The South Beach Diet is sometimes called a modified low-carbohydrate diet. You don't have to count carbs, but the diet is lower in carbs and higher in protein and healthy fats than a normal meal plan. The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases. Carb-rich products like cornstarch are limited.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is a product derived from corn and completely consists of carbs, making it a product to avoid while following the weight loss phases of the South Beach Diet. The most common use for cornstarch is as a thickening agent for sauces and soups. If you purchase processed foods, read the label to determine if the product contains cornstarch or other non-allowed foods.
Dining Out
Eating out on the South Beach Diet may seem impossible, but you can make healthful choices that follow the plan. You should keep in mind that foods, such as Chinese food, commonly use cornstarch. If you order a meal with a sauce or marinade, ask your server about the contents. If you cannot determine if a meal contains cornstarch, you will need to choose another dish.
Other Carbs to Avoid
While you must avoid cornstarch during the first and second phases of the South Beach Diet, you must also eliminate other carbs from your diet, as well. In the first phase, the initial two week period of the diet, you must cut out all bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar from your diet. Once you pass into phase 2, you can resume eating some whole-grain carbohydrates. However, you must avoid potatoes, corn, white rice and white flour products such as certain breads and pastas. Phase 3 is the maintenance phase of the South Beach Diet. During this phase, you can consume some foods that contain cornstarch -- as long as you consume them in moderation.
Considerations
If you do eat a food that contains cornstarch or other non-allowed food during the early phases of the diet, it will not eliminate all your dieting efforts. View your lapse as a way to learn, such as paying closer attention to food labels or taking the extra time to ask questions of your restaurant server. You should not habitually allow cornstarch into your diet when you are trying to lose weight, however, since this could affect the results you see on the scale.
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