The South Beach Diet and You

The South Beach Diet became wildly successful after the diet book by similar name was put to print, released and snowballed with rapid speed in inner circles as dieting success 'before's and after's' were whispered about and fanatically talked about. The book, I'm referring to, The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss. I'd suggest purchasing it used since, because of how popular the diet book became (second best selling diet book in the U.S. spanning the last 10 years - 2006) there have been over zealous printings, which results in new and used copies for literally, less than one dollar, hardcover included.

The now famed doctor behind the book is a cardiologist from not so ironically, Florida, (as in 'South Beach') named Arthur Agatston. He created the diet plan after creating a system for his patients out of necessity, not being able to find something suitable that emphasized "good carbs" and "good fats". Often confused with the Atkins Diet, a completely different monster that pushes the philosophy of a low carbohydrate (low carb) diet, the South Beach Diet instead encourages cutting out the bad carbs and bad fats, while replacing each with good carbs and good fats.

Good carbs are defined as (according to Doctor Arthur Agatston) being high in fiber or good fats, and have a low glycemic index, which basically means such foods are digested and absorbed slowly into the body. Also recommended is adding more fiber or good fat whenever good carbs are eaten in order to retard the digestion of the carbohydrates. Good fats are defined as poly-unsaturated or mono-unsaturated fats, versus the bad fats being saturated fats or trans fat.

The South Beach Diet isn't meant to be a fad. It isn't a one week or one month quick fix answer to shed enough pounds to be able to fit into a new summer bikini. It was created for the long haul.