According to the contents of The South Beach Diet book, eating good carbs and good fats spread over a day in small portions will balance blood levels of glucose, insulin, cholesterol and other coronary heart disease markers. In general it is a high protein, high fiber, low carb and low animal fat diet.

This diet was developed to help prediabetic and heart disease patients with high levels of (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels. This balance is achieved by completely avoiding refined carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed and high on the glycemic index, and by avoiding Trans Fatty Acids and saturated animal fats.

No products containing sugar, fruit juices, potatoes, refined grains (breads, pastas, white rice (brown rice is ok)) are allowed. Fatter cuts of beef, poultry, pork, full fat diary, cheese, and butter are also on the “not allowed” list. A glass of red wine a day is ok but not beer. Fish, seafood, chicken, turkey (white meat only), lean ham, eggs and almost all vegetables are allowed.

Actually when calculating the menus in the book, the total caloric intake per day is about 1200 making this diet just like most of the other ones on the market of Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD). The science is not backed by any studies known. It hard to find a reason to keep “The South Beach Diet” off the fad diet list.

The menus are the same for each person regardless of current weight, age or gender. In this diet a 35 year old male is on the same low calorie diet, as 35 year old women, or an 80 year old very obese man. The reduction is not a good diet for the 35 year old women, not to mention the health concerns to the 80 year old man.

However, the basics of this diet are good in lowering the bloods (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels, but only in the general principle. You can follow this diet for the suggested foods but not the amounts without destroying lean muscle tissue. See Starvation Mode.

One of the biggest problems with this diet is the complete disregard on exercise. This reason alone makes this diet a very poor choice. Below I have listed what the Pros and Cons as the book states. My comments will be just below the Pro or Con.

THE PROS

Very Simple
What other reviewers have said: No counting of fat, calorie or carbs. Very little measuring.
Our thoughts: There could not be a more incorrect statement about this diet. It even tells you eat only 15 almonds or drink only 6oz of juice, 2 tbls of low sugar salad dressing. It is true that the menu does not count fat due to the specific use of items such as, skim or low fat milk, I can’t believe it not butter, light cheese, grilled chicken breast. It is not necessary to count the fat in these items.

Individual Control
What other reviewers have said: Allows each individual to control the foods they consume. This allows for people to adjust the carb consumption depending on their sensitivity to the carb, thus reducing their carb carvings.
Our thoughts: We feel this is not really a pro for the South Beach Diet since the book lacks information to help you test your sensitivity to each carb.

Minimum Saturated Fats
What other reviewers have said: The selection of the food in this diet automatically reduces the amount of saturated fats. This in turn helps lower the levels of (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels.
Our thoughts: See the comment above about counting fats.

THE CONS

Use of Glycemic Index
What other reviewers have said: The South Beach Diet uses the glycemic index when evaluating foods. This glycemic index is a little difficult to understand, and I have found most people who try to understand about glycemic index and glycemic loads give up and just accept what the book tells them.
Our thoughts: We agree the Glycemic index may be hard to understand and but are more concerned that the statement on how the GI effects the sugar level is unproven by any scientific study.

More Phases
What other reviewers have said:
Phase 1 is the strictest and it is suggested for the 2 weeks. No fruit, alcohol or whole grain carbohydrate is allowed only fish, eggs, lean meats, limited low fat diary and leafy vegetables are eaten.
In Phase 2, fruit, nuts, whole grain products, red wine if desired are added gradually.
Phase three is the maintenance phase.
Our thoughts: Aren’t all fad diets in phases, limiting you to extreme caloric intake, thus reducing your weight by many pounds? What it does not tell you is that more of the pounds lost are of water and lean muscle mass than of fat.

RULES, RULES AND MORE RULES
What other reviewers have said: Except when it comes to adding carbs back in. The diet gives the individual a lot of power, which may not be enough in the short term.
Our thoughts: Short term? Aren’t we looking for long term fat loss?

Confusion
What other reviewers have said: Quite a few aspects of the diet that don’t really fit together well.
Our thoughts: All you have to do is read the book, you will find inconsistencies though out.

Recommendations

We do not recommend this diet as a weight loss (fat loss) diet. The problem occurs in the very low calorie intake and the blatant disregard for exercise. The general advice on the foods you eat is good for those people needing to better cholesterol and triglycerides numbers. As for blood sugars, the jury is still out.

We do recommend a personalized weight control plan. Our plan would eliminate the understanding of the confusing Glycemic index; there are no phases, no strict rules. no counting, and our plan is very much an individual plan. Your plan is your plan, what works for you! You can find some unique and smart information on how you can plan on your weight control for life. If you want a plan that solves these problems click on Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. Yes it will take real dedication and goal settings. As we all know nothing good is ever easy, but it can be fun!