Beach Diet, may lead to low energy levels and light-headedness. There is also an added danger for those suffering from diabetes as this diet may cause a dangerous drop in insulin and blood sugar levels. Additionally, the South Beach Diet can cause ketosis that may lead to kidney stones and stupor.
References
- MayoClinic: South beach Diet
- MayoClinic.com: Low-Carb Diet
- Every Day Diet: Zone Diet
- Australian Institute of Sport: The Zone Diet
- American Dietetic Association: The South Beach Diet Supercharged, by Arthur Agatston, MD, with Joseph Signorile, PhD
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition: The Zone Diet Phenomenon; A Closer Look at the Science behind the Claims
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