South Beach Diet - Sample Diet Plan

The South Beach Diet has been said to help you lose weight, feel good and possibly reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Well, the ultimate test is to try the diet yourself.

But first, it is a good idea to find out all about the diet and even get an example recipe so that you can decide for yourself it is for you.

The South Beach Diet was developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a Miami-based cardiologist who was looking for an eating plan that would help his patients reduce their risk of recurring heart problems. Many of the popular low-fat diets merely increased their insulin resistance, which can lead to heart disease and other problems.


By following his three-phase plan, dieters find themselves enjoying healthy, whole foods, losing weight and, perhaps best of all, establishing eating habits that will last a lifetime. That lifetime, Dr. Agatston argues, will likely be longer because followers of his plan are reducing the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

People who follow the South Beach Diet report a variety of positive results. The name of the game is usually weight loss, but some people report other positive results - controlling their diabetes without medication for the first time in their lives, feeling more energetic and with fewer aches and pains and even enjoying the delicious, wholesome food they get to eat.

During the first phase of the diet, during which you eliminate all carbs and only slowly add back the good carbs in phase 2, many people report feeling tired and fatigued, but the cure for that, according to fellow dieters, is to eat often, not just the three squares a day. Successful South Beach Dieters will eat every 2-3 hours.

Another concern people have is meal preparation. Exactly how much time, they say, will I have to spend preparing my meals? Again, it is quite simple. Let us look at a sample meal plan for one day during phase 2, when you can have some complex carbohydrates in moderation.

Breakfast

For breakfast, you might have eggs scrambled with vegetables like red peppers, mushrooms and onions (no potato or carrots) and 2 slices of lean bacon. You can have tomato juice or water to drink. Caffeine should be limited.

Lunch

For lunch, many South Beach dieters will have a salad, like this summer salad:
Ripe tomatoes cut in large chunks or slices
English cucumbers, sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced
2 tab. Blue cheese dressing
2 tab. Crumbled feta cheese

Pour the blue cheese dressing over the tomatoes and cucumbers, and then crumble the feta cheese on top. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.

This is also a great salad to take with you to work. You can pack the tomatoes and cucumber separate and add your dressing and cheese just before you eat. On phase 2, you might add a small piece of whole wheat pita bread to the salad meal.

Dinner
For dinner, you can grill chicken or fish, add some broiled asparagus with garlic and olive oil, and have a nice salad.

So, there it is. The delicious details of the South Beach Diet in a nutshell. Are you hungry yet? With any diet you are considering, always make sure that it sounds safe and sensible, and if you do decide to go ahead and try it, always monitor your results and see whether it is benefiting you.

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