South Beach Diet .... Is All The Fuss Worth The Huu - Haa

The South Beach Diet created by cardiologist (not nutritionist) Dr Agatston has been sweeping America, but has not been taken on so quickly in countries such as Australia.

While looking through the usual nutrition journals, I was unable to find any specific articles or research written to support or reject the South Beach Diet. The only piece of literature directly referring to it, does not give any indication as to it’s effectiveness, only to say that without exercise, most diets reviewed were ineffective.

The theories that the plan presents below, seem to have some clinical data to support them. · Good “low glycemic” carbs should be eaten instead of their high glycemic counterparts;
· Good fats should be substituted for bad fats;
· Encouraging the consumption of low fat milk products;
The components of the South Beach Diet that do not have clinical data to support them are: · Two week crash dieting course during phase 1, where carbs are restricted from the diet almost totally;
· Limiting the consumption of carbohydrates and favours protein sources;
· Doesn’t give enough emphasis to the role of exercise. For a good overview, go to the Tufts University Site to review the South Beach Diet

You'll find below a pros and cons analysis of this diet.

Pros:

Is a healthier alternative to the Atkins diet;
Phase 2 and 3 are more nutritionally balanced;
Is a fun diet to be on with bacon and eggs for breakfast !
Recommends low GI carbs to be eaten in phases 2 and 3;
Recommends good fats and lean meats.

Cons:

The overall plan has no published scientific data to support the effectiveness of the diet;
Has been commented that recipes are impractical
Crash dieting in the first two weeks which among other things can cause dehydration due to limited carbohydrate intake;
Is a fairly restrictive diet, because it depends on food lists of about 90 foods – which does not allow a lot of variety;
Ignores the importance of portion control.

An example of a South Beach Diet compatible meal in phase 1 of the diet is:

Grill lean chicken breast with a basting of garlic, lemon juice and a smattering of pepper.
Tossed salad with lettuce, tomato and capsicum, topped with salad dressing.

An example of a South Beach Diet compatible meal in phase 3 of the diet is:

Grill lean chicken breast with a basting of garlic, curry powder, and pepper.
Side helping of couscous, chopped tomato, red onions and split peas.

There are mixed reviews given by nutrition professionals, overall they are reporting that some of their clients are losing weight with this diet, and some are not. They agree that this diet is not a particularly bad diet, in fact in the third phase, is a pretty healthy diet, however, the main points that they object to are that the two week crash dieting is not a healthy way to lose weight and that the book written by Agatston really just gives lip service to the important role of exercise in weight loss. So I guess you really have to make your own decision. However, if you apply the guidelines that I use to assess a diet – this should make it a little easier. Very quickly, I’ll repeat them for you below:

An appropriate diet:

offers sufficient balance and a variety of carbohydrates, protein and fats.
does not exclude one particular food group, and encourage excessive consumption of another.
encourages exercise to complement sensible eating habits.
encourages awareness of portion sizes.
does not encourage unrealistic quick weight loss.
is backed up with medical research data.

I hope that this has helped you in your journey and quest for health self-education.

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