The South Beach Diet is a low-calorie diet plan designed for relatively rapid weight loss that promotes the consumption of complex carbohydrates, lean meats and healthy fats. It is broken up into three phases. Phase one is very restrictive and nearly carbohydrate-free. Phases two and three are progressively more liberal. This diet uses regular foods. Like all popular diets, there are strengths and positive aspects to the South Beach Plan.
Promotes Healthy, Nutritious Foods
The main nutrition recommendations for the South Beach Diet are sound, and healthy foods are encouraged. After the restrictive phase (one), the plan outlines a healthy, well-balanced diet. The emphasis is on fiber-rich complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and hearty grains; unsaturated fats, such as nuts and oils; and lean protein foods. All of these characteristics are in line with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) as well as those of the American Heart Association (AHA). These foods should be the basis for every diet. It includes a variety of calcium-rich dairy products, so most major nutrient requirements are met through the latter phases of this diet.
Provides Guidelines for Weight Maintenance
The reason that many diets only work for the short term is that they do not promote lifestyle modification, which is key to long-term weight management. The South Beach Diet provides guidelines for healthy eating after phase three (during maintenance) so that you will be more likely to keep the weight off. This is an extremely important step in weight control; for some, even more difficult than losing the weight. The South Beach diet provides you with tools you can use to manage your weight for years to come. One such tool is the ability to join its membership site, which offers hundreds of recipes, a discussion board and some nutrition articles.
Some Exercise is Encouraged
The new South Beach "supercharged" diet book focuses on exercise to stimulate weight loss, which is not emphasized in the original book. This is a positive aspect, as major organizations, such as the National Institutes of Health, recommend daily exercise for weight management. The "supercharged" book encourages you to engage in an interval training exercise routine for 20 minutes every other day. On the off days, you are encouraged to do a total body workout which includes some pilates-style exercises (good for general toning, especially of the "core" or abdominal and back muscles). The exercises are described in detail with pictures to accompany each move. In addition, you are provided three phases of exercises (like the diet) so that you can advance as you become more fit.
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