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South Beach Diet Study

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Introduction The South Beach Diet, which originated with Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist, began as a response to the growing rate of heart disease patients in the United States. He found that many of the fad diets were focused on high carbohydrates, which were not affecting the type of weight loss needed to reduce heart disease. The center, or heart of the diet, is focused on healthy lifestyle living, and maintenance around nutritional choices. The South Beach diet focuses on three phases: Phase one is the kickoff to weight-loss; eliminating all carbohydrates. Phase two focuses on the re-introduction to carbohydrates; making healthier carb choices. Phase three is about diet maintenance and making healthier lifestyle choices. With …show more content…

This seems simple enough but the vast majority of people today jump on fad diets due to their lack of resources and time. They want the quickest way to lose weight fast. The diet does not involve additional supplementation or specific exercise routines. The diet itself is continually changing due to new research and frequently asked questions from dieters. In fact the creator of the South Beach Diet, Dr. Arthur Agatston, provides a website where subscribers can ask questions and read up on new changes. Critics of the diet argue that the diet does not stress exercise as much as it should. Dr. Agatston states that only 20 minutes of exercise a day is enough while on this diet. The critics argue that of those trying to lose weight, 20 minutes is not enough; especially for those who are already out of shape (Mercola & Vaszily, 2007). The South Beach Diet’s mainstay is that through smart food choices, the dieter can maintain his or her weight. A Case for Legitimacy? Along with the South Beach diet, there are literally hundreds of other diet programs on the market that supposedly offer a healthy weight-loss solution to the dieter. However, most of these, including the South Beach diet, are considered fad diets simply for the fact that most of the people that go on them only stay on them a short period of time. Because of this fact, the legitimacy of these diets must be questioned. In the case of

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