Diet Programs

If you are looking for a diet that will help you lose weight while increasing your overall health, then you have to check out the south beach diet. Originally made as a diet to prevent heart disease, the south beach diet is one of the best diets for losing weight effectively.

Before we get into the diet, you should understand a few principles of the south beach diet. The origins of the south beach diet lie in a doctor named Arthur Agaston’s search for a diet that would reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease. During his search for the perfect diet solution he noticed that people generally had a very hard time keeping with a diet program, which he later found out was related to a person’s insulin index. He discovered that when eating a diet based upon insulin index he could potentially help decrease the onset of diabetes.
He later figured out that when people went on a low fat diet, they were still eating the same amount food as before but now, in place of eating fat they were eating sugar and high glycemic carbohydrates. This caused an overall gain in weight loss in the long term and actually increased the risk of heart disease.
One thing to note is that the south beach diet is not the same diet as the Atkins diet, as Dr Agatston believed that eliminating all carbs and increasing the consumption of foods like meat and cheese would lead to a risk in heart disease. The south beach diet is based upon the simple idea of replaces bad fats and bad carbs with good fats and good carbs.

 

The battle of the carbs


Dr. Agatson believed that bouts of hunger are triggered by the types of carbohydrates eaten and not by carbs in general. The south beach diet preaches eating carbs that are not processed such as beans, legumes, whole grains and vegetables.

 

The battle of the fats


The south beach diet was originally created to ward off heart disease, so there was much precedence placed around the consumption of fats. Foods that contained a good amount of unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acid were placed emphasis on. You need to note that the south beach diet does not allow for fatty pieces of meat and chicken. This diet allows for lean meats, oily fish and nuts.
The south beach diet is split into 3 phases, with each phase being easier than the previous phase. The first phase last 2 weeks and it does not allow any sugars, fruits, processed carbs and high glycemic veggies. This phase is all about getting the body to stop feeling hungry due to insulin drops and starting to lose weight. The next phase is more of a diet phase to introduce a larger amount of whole grains, vegetables and fruits, this phase is where you will see the brunt of your weight loss. You should stay on the 2nd phase until you reach your weight loss goal. The 3rd phase is a maintenance phase, in this last phase of the south beach diet, there are no specific rules as you should understand all the principles of the south beach diet and follow them for life.
The south beach diet is a great low carb diet that is sure to help you drop some serious weight. Remember to add a regular fitness program while on the south beach diet in order to lose the most weight possible and stay fit and healthy as well. There are a ton of south beach diet recipes available that are sure to make your south beach diet experience a pleasant, tasty and successful one.