Overview
Originally created to help prevent heart disease by lowering the fat in people’s diets, the South Beach diet evolved into an eating plan that recommends eating healthier fats and carbohydrates. Unlike low-carbohydrate or high-protein diets, the South Beach diet focuses on eating carbohydrates better suited to heart health and weight loss, rather than the elimination or drastic reduction of all carbohydrates. While the wildly popular high-protein diets of the 1990s have begun to decline in popularity and support in the scientific community, the South Beach diet remains one of the less-controversial eating health plans.
History
Cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon created the diet to help prevent coronary disease in Agatston’s patients. Agatston investigated the contemporary recommendations prevalent during the 1980s for reducing fat in diets to lower cholesterol and otherwise prevent poor heart health. His research led him to believe that replacing proteins high in saturated fats with more carbohydrates led to an insulin reaction that created a hunger response which led to overeating.
“Bad” Carbs
The South Beach diet focuses on eliminating or reducing carbohydrates in the diet, which cause the insulin response that produces low blood sugar levels and hunger signals. These include foods like potatoes, pasta, baked goods, white rice and white bread.
“Good” Carbs
Replacing the “bad” carbohydrates with those that do not cause quick spikes in blood sugar levels is key to the South Beach diet. These foods include non-processed foods like fresh vegetables, beans and whole grains.
“Good” Fats
The South Beach diet reduces the amount of saturated and trans fats consumed, replacing them with unsaturated fats and foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids. These fats not only reduce risks for heart disease, but help raise high-density lipids (HDL) in the blood, or the so-called “good” cholesterol. The diet recommends foods such as high-fat fish, like salmon, nuts and olive oil.
Phases
The South Beach diet is divided into three phases to ease users into the new eating system. The first phase eliminates all processed carbohydrates, fruits and sugars to help change blood sugar levels. Phase two is an optional continuation of the first phase if the dieter wishes to continue the accelerated weight loss that typically occurs in phase one. Phase three is the diet’s long-term eating regimen of targeted fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
Comparison to Atkins
Due to its emphasis on reducing certain types of carbohydrates, the South Beach diet is frequently and incorrectly categorized as a low-carb diet, such as Dr. Robert Atkins high-protein diet. The South Beach diet is neither low-carbohydrate or high-protein; it includes both, but simply replaces high-fat proteins with leaner meats, and exchanges high-sugar carbohydrates with those with lower sugar levels. The vegetarian version of the South Beach diet could be viewed as a comparatively high-carbohydrate diet because of its percentage reliance on vegetables compared to animal protein.
About this Author
S. Alfred has been a writer, editor, publisher, lecturer and corporate and non-profit executive for more than 25 years. He has written for consumer and business publications such as “Entrepreneur,” Fit,” “SI for Kids’ Parent’s Playbook” and “Tennis.” He began writing professionally in 1983, and has two journalism degrees, including a BA from Northern Illinois University and an MSJ from Northwestern University.
