Friday, March 9, 2007

The South Beach Diet - An Introduction to the South Beach Diet

Hoodia Weight Loss Diet Info

Are you tired of existing dieting fads? Have traditional methods been tried and failed? Worried about your image, weight, or just sick of not being the you that you want to be? If you're still looking for the right way to lose weight safely and effectively, try the South Beach Diet. It has been scientifically proven to aid quick weight loss whilst keeping your heart healthy.

Unlike other diets, this eating plan doesn't cut out whole food groups - on the contrary, it emphasizes healthy, good carbohydrates and the right fats for a good, balanced diet.

The founder, cardiologist Dr. Agatson created this diet after becoming dissatisfied with high-carb, low-fat diets, and wanted to create something that would keep the body healthy and reduce the risks of heart disease.

The first two weeks are an initial stage which heavily limits the number of carbohydrate products consumed. After this the diet helps you to battle food cravings and settle into a healthy eating plan to follow.

This plan can include healthier fats and carbohydrates, as it is not typically a “low” anything diet – it is not a deprivation diet. It is balanced and healthy, unlike fad diets, including all the vital food groups your body needs to keep you feeling satisfied and healthy.

Before starting any new diet, it is advised to have a consultation with your doctor, to make sure you are in good enough health to attempt it. Diets like these can cause problems for people with kidney problems or food intolerances.

The South Beach Diet book was released in 2003, and has proved consistently popular. Since then, the founder has followed up, writing two cook books and a food guide: all inspired by wanting to help better the health of patients with heart disease.

This diet narrows the intake of the unhealthy foods and promotes the intake of healthy ones, like good carbs and healthy fats, in order to reduce the risk of heart disease and the onset of diabetes.

Healthy carbs and fiber are important in a diet, they can maintain a strong immune system and help to keep your body healthy and trim.

Trying this diet is risk-free, providing you follow it carefully and speak to a doctor. Give this diet a try, you have nothing to lose but inches off your waistline, and a healthier, happier you to gain.


If you want to learn more about the South Beach Diet then please vist the website for more information on the South Beach Diet phases and South Beach Diet menu plans.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

South Beach Diet Plan

The South Beach Diet Plan kind of sounds like a reality TV show or something, but it actually is a bona fide diet that millions swear by. The South Beach Diet is one of those new breed of diets that sees carbohydrates as the key to weight loss and increased health.

Where the South Beach Diet Plan veers from the similar path taken by the Atkins Diet is in recommending that your servings of meat are leaner. The first two weeks or so require a severe reduction in the amount of carbs, but over time you are increase it gradually.

In addition, the South Beach Diet Plan divides carbohydrates into good and evil, rather than recommending an across the board cutting back. According to the South Beach Diet Plan, the good carbs are those that contain high fiber as being high in the good kind of fat, as well as having a low glycemic index. This basically just means that these carbs more easily digested and absorbed by the body.

The South Beach Diet Plan is separated into three distinct phases, though it is recommended throughout all three that ingesting the bad kind of fat be limited.

Phase I lasts two weeks, during which dieters avoid high-glycemic carbohydrates. These include such favorites as candies, bread, and sugar as well as those foods typically much easier to avoid such as potatoes, cereals and grains.

The idea of this two week phase is for the body to reduce its insulin resistance and start using its excess fat. But more on Phase I later.

The question often asked is whether the South Beach Diet Plan qualifies as just another fad diet or does it really have merit. Let’s look at the facts. The recommended caloric intake for the average person is from 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day. On the other hand, the caloric ceiling of South Beach Diet Plan is a mere 1500 calories per day. That’s not a whole lot of food, in case you weren’t aware. Cutting that many calories out of your diet per day is almost a guaranteed way of losing weight. But at what price?

One problem faced by many people who try it out is the tendency to go right back to their normal eating patterns once the desired weight is lost. Sensing this, the creators have actually done something rather ingenious. They have built the idea of falling off the wagon into the diet. The South Beach Diet Plan creator came up with this idea from personal experience.

He himself fell off the wagon and realized that a diet system needed to be established that dealt with that whole part of the psychology of dieting. Hence, the South Beach Diet Plan is easy enough to get right back into even after falling off track for a few days. Because there are three distinct phases to the diet, at any time things go all wacky, the dieter simply starts over again from phase one, which only lasts two weeks.


Author: Matt Garrett - © 2007 http://www.diethealthsecrets.com/ Discover which diet weight loss plans, pills and supplements really work and which are a waste of your money and time..

Monday, February 19, 2007

Cookbook Review - The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook

Don't let the name fool you; this cookbook is useful even for those not following the South Beach Diet.

To be honest, before receiving a copy of "The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook" (Rodale, 2005), I didn't know much about the South Beach Diet. I was under the assumption that it was another diet program that forbids all carbs - even good carbs. Much to my surprise, I couldn't have been more wrong! The premise of the South Beach Diet program is in line with my own philosophy: a lifestyle change in which one changes the way they eat (from unhealthy to healthy), and is a way of life that can definitely be adapted to. The South Beach Diet is based on the healthiest way to eat: good fats, good carbs, lean protein, lots of fiber, and nutrient-dense whole foods.

While "The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook" may have been written for South Beach dieters who were getting bored with their basic South Beach recipes, it appeals to everyone who wants to eat healthy. Included in this cookbook are 200 recipes that area ready in 30 minutes or less, with most requiring only 10 ingredients or less. In today's hectic world, this cookbook is great for saving cooking and shopping time!

Some of the recipes included are: buttermilk waffles with jam, tuna pasta salad, chicken quesadillas, and mini cocoa swirl cheesecakes (which are delicious, by the way). Those following the South Beach plan can easily find recipes to make according to which phase of the program they are in as each recipe is labeled as being Phase 1, 2 or 3. For those not following the South Beach plan, there is also nutritional information listed including serving size, calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbs, fiber, and sodium.

Not only are there full-color photos throughout, there's also information on dishes you can make without a recipe, advice on preparing foods ahead of time to make weeknight cooking a breeze, a glossary of ingredients, and food safety tips. The cookbook is broken down into the following sections:

Breakfast

Soups & Snacks

Salads

Fish & Shellfish

Poultry

Beef, Pork & Lamb

Vegetarian Entrees

Sides

Desserts

One thing I found is that certain salads are sometimes listed in other sections, such as the Beef, Pork & Lamb section, but this is understandable since the salad recipe includes beef.

Recommend for anyone who wants to eat healthier and have a variety of healthy recipes at their fingertips.

Jennifer Murray is a Certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Specialist and Shaklee Independent Distributor. She writes on a variety of topics including healthy foods and living a healthy lifestyle.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

A South Beach Diet Vitamin Supplement May be Needed

South Beach Diet vitamin supplement: Do I need one? Many people on low carbohydrate or no carbohydrate diets will benefit from taking some sort of multivitamins or herbal supplements. Any time you significantly reduce one form of food, you should supplement that reduction with a multi-vitamin.

Finding the right nutritional supplement can seem overwhelming if you have never taken a vitamin before. There are literally hundreds of different vitamins and multi-mineral supplements available at every grocery store. To help aid you in your search for the perfect nutritional supplement, here are some guidelines. Of course, this is not an extensive list of everything you should know, but it is a starting point for those that are unfamiliar with buying vitamin supplements.

Don't Believe the Hype

Just because a vitamin or supplement has a really good advertising campaign does not automatically make it the right vitamin for you, or even a good vitamin to begin with. Many companies can afford to spend thousands on their marketing ads but still provide a fairly poor product. Advertisers bet that their fancy ads will lure you into buying their products without paying attention to what ingredients are actually in them.

Gain Knowledge

Spend a little time figuring out what types of vitamins you are going to need according to your eating and activity habits. Consider getting a blood panel that can tell you what your vitamin levels are. Knowing where you are now is the best starting point for figuring out which vitamins you need to add to your diet.

The Internet is a great resource and full of valuable information on everything you can think of. Write down some specific questions you might have and start looking them up on the Internet. You might be surprised at how many people had similar questions and the answers are easily available.

Don't Spend Too Much

Yes, vitamins are expensive. But there is a difference between the cost of a generic brand of vitamin and a name brand vitamin. Don't spend your money on a name brand just because they advertise well. Look at the ingredients on the back of each bottle and compare the contents. You might be surprised at how similar two varieties of multivitamin supplement pills can be.

By being informed, you can avoid spending more for a product that is identical to a much cheaper version of a product. Why spend extra money if you don't have to? None of us like to spend money on things that we don't have to and even the richest of people don't want to just throw their money away. Take a second and compare labels; it will save you money!

Vitamins are a great way to add nutrients to your diet when you are not able to incorporate them into your meals. Be a smart shopper and do your research before making a purchase. By spending a couple extra hours finding out what is right for you, it will be more likely that you will find the right vitamin supplement to fit your needs.

Finding the multivitamin supplement that is right for you can be quite a challenge. For helpful and informative articles, resources, facts and tips to assist you toward better health please visit us at: http://www.yourmultivitaminsupplement.com/

Hoodia Weight Loss Diet Info