Recipes: Tropical Shrimp and Chinese Beef

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

Many South Beach Diet recipes are being formulated and set to help those who love to make their body fit and slim. Here are two that I'm
sure you'll like.

These South Beach Diet recipes are chosen from the South Beach Diet Cookbook, and are flavorful, easy to prepare, appetizing enough to spice up any mealtime, and
like all South Beach Diet recipes, they are good for you. And since the South Beach Diet recipes really focus on fresh, lean protein, seasonal produce, and heart-healthy fats just like the olive oil, it is understandable that these provided South Beach Diet recipes are perfect for a weekday family dinner
or a light and festive party fare.

Tropical Shrimp and Black Bean Salad

  • 1 pound if medium cooked shrimp, peeled
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 jicama, peeled
  • 1 ripe papaya, peeled, halved, seeded, and chopped
  • 2 kiwifruit
  • ½ medium red onion
  • ½ c chopped cilantro leaves
  • ¼ extra virgin olive oil.

This South Beach Diet recipe is so simple, since it requires no cooking. Get four serving plates and then arrange the shrimp, beans, jicama, papaya, kiwifruit, onion, and cilantro.
Drizzle with oil and serve!

Chinese Beef and Pepper Saladd

  • 1/3 reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • sugar substitute
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 clove garlic
  • a pound cooked London broil
  • 1 medium red bell pepper
  • 2 scallions – sliced

Whisk of soy sauce, oil, sherry, sugar substitute, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.
Add beef and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready, drain the beef and reserve marinade. Place the beef onto serving plate and toss with pepper and scallions. Serve with reserved marinade on the edge.

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South Beach Diet – History and Origins

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

The South Beach Diet was developed by a cardiologist named Dr. Arthur Agatston and a dietician named Marie Almon. This diet was developed to provide an alternative to low-fat diets during the 1980′s such as the Ornish Diet and Pritikin Diet. Dr. Agatston originally designed the South Beach Diet for his patients to help them prevent and fight against heart disease. Through word of mouth the diet gained popularity as a means to help lose weight in early 2000.

The South Beach Diet is often compared to many fads such as the Atkins Diet which promote low-carbohydrate diets. However, unlike diets such as Atkins, the South Beach Diet in principle seeks to replace the bad carbs with good carbs and bad fats with good fats.

Dr. Agatston believed that foods that are rich in carbohydrates which are digested very quickly by the body triggers the hunger cycle because such foods create spikes in the blood sugar. The Western diet typically includes foods that are made up in large part of heavy refined sugars and grains. South Beach Diet takes away foods that are high in these types of carbs and replaces them with whole grains, vegetables, and beans.

South Beach takes away foods that have trans-fats and frowns upon foods that have saturated fats. These types of foods are a leading contributor to heart disease and LDL cholesterol. Foods that are high in unsaturated fats and omega-3 fats replace unhealthy foods. The South Beach Diet consists of foods such as fish, lean meats, and nuts.

The South Beach diet restricts foods that are high in simple carbs such as white rice, white bread, and white potatoes. However, the South Beach Diet does not completely take away all carbs or measure the intake of carbs. This diet instead targets the source of carbs.

The South Beach Diet consists of three phases. The first phase of the diet takes place over the course of two weeks. During the first phase of the diet all processed carbs, sugars, fruits, and some vegetables that have a high-glycemic count are completely eliminated.

Foods such as rice, bread, pasta, fruit, baked goods, and potatoes are banned during the first phase of the diet. The goal and purpose of the first phase of the South Beach Diet is to take away the hunger cycle and produce a significant amount of weight loss. All types of alcohol including beer and wine are eliminated during Phase 1 and alcohol consumption during the long term diet is limited.

The second phase of the diet will continue as long as the dieter wants to lose weight. The second phase of the South Beach Diet re-introduces most vegetables and fruits and even some whole grains.

The third phase helps the dieter maintain a healthy eating lifestyle and is intended to last throughout their life. The South Beach Diet teaches you to eat foods that are normal in portions that are appropriate for a healthy lifestyle.

The South Beach Diet is one of the few diets that actually meet criteria for a healthy diet. This diet does not exclude any of the major food groups. The South Beach Diet is high in lean protein, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. It has all the components to help one lose weight and get on track to living a healthy lifestyle.

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Fad Diets…

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

They are called fad diets for a reason, and that’s because they don’t last long enough to do you any good. The here today, gone tomorrow mentality is how these fad diets exist.

They want to make you think that they are diets that work but they are usually not sustainable. Most work on the premise that you reduce your caloric intake to such a small amount that you can’t help but lose weight. You see results quickly, so it seems like a great diet.

The first reason they don’t work for long is that the amount of food you are allowed to have is so small. They are so low in calories you aren’t really eating enough to sustain your body. It can’t decide if you are trying to reduce your weight or if you are starving it. This in turn will understandably mess with your metabolism. When your metabolism slows down, you won’t lose weight. You will not burn the calories you consume, because your body doesn’t want to starve. In order to remain healthy, you should not eat less than 1200 calories in a day. Less than this and you could jeopardize your health.

The second reason fad diets aren’t diets that work is loss of muscle tone. Once your body thinks it is starving, it will start to use your muscles as its food source. By burning muscle to give you enough energy to get through a day you won’t be losing any fat. You may see a reduction in your weight on a scale, but in reality it is not a true representation. Once you increase the amount of calories you will see your weight climbing again.

The third reason fad diets aren’t diets that work is the most unbelievable of all the claims that they make. You can lose weight without exercise!!! While you want to believe this, it really isn’t something you can hope to achieve. Burning calories is what exercise does and if you aren’t giving those muscles a workout, how will you burn calories? The answer is, you won’t. All you will do is have those calories turn into more fat.

The fourth reason fad diets aren’t diets that work is that you will lose water weight instantly. Ask anyone who tries a fad diet where they spend most of their time in the beginning, and it will be the bathroom. Shedding excess water from their bodies shows up on the scale, but it is only temporary.

Number five is the biggest reason fad diets aren’t diets that work. You will feel so deprived because you are restricted in your food allowance that you will go back to a normal eating pattern when the diet is over. You will be thinking about the foods you love but can’t have when you are on this diet. So you promise yourself that when it is over you can eat them again. This leads to a pattern that can actually cause you to gain back more weight than you started with. Sticking with a balanced eating plan and exercise is the only real way to lose weight forever.

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