Dangers Of The South Beach Diet
There are many risks and dangers involved in the south beach diet, in spite of it being one of the most used and implemented diets. The south beach diet had been developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, who propagated this diet for teaching dieters to eat the right carbs and the right fats. Basically the south beach diet has three phases and in the first phase the dieter had to banish their bad carb cravings and induce rapid weight loss. During the second phase, the dieters were allowed to eat some types of carbs and these were reintroduced.
In the second phase of the south beach diet, the process of weight loss is slower. And the final phase of this diet is also known as the Diet for Life phase, which is the maintenance diet. This diet is programmed to be followed for the rest of the dieter's life and if in any point of time during this phase, the dieter begins to gain unwanted pounds, and then he or she has to go back to the induction and pre-maintenance phases again so that they can start resuming weight loss again.
In this first phase of the south beach diet, there is a lot of emphasis on protein from high-quality meat sources. A lot of stress is also given on fresh vegetables and salads with real olive oil dressing. But here all foods with carbs, which include bread, rice, pastas, potatoes, baked goods, etc., are avoided. Apart from these even soy milk, cheese and yogurt, even the vegetables like beets, carrots and corn and all fruit are forbidden during this 14-day induction phase. Also the yummy and calorie laden goods like candy, cake, ice cream and sugar are avoided.
Here the dieter is encouraged to have three meals a day with a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack. And he or she is also given a daily meal plan, which includes strict portion control in the induction phase. For example, their daily snack is 20 peanuts or 30 pistachios, but unlike Atkins the diet does not allow unlimited protein consumption. In the later phases of the diet some of the strict portion controls ends and the dieters can eat until satiated.
In the later stages many of the forbidden foods can be slowly reintroduced and they may also be modified in the second phase of the diet. In the second phase, the aim of the diet is to help the dieter reach their goal but even here white flour products, potatoes, beets, corn, carrots, and sweet fruits like banana and pineapple are not permitted.
But the South Beach Diet is very demanding for people accustomed to carbohydrate-rich diets as they get back to normal eating habits very soon. The lapsing into the old eating habits is the biggest danger here as it results in faster weight gain and this danger may then be a new way of life. Most of the people are not able to follow these diets for a long time and dieters are not getting adequate portions of their essential nutrients, which creates health problems.