The South Beach Diet was invented by Arthur Agatston as a weight loss way of life. It aims to lower your carbohydrate and sugar consumption to train your body to burn fat and protein for energy instead of primarily using carbohydrates. This diet drastically minimizes carbohydrate and glucose consumption, which might be unsafe for some people. Consult your doctor before beginning any new diet plan to make sure it doesn't interfere with your health needs and current medications.
South Beach Diet General Guidlines
The South Beach Diet is broken down into three phases. Phase 1 raises the most safety concerns because carbohydrate intake is limited to just 10 percent of your total calories per day. Furthermore, all breads, fruits and starchy vegetables are forbidden, which limits certain nutrients from your diet. After two weeks on this stringent phase you move into the second phase and carbohydrate allowance is increased to 27 percent of your total daily calories per day. This is still a low amount of carbohydrate intake but certain complex carbohydrates are reintroduced into your diet. The third and final phase only increases carbohydrate intake 1 percent higher than the previous phase and you are encouraged to remain in this phase for life to maintain your weight loss.
Malnutrition
If your body does not receive sufficient nutrients of any kind, including proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates, you will be at risk of malnutrition. The first phase of the South Beach Diet poses the highest risk of malnutrition because you are supposed to provide your body with at least 225 g of carbohydrates per day, according to MayoClinic.com. Instead, you are allowed only 20 g of carbohydrates per day. Watch for symptoms of malnutrition including loss of energy and dizziness.
Diabetic Safety
Diabetics should be especially careful on the South Beach Diet because they rely on sugar and carbohydrates when their blood glucose levels drop too low. The first phase might be especially risky for this condition since virtually all sugar and most carbohydrates are eliminated. If you are diabetic, consult your doctor or dietitian about a modified version of the South Beach Diet that allows more flexibility in carbohydrate consumption.
Ketoacidosis
Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for your body, according to MedlinePlus. If you suddenly and drastically reduce your carbohydrate and glucose intake, your body will go into survival mode and begin to break down fat stores for energy. If your body is unable to completely break down fat stores you might experience ketoacidosis. This condition causes an unhealthy level of acid and ketones to build up in your body. Symptoms of ketoacidosis include weakness, nausea, dizziness, dehydration and irritability; if it is not treated it can lead to coma or death.
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