Dr. Arthur Agatston published his book "The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss" in 2003 and it quickly reached fad status. The diet, arranged in three phases, claims you will lose as much as 13 lbs. in the first two weeks by limiting carbohydrates. You will continue to lose weight in the second phase and maintenance phase by by focusing on foods low on the glycemic index. The 2008 version of the diet "South Beach Diet Supercharged" provides dieters a bit more flexibility and contains an exercise recommendation emphasizing interval training. Although generally nutritionally sound, the diet does have a fair share of negatives.
Digestive Distress
Because the first phase of the diet limits carbohydrates, and as a consequence fiber, you might experience some constipation during the initial two week phase of the diet. Popular convenience foods like South Beach meal replacement bars and drinks contain sugar alcohols which may cause bloating and gas in sensitive individuals.
Forbidden Fruit
The first phase of the diet forbids the consumption of fruit. This deprives you of important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. As you progress into the second and third phases of the diet, consumption of certain fruits and other healthy foods is still discouraged.
Cravings
The first phase of the South Beach diet is particularly restrictive in terms of calories and variety. As a result, you may suffer from carbohydrate cravings and a lack of energy. Overcoming the hunger associated with the first two weeks of the plan may be too much and cause you to become frustrated and binge--blowing your weight loss efforts.
Limited Options
Both South Beach Diet books contain numerous recipes, but if you are unlikely to cook at home---this does you no good. The very specific nature of the meal plans makes dining out in restaurants challenging and you may, inadvertently, order foods that are not consistent with the diet's plan. Vegetarians may also have trouble following the diet because of the numerous South Beach menu items that contain animal proteins.
Questionable Scientific Basis
Dr. Agatston relies on the glycemic index without considering a food's digestible carbohydrate contents. For example, watermelon is a food to avoid, even in the maintenance phase of the diet, because it ranks high on the glycemic index. But as experts at the Harvard School of Public Health point out, watermelon provides only a few carbohydrate grams per serving---so it does not cause a significant spike in blood sugar. Glycemic load, which considers not only how the carbohydrates in a certain food affect your blood sugar, but also how many of those carbohydrates are actually contained within a food, is a better way to apply the glycemic index. The South Beach diet does not use it in this manner and may forbid you from eating some of your favorite and nutritious foods unnecessarily.
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