Making sense of slimming

“How safe is the South Beach Diet?”  is a question regularly asked amongst those who want to shed some of those surplus pounds. People are naturally skeptical due to the fact that in the past so many crash diets have resulted in a rapid weight loss and just as rapid a weight gain as soon as the food intake reverts back to normal. Various health issues of a serious nature are often associated with these faddy diets too. However, when you follow the South Beach Diet you will be losing weight in as healthy a way as possible, even though it may seem that the changes you are making in your eating habits are somewhat unnatural to begin with.

What are the benefits of the South Beach Diet? The biggest benefit found on the South Beach Diet isn’t weight loss. It’s learning how to eat healthier. The South Beach Diet teaches you how to tell the difference between good and bad carbs, and clues you in on what fats are ok to eat and which ones aren’t. These simple facts are what make the South Beach Diet so effective.

Any doctor or nutritionist will tell you not to eat too much junk food because it is difficult for your body to digest. That means cutting out foods high in sugar and saturated fats, like chips and candy. From the beginning of the South Beach Diet - in Phase 1 - you begin to lower your intake of sweets to 75 calories a day.

The removal of fruits and grains during Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is often another bone of contention.  This is because we know and understand these foods to be healthy so we question why we should have to give them up at this stage of the diet.  South Beach Diets answer to that is, yes, these things are good for us, but only in moderation.

You may be pleased to know that Phase 1 only lasts for fourteen days so there is no need to despair as these favorite items are not lost forever. The diet is just trying to educate you to eat these products in a much healthier way.  Phase 2 sees the reappearance of fruits and grains on the menu which allows you to eat these foods because you actually want to and not because you are craving for them.

The effects of the diet on pregnant women have also been an issue of concern.  It is a well known fact that women who are pregnant require a specific kind of nutrition and for this reason it s recommended that they start the diet at Phase 2 level which is less restrictive on the items they require during pregnancy.

Likewise, due to the fact that growing is still taking place and two weeks without grains and fruit can make them lethargic, teenagers are quite often discouraged from following the South Beach Diet.

If you are interested in following the South Beach Diet but aren’t sure it is right for you, speak with your doctor or nutritionist. Since all of us have different physiology, talking to a professional is always a good idea when entering into any diet program. Perhaps the South Beach Diet is the right one for you, but you may need to adjust some things here and there. A nutritionist or physician can assist you with this.