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South Beach Diet Essay

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History of South Beach Diet The South Beach Diet is a diet plan designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon. In 1995, Dr. Agatston developed a diet to prevent heart disease for his cardiac and diabetes patients. According to the South Beach Diet website, Agatstaion knew that a low-fat diet would reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease, but patients had a hard time sticking to the diet. Agatson wanted to find out the reason why his patients had a hard time sticking to the low-fat diet. So he turned to David Jenkins, who was working with insulin resistance. After researching with Jenkins, Agatstion found out the reason why the low-fat diets was not working because patients on low-fat diets where consuming more …show more content…

(South Beach Diet Online, 2010) Agatstion set up the study by having 30 patients on South Beach Diet and 30 patients on the American Heart Association diet. The study was conducted for 12 weeks and the South Beach Diet showed better results.“After 12 weeks, those on his program lost an average of 13.6 pounds, almost twice that lost by those in the other group. They also had a greater reduction in "belly fat" (the telltale hip-to-waist ratio with its implicit warning of heart risk), improved blood chemistry and a lower dropout rate--one instead of five.”(Hager,2004, pg#)Agatstaton’s diet became popular through local television station picked up the story. After that it was history and Agatstaton wrote his book called the “South Beach Diet” South Beach Diet is full of fiber riched vegetables, and whole grains, legumes, lean sources of protein, low-fat dairy products, and good fats from foods such as omega-3-rich fish, healthy oils like extra-virgin olive and canola oils, and nuts. Also the diet includes cooking rules of only bake, broil, steam, and roast; no frying. (Hager, 2005, pg. 65) South Beach Diet is broken up into three phases. Phase 1 lasts for the first two weeks of the diet. It consists of lean protein, such as fish and other seafood, skin less white-meat poultry and lean cuts of beef, soy protein, high-fiber veggies, reduced-fat cheeses, eggs; low-fat dairy, and healthy, unsaturated fats, such as those found in

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