The South Beach Diet

Arthur Agatston, M.D., the author of the best seller of The South Beach Diet claims that his diet meet the needs of the girl who's looking to drop just a few pounds (about five to seven in a month) without having to forfeit all the foods and drinks you love. We know, it sounds way too good to be true, but Dr. Agatston explains that the South Beach Diet's flexible rules are precisely what make the diet work. "This plan is about getting you to eat healthy, tasty foods that will make you feel satiated, so you'll never be hungry or tempted to overeat," he says. And it's that simplicity that sets it apart from the trendy, super-restrictive diets out there. You don't have to give up carbs cold turkey, weigh your food, count calories or limit your portions. The diet consists of three phases. The first is the most restrictive. During the initial two weeks, dieters must eliminate most carbohydrates, including bread, cereal, rice, all fruit juices and fruit, and dairy products like ice cream, milk and yoghurt.

What's the logic?
Mainly it's the resolution of insulin resistance brought on by eating too many of what Agatston calls "bad," or processed, carbs. By the end of this phase, according to the literature, unhealthy cravings should vanish.
In Phase Two, what Agatston calls "good" carbohydrates - fiber-filled cereals and wheat breads - are reintroduced, but "bad" carbs like bagels, cookies and pasta remain off-limits. This phase lasts until the dieter slims down.
Phase Three is called the maintenance phase - essentially a return to a dieter's normal eating habits in moderation. If dieters overindulge, they are encouraged to return to Phase One.
In all phases, dieters are instructed to drink at least eight glasses of water or decaffeinated beverages a day and to take a daily calcium supplement. Instead of calorie count, the South Beach Diet is based on serving sizes and ingredients provided in sample menus and recipes. When added up, however, the daily calorie counts in Phase One and Two are between 1,200 and 1,600. In Phase Three, the count falls between 1,600 and 2,000.

How it works?
Carbs vs. Protein
Banish Bad Carbs
According to Dr. Agatston, not all carbohydrates will add junk to your trunk. Good carbs (such as whole-grain breads and cereals, brown rice and many vegetables) are full of fibre and thus take longer for the body to break down. For this reason, they make you feel full for a long period of time so you don't overeat. But bad carbohydrates (sugar, beer, white rice, white bread, white potatoes and flour), are a major problem. They zip through your stomach and flood your bloodstream with sugar, causing your insulin (a hormone that influences the way we metabolize food) levels to spike. When you're eating a lot of bad carbs, your insulin is so busy processing the sugar that it doesn't have time to do its other job, which is to help the body burn fat. So guess what? The fat ends up sticking around. Not to mention the fact that the insulin spike is always followed by a drop, which results in tough-to-control cravings for more bad carbs. One additional factor: Carbohydrates cause the body to retain water, so eliminating them altogether for a limited amount of time will cause you to quickly shed a few pounds of water weight and seeing the number on the scale go down is incredibly motivating.

Make Lean Protein Part of Every Meal
Meat fills you up and slows down the speed at which your body digests carbs, making it an essential part of this diet. But Dr.Agatston says that contrary to what your friends on Atkins may tell you, it's impossible to maintain long-term weight loss on an all-you-can-stand bacon diet. A lot of meat is full of saturated fat, which also seems to have an adverse effect on insulin level. And studies have shown that women who eat a lot of fats tend to be heavier. So pass on the burgers and incorporate skinless chicken and turkey, lean pork, fish, shellfish, non-fatty cuts of beef (such as tenderloin and sirloin) into your diet. Eggs, nuts and beans are also good sources of protein.

Avoid Fat-Free Labels
According to Dr Agatston saturated fats will cause weight gain, the unsaturated fats found in salmon, olive oil, canola oil and avocado probably won't. These good fats, when used in moderation, actually help slow down the digestive process, which prevents the insulin spike caused by carbs. Plus, they fill you up and make your food taste better. That's why, says Dr. Agatston, it's actually beneficial to your waistline to have a little fat with your carbs (such as a drizzle of olive oil on your whole wheat bread).
It turns out that the real thing to fear when it comes to fat is actually fat-free foods. The fat content is almost always replaced with a much greater evil: sugar, which as we know is a bad carb that wreaks havoc on insulin levels. And while these mock treats may be fat-free, they often have as many calories (if not more) than the real thing. One exception to this rule: dairy products. Since cheese and yogurt have a lot of saturated fat and calories, stick to low- and no-fat versions

Eat Six Times a Day
Yep, you read that correctly. It may seem counterintuitive, but Dr. Agatston swears that eating three substantial meals a day, plus three snacks will actually help you slim down. Eating frequently stabilizes your blood sugar and prevents it from dropping to the point where you resort to an uncontrollable binge. It also keeps your metabolism revving, so your body doesn't go into starvation mode and start conserving calories."
Say Yes to Smart Dessert
Dessert and diets rarely go hand in hand, but Dr. Agatston cites that a big reason other diets fail is because they forbid sweet stuff. The key is to keep desserts sugar-free and under 100 calories.

Don't Get Hung Up on Portion Control
Eat too much of anything and you'll gain weight, but according to Dr. Agatston when you're eating the right things, portion control takes care of itself. In other words, once you start eating more protein and fewer carbs, you'll start to feel fuller faster, and you will want to eat much less. One exception to this liberal rule: nuts, which are healthy but high in fat. Be sure to limit your intake to 15 a day.

Drinking Dos & Don'ts
Skip Beer and Mixed Drinks
Beer contains a sugar called maltose, which raises your blood sugar. If you absolutely have to have one, opt for a low-carb version. Hard alcohols (vodka, gin and whiskey), on the other hand, have less potential to raise your blood sugar. Hard alcohol itself isn't a huge fat trap, but sugar-packed mixers, such as orange and cranberry juices, are what will get you, so it's smart to stay away.
Drink Wine Instead
Dr. Agatston gives wine, especially heart-healthy red, the go-ahead. “Wine will slow down the speed at which you digest a meal," he explains. "So it's actually beneficial to your weight-loss goals to have one glass with dinner." Now we're talking! But unfortunately, banking your drinks for the week and downing them all on the weekend won't help your waistline. Binge drinking puts too many calories into your body at one time for your metabolism to handle. But the problem with drinking alcohol extends beyond drinks themselves. Self-discipline goes out the door the minute you start getting tipsy - making devouring a whole pizza seem like a good idea.

Say Sayonara to Soft Drinks...or Switch to Diet
Ever check out the label on a can of coke? Soft drinks are essentially nothing more than sugar and caffeine (which stimulates hunger). Although water is best, Dr. Agatston says diet caffeine-free soda is a better choice if you can't resist.

Go for Flavour
Reach for Zingy Condiments
Hot sauce, salsa, horseradish, mustard and balsamic vinegar add flavor to even the blandest foods. These extras aren't high in calories, and even if they were, it's unlikely that you'd eat a large amount of food doused with them. One condiment caution: Curb your use of ketchup and honey, which are loaded with sugar.
Make Cheating Worth Your While
Every few weeks, go ahead and have what you're really craving (like, say, a piece of chocolate cake) and enjoy every last bite. When you try to be a "virtuous cheater" by opting for the diet version of what you desire, you tend to eat more of the ‘fake’ food because you don't feel satisfied. Ultimately, you'll likely cave and consume the real thing anyway. And don't be too hard on yourself if you cheat every once in a while. Dr. Agatston says just to get back on your horse and forget about it. A little indulgence every few weeks never killed anyone...or anyone's diet.

Recipes you can try at home:
Sage & Rosemary Pork
Butterflying the pork loin open, filling it, and then rolling it back up is a great way to infuse flavor into the loin. This recipe is perfect when you're having guests over for dinner.
Serves: 6 main-dish servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: About 1 hour
Filling:
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt


Pork Loin:
1 boneless centre pork loin roast (about 2 pounds)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kitchen string for tying roast
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs for garnish

1. Prepare filling: In small bowl, combine garlic, oil, parsley, sage, rosemary, Dijon, pepper, and salt.
2. Prepare pork loin: Preheat oven to 350° F. Butterfly pork loin: With long sharp knife parallel to work surface, and starting at one long side, horizontally cut pork loin three-quarters of the way through and open like a book. Place butterflied pork between two sheets of plastic wrap. With flat side of meat mallet or with rolling pin, pound pork to about 1/2 inch thickness.
3. Sprinkle top side of pork with half of salt and pepper, then spread evenly with filling, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Starting at narrow end, roll pork to enclose filling. With string, tie pork at 1 1/2-inch intervals to hold its shape.
4. Rub pork with oil and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Place pork, seam side down, in small roasting pan (13" by 9") in centre of oven. Roast pork, uncovered, 1 hour or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of roast reaches 150° F and the juices run clear. (Internal temperature of meat will rise to 155° F upon standing.)
5. When roast is done, transfer to warm platter and let stand 10 minutes to set juices for easier carving.
6. To prevent slices from unrolling, skewer the pork every 3/4 inch with wooden skewers along the edge where the roll ends. Slice crosswise between skewers and string. Remove skewers and string before serving. Garnish with rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs.