by Fiona Simpson

The glamorously titled South Beach Diet allows you to consume all of the major food groups in moderation. It recommends you eat:

- regular amounts of lean proteins such as fish and chicken
- sizeable amounts of healthy fats such as those found in nuts and olive oil
- small amounts of the better carbohydrates such as those found in fruit
- unlimited amounts of low-glycemic-index vegetables. The glycemic index is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood/sugar levels. High glycemic index foods are broken down quickly during digestion resulting in a fast release of sugar or glucose into the blood. Low glycemic index foods breakdown slowly resulting in a more gradual release of glucose into the blood stream.

As you can see, the South Beach plan is essentially just a healthy common sense diet - not too much sugar and not too much fats other than the essential variety our body needs.

Are there any phases or stages to the diet?

The South Beach diet involves three distinct phases:

Phase I
The initial stage of the South Beach Diet lasts for two weeks and is more strict than the second and third phases. It emphasizes lean proteins, fat-free or low-fat cheese, nuts, eggs, tofu, legumes, healthy types of fat and low-glycemic-index vegetables.

Phase III
The final phase of the plan is what you are supposed to follow for the rest of you life. It is simply the ability to switch between the phases as desired. For example if you need to lose some weight quickly for your holidays you should temporarily move back to phase one.

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