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Is the South Beach Diet Really Safe?

May 26th, 2008 · No Comments

by Linda Miller

“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.

So when you are thinking about trying the South Beach Diet and trying to discover whether or not it is safe, there are a few things you should bear in mind. First of all, what exactly does the South Beach Diet have to offer? The answer to this question is that as soon as you start following a diet which makes you aware of bad carbohydrates and saturated fats, you are definitely going to be healthier - and the South Beach Diet does just that.

There are many foods out there that are not good for us to eat: candy, chips, cake, chili cheese fries. Eating a lot of foods that are high in both sugar and saturated fat is part of an extremely unhealthy diet. In Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, you eliminate these problematic foods from your diet by reducing your “sweet calories” to 75 per day.

Is it safe to stop eating fruits and grains during Phase 1? Another part of the South Beach Diet that is sometimes questioned is the removal of fruits and grains during Phase 1. We have been taught over the years that these foods are healthy, and they are. The South Beach Diet just teaches us that these foods are better for us when we consume them in moderation.

Phase 1 is generally thought of as the most difficult part of the South Beach Diet, but it only lasts two weeks. This time is used to break your body’s addiction to sugars and carbs, and you emerge with a nice start on your weight loss. Best of all, you no longer crave those foods. As you enter Phase 2, you begin eating them again on different terms.

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.

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