South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet plan was created by cardiologist Dr Arthur Agatston based at Mount Sinai Hospital – in South Florida. The diet was originally developed for overweight heart patients. The patients experienced excellent results, not only in their general health but also lost weight.

Since hitting the shelves, Agatston’s book The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss has remained a bestseller (despite a pretentious subtitle). The diet is becoming known as the “healthy” version of the Atkins diet. This diet is good – very good, and includes foods such as whole grains, healthy fats, fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables.

Phase1

Breakfast Tomato juice, 6 oz Scrambled eggs with fresh herbs and mushrooms Canadian bacon, 2 slices Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Snack Part-skim mozzarella cheese stick

Lunch Chicken Caesar salad (no croutons) Prepared Caesar dressing, 2 Tbsp

Snack Low-fat cottage cheese (½ cup) with ½ cup chopped tomatoes and cucumbers

Dinner Mahi mahi Oven-Roasted Vegetables Arugula salad Low-sugar prepared dressing

Dessert Lemon Peel Ricotta Crème

Phase 2

Breakfast Berry smoothie (8 oz Dannon Light ‘n Fit fruit-flavored yogurt, ½ cup berries, ½ cup crushed ice, blended) Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Snack 1 hard-boiled egg

Lunch Lemon Couscous Chicken Tomato and cucumber slices

Snack Dannon Light ‘n Fit yogurt, 4 oz

Dinner Meat Loaf Steamed asparagus Mushrooms sautéed in olive oil Sliced Bermuda onion and tomato with drizzled olive oil

Dessert Sliced cantaloupe with 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese

Phase 3

Breakfast ½ grapefruit Tex-Mex eggs (2 eggs scrambled with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and salsa) Whole grain toast, 1 slice Decaf coffee or decaf tea with fat-free milk and sugar substitute

Lunch Roast Beef Wrap Nectarine

Dinner Grilled salmon with tomato salsa Tossed salad (mixed greens, cucumbers, green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes) Olive oil and vinegar to taste or 2 Tbsp low-sugar prepared dressing

Dessert Chocolate-Dipped Apricots