South Beach Diet
October 27th 2010 · 0 Comments
The South Beach Diet occupies a very unique diet niche very different from the low fat and carb variations it is erroneously associated with. That is the first misconception we have to clarify. What it focuses on is consuming the right kinds of fats and carbohydrates, prescribing the intake of unsaturated fats and omega3 rich fatty acids over trans-fats and saturated fats and slow to digest carbohydrates over ones that is quickly converted to simple sugars. So it isn’t a low fat or carb diet but a smart carb and fat diet.
Designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon originally to prevent heart disease, their patients found that the weight loss the diet induced was evident and rapid and word quickly spread about the program. Dr. Agatston focused on the effects of carbohydrates that were rapidly digested into glucose in inducing hunger pangs and elevated insulin levels that resulted in low blood sugar levels. He found that in order to combat these cyclic bouts of hunger, carbohydrates taken in should be slow to digest so that the glucose they are converted to can be gradually introduced to the bloodstream, not in bursts.
It is with this design and its basis on the Glycemic Index, a standard form of measurement of carbohydrates based on how quickly it is digested and converted to glucose developed by Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto in 1981, that lends the South Beach diet its unique niche in the lexicon of diet plans. It consists of three stages, each one progressively more liberal in terms of carbohydrate intake than the previous one. Stage one lasts two weeks and prohibits the consumption of sugars, fruits, select vegetables with higher Glycemic ratings as well as processed and simple carbohydrates. This stage has drastic weight loss and eliminates the hunger cycles. The second stage allows for a little whole grains and most fruits and veggies. Stage three is more of a way of life rather than a diet regimen; it involves understanding the principles of the South Beach Diet which is healthy fats and carbs.
More than general-opinion assumptions on the South Beach Diet, understanding how and why it works will be more beneficial to people looking for a long-term health oriented dietary regimen and not a three-month fad diet. Though recently associated with low fat and carb diets, the principles of this diet are more scientifically sound and health focused. The South Beach Diet is not a lose-weight fast promise, the weight loss is simply a by product of heart disease prevention dietary planning with a corrective and not exclusionary nutrition focus.
This is definitely a great diet plan to consider, not only for weight loss, but for excellent long term health as well. In fact, it is one of the best diet plans available on the market today.
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Tags: deit plan, glycemic index, heart disease prevention, south beach diet, weight loss
By madpooch3