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| HEALTH
- The South Beach Diet Plan |
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| The
South Beach Diet is a diet plan which designed by cardiologist
Arthur Agatston MD (Associate professor of medicine
at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,
USA) and dietician Marie Almon in the early 2000s. Though
the original purpose of the diet was to prevent heart
disease in Dr. Agatston's own patients, this diet plan
spread and quickly gained popularity as a means to lose
weight.
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South
Beach Diet plan does not specify any list of permitted
and prohibited foods. Instead, every body is expected
to understand the basic principles of the diet and live
by your preference and choice of food to achieve the
result.
You should spend a little time to find out your own
diet according to the principle of South Beach Diet
and that is the charm and success of this diet plan. |
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| The
The principle of South Beach Diet |
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The
principle of South Beach Diet is relatively simple.
It replaces "bad carbohydrates" and "bad
fats" with "good carbohydrates " and
"good fats" and allows you to live contently
without eating the bad carbohydrates and fats.
Carbohydrate is an essential nutrient like fat and protein,
but the difference is that carbohydrates are easily
converted to energy.
Good carbohydrates are the ones usually do not cause
a high rise in blood sugar levels. The lower the glycemic
index value (GI) (an index based on carbohydrate’s
immediate effect on our blood sugar levels) is the better
the carb. Choose unrefined whole grain carbs that have
a low or intermediate GI rating. Apples, plums and oranges
have a low Glycemic Index, while French fries, watermelon
and dried dates, pineapple, mango, plantain have a high
Glycemic Index. Foods high in fiber have a relatively
low Glycemic Index.
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| (Some
sources disagree with this diet plan including Dr. Elizabeth
Mayer-Davis, a professor of nutrition in the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of
Global Public Health & the UNC School of Medicine
and a diabetes researcher, questions the validity of
the glycemic index, on which the diet plan is based.)
The whole grains like unpolished rise have a thick fiber
coating that releases starches and sugars very slowly
so blood sugar levels do not rise too high. The foods
that are in their natural state such as Vegetables,
Beans, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Whole grain cereals products
etc. are considered Good carbs.
Bad carbohydrates are
ones that cause an immediate high rise in blood sugar
levels. These foods are not in their natural state and
include foods candy, baked goods with refined white
flour, white pastas flour, white rice, cornmeal, table
sugar and all other extracted sugars etc.
Good fat is non-saturated
fat - both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated generally
comes from vegetable sources. Good fat or oil has numerous
health benefits like transporting fat-soluble vitamins
A, D, E and K throughout the body and the Essential
fatty acids (EFAs) benefit your heart, metabolism and
immune system.
Bad fat is Saturated fats and Trans fats which are bad
for health, as it clog arteries causing heart disease
and stroke. It is found in animal meats, chicken skin,
lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk, creams
etc.
All carbohydrates are
broken down into sugar or glucose and when sugar enters
the bloodstream, the pancreas excretes insulin to absorb
it. This repeat activity would eventually result in
cells becoming resistant to insulin (insulin resistance)
and leave sugar in the blood stream longer and this
will result the pancreas to release even more insulin.
This excess insulin drives blood sugar below the normal
levels .Also this effect potentially causing diabetes,
which also produces hunger cycles and the excess sugar
consumption led to excess insulin which led to low blood
sugar and led to hunger pangs which led to the consumption
of more sugar.
South Beach Diet divides
into three phases, each progressively becoming more
and more liberal.
The first Phase lasts
two weeks .This is the strictest phase and is designed
to kick-start weight loss by severely reducing bad carbohydrates
by restricting all sugars, processed carbohydrates,
fruits, and some higher-glycemic vegetables as well.
This relieves the cravings for sugar and starches and
eliminates the hunger cycle.
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In this phase you can choose nutrient-dense,
fiber-rich- three balanced meals along with two snacks.
These two snacks are mandatory as that can help to keep
you more satisfied, so you're less likely to overeat
at your next meal. Your meals may include lean protein,
such as fish and other seafood; skinless white-meat
poultry, and lean cuts of beef high-fiber veggies; reduced-fat
cheeses; egg whites; low-fat dairy; and healthy unsaturated
fats, such as those found in avocados, nuts and seeds,
and extra-virgin olive and canola oils. Do not eat bread,
white rice, potatoes, pasta, candy, cake, cookies, ice
cream, sugar or baked goods or not even fruit for two
weeks. Also restrict the consumption of beer or alcohol
of any kind.
We can expect a weight lose somewhere about 10 pounds
in the first phase.
The
second phase continues until you reach the desired healthy
weight. In addition to first phase’s items you
can add some whole grains bread, brown rice, whole-wheat
pasta, fruits, and more veggies, like sweet potatoes,
pumpkin, and peas etc. Cake, cookies, ice cream, or
sugar will also be added back slowly into your diet
in Phase 2 while weight loss continues to around 1-2
pounds per week. There is no time limit for Phase 2
The third phase is the maintenance and lives 365 days
a year and continues for lifetime.
Allowed food lists, food and recipes of South Beach
Diet plan are readily available Online.
If your weight begins to climb up, return to phase one
and repeat the diet plan!
Note:
Consult your family doctor before starting your diet
plan.
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