South Beach Diet

The South Beach diet was created by Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist and Marie Almon, a dietician. This diet doesn't use low-fat steps. It leaves the approaches of the Pritikin diet behind, even though it was designed for cardiac health, to prevent heart issues. As a weight loss plan, it gained more fans because of its apparent success. 

The authors believed that a low-fat diet still saw dieters eating as much food as they always did and merely exchanged the fat for sugars and simple carbs. It was believed this lead to hunger. Empty calories and hunger are an unhealthy combination, and can increase heart problems, high blood pressure and kidney issues.

The South Beach diet replaces bad fats and bad carbs with good fats and good carbs. The diet encourages the dieter to consume nutrient rich foods, while maintaining a balanced intake of fats and natural sugars. 

"Good carbs" vs "bad carbs"
According to Agatston, hunger cycles are triggered not by carbohydrates in general, but by carbohydrate-rich foods that the body digests quickly, creating a spike in blood sugar. Such foods include the heavily refined sugars and grains that make up a large part of the typical Western diet. The South Beach Diet eliminates these carbohydrate sources in favor of relatively unprocessed foods such as vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Carbohydrate sources are considered "good" only if they have a low glycemic index.

"Good fats" vs "bad fats"
Given that South Beach Diet was designed by a cardiologist, it should be no surprise that it eliminates trans-fats and discourages saturated fats. Although foods rich in these "bad fats" do not contribute to the hunger cycle, they do contribute to LDL cholesterol and heart disease. The South Beach Diet replaces them with foods rich in unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acid which contribute to HDL cholesterol and provide other health benefits. Specifically, the diet excludes the fatty portions of red meat and poultry, replacing them with lean meats, nuts, and oily fish.

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