South Beach Diet ( Indian Version)

SOUTH BEACH DIET
(Indian Version)



Hi!! My name is Archana. I am just one of the millions of Indians with weight and diet problems. Since our childhood, fitness was never a part of our lives. The result is overweight and unhealthy diet. I found a solution to this through my personal experience. Exactly 3 months back I was 40 lbs overweight when a doctor suggested me the South Beach Diet. The South Beach Diet helps you lose weight, banish cravings, shrink your belly--without ever feeling hungry. The South Beach Diet is created by Dr. Arthur Agatston, MD a renowned cardiologist from Florida. After treating many patients with complaints from high cholesterol after they were on the Atkins diet ( Which allows you to eat low carb and high fats) , he came up with the South Beach Diet. This diet is neither low-fat nor low-carb. Instead, it teaches you to eat the right fats and right carbs - so you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and get rid of cravings without feeling hungry. The South Beach Diet, if followed as told lets you lose from 8-13 lbs in the first 2 weeks. I am on this diet since 3 months and I lost a total of 30 lbs. (Please note that I have been doing 2 hours of high impact aerobics as well which supplemented my weight loss).
The reason that inspired me to create this website is when I was on the South Beach Diet, I had hundreds of doubts and questions like what to eat and what not. Since I am a vegetarian by choice, I had great trouble with substituting the meat with vegetables. Since meat is the most important form of nutrient, I had to substitute it with a list of foods. Another reason is, as you know, we Indians love spicy food. Aand most of the recipes I found in the diet is designed for Americans and they are bland. So I came up with and Indianized version of the diet after spending endless hours on the research. I would like to share the results with you so that it makes you easier to follow this diet.

First, let me tell you something. I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist. But after going through the whole weight loss process myself I think I am really qualified to do this. Before I go into the diet points, you should know what actually happens in your body after you take carb rich food. As soon as the intake of carb rich food like rice or baked goods happens, the Pancreas ( which injects insulin to digest the food) pumps tons of insulin into the body which makes the food digest pretty soon giving you instant energy. But what actually happens is, this energy is burnt rapidly leaving you tired and craving for more carbs again and again. Before I started this diet I was so craving for carbs that compelled me to eat more and more carbs. I thought I was just being a greedy-eater. But that’s not so. It is purely physical. On the other hand when you eat protein rich food, the pancreas keeps pumping insulin at regular intervals which gives you a constant flow of energy and smooth metabolism. There is a big problem with highly processed food because the food is stripped of its fiber and nutrients in the processing and you end up eating the carb rich core of the food. Please remember, any food which is unprocessed is good for health. Since we are eating the food minus all the proteins, the digestion process starts right in the factory it is being processed. This makes us more and more hungry for carbs.

Once you start the South Beach Diet, the 1st week is the toughest because the body craves a lot. Since we have been abusing the body with all the bad carbs and sugars which it really doesn’t need, it forces your mind to take those. Please be patient, it will pass. Anyways, enough of the intro, Let’s get to work.

The South Beach Diet will guide you through the three phases of the weight-loss program. You'll learn how to lose weight while eating foods you enjoy-and you won't have to count calories or restrict portion sizes. And you will lose the fat around your mid-section (Belly) first.


• Phase 1: Banishing Your Cravings. Eliminate your cravings for sweets and starches.
• Phase 2: Reintroducing Carbs. Gradually reintroduce "good" carbs into your diet.
• Phase 3: A Diet for Life. Continue eating good carbs and fats, and maintain healthy eating for the rest of your life.







Phase 1: Two Weeks of Restraint

This is the strictest part of the diet and is meant to last for 2 weeks only. But you could lose up to 13 lb depending on your starting weight. It allows ample portions of protein, good fats, and the lowest-glycemic index carbs needed for satisfaction and blood sugar control. By the time this phase ends, your cravings for sweets, baked goods, and starches will also have vanished. Meals should be of normal size, enough to satisfy you, but no more than that. No need to measure most things.

Foods to Enjoy Foods to Avoid
Poultry (skinless): Turkey bacon, turkey breast, chicken breast.
Seafood: All types of fish and shellfish.
Cheese (fat-free or low-fat): American, Cheddar, cottage cheese, cream cheese substitute (dairy-free), feta.
Nuts: Peanut butter, peanuts, pecans, pistachios.
Eggs: Whole eggs are not limited Use egg whites and egg substitute as desired in 1st phase.
Vegetables: Beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes.
Legumes: Beans, Lentils, Peas, All pulses like Urad dal, Moong dal, Toor dal, Chick Peas (Channa), Brown Channa and Soy Beans.
Fats: Canola and olive oils.
Spices and seasonings: All seasonings that contain no added sugar, broth, butter sprays, pepper.
Sugars : Use sugar-substitute as needed Poultry: Chicken wings, thighs, and legs, turkey wings, duck, goose, poultry products (processed).
Cheese: Brie, Edam, all full-fat.
Vegetables and legumes: Barley, beets, black-eyed peas, carrots, corn, pinto beans, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, yams.
Fruit: Avoid all fruits and fruit juices during Phase 1.
Starches: Avoid all starchy food during Phase 1, including all types of bread, cereal, matzo, oatmeal, rice, pasta, pastry, potatoes, and baked goods.
Dairy: Avoid all dairy foods during Phase 1, including ice cream, milk, soy milk, yogurt.
Miscellaneous: Alcohol of any kind, including beer and wine.
Let me suggest you something to do with your diet in phase 1. I will give you a list of dishes you can make with the food mentioned above.

Baked Chicken : Slice the chicken breast pieces length wise and marinade them with salt, chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder and a spoonful olive oil. Refrigerate. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pieces on aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes flipping when needed. Just 5 minutes before the chicken is almost done, garnish the chicken with sliced onions, green chillies and bell pepper and other vegetables as needed.

Salsa Chicken : Same as above. But instead of the vegetables, garnish the chicken with Salsa.

Baked Fish : Same as baked chicken. But it takes less time to cook.

Shrimp : Fry onions and green chillies in olive oil (use sparingly). Add shrimp to the mixture and cook. Garnish with raw sliced onions while eating.

Eggs : Use egg substitute. You can make any kind of dish you like with that.

Channa : This can be a nice snack. Use boiled chick peas. Add some oil in a pan and add all the “thaalimpu” ingredients. Add sliced onions and green
chillies as well. Fry. Add the boiled chick peas. Garnish with cilantro.


Lentils : You can eat Pesarattu( moong dal dosas) without the rice.
You can eat Minapattu( urad dal dosas) without the rice.


Phase 2: More Liberal Meal Plans

Here's where you gradually reintroduce certain healthy carbs into your diet: fruit, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, whole grain rice, whole wheat rotis. Start with one piece of fruit a day for lunch or dinner, and continue with some cereal or rotis. Weight loss will slow a little. (A healthy average rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 lb a week over time.) Stay on this phase until you hit your target weight. If you regain some weight, switch back to Phase 1 until you lose it.

The goal is to eat more carbs again while continuing to lose weight. If you add an apple and a slice of bread a day, and you're still dropping pounds, that's great. If you try an apple, two slices of bread, and a banana daily and notice that your weight loss has stalled, you've gone too far. Cut back, or try some different carbs.

You'll go on that cautious way as long as you're in Phase 2, eating the most beneficial carbs and paying attention to how they affect you. You should also be aware of foods that increase cravings. No two people will experience this phase the same way. You'll have to figure this dynamic out for yourself.


Foods You Can Eat Again Foods to Avoid or Eat Rarely
Fruit: Apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, grapes, mangoes, oranges, peaches.
Dairy: Milk (light soy, fat-free, or 1%), yogurt.
Starches (use sparingly): Bagels (small whole grain), bran muffins, bread (multigrain, bran, whole wheat), cereal (high-fiber, oatmeal [not instant]), pasta (whole wheat), pita, rice (brown, wild), rotis( whole wheat flour).
Vegetables and legumes: Barley, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, sweet potatoes, yams.
Miscellaneous: Chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet, sparingly), pudding (fat-free). Starches: Bagels (refined wheat), bread (refined wheat, white), cookies, cornflakes, dinner rolls, matzo, pasta (white), potatoes (white baked, instant), rice cakes, rice (white).
Vegetables: Beets, carrots, corn, white potatoes.
Fruit: Bananas, canned fruit, fruit juice, pineapple, raisins, watermelon.
Miscellaneous: Honey, ice cream, jam










I will give you a list of dishes you can make with the food mentioned above.

Rotis : Eat rotis made from whole wheat flour with any kind of vegetable curries cooked in olive oil.

Bread : Eat whole wheat bread with butter substitute.

Fruits: There are certain fruits and vegetables that have negative calorie effect on your body.

Negative Calorie Foods
Okay, so what's negative calorie foods? How can a food be a negative calorie? Yes, I know you're looking at me a little odd at the moment, but let me explain why some foods are negative calories. All food has calories, that goes without say, so saying these foods are negative calorie sounds impossible, right? Well, these are foods that take up more caloric energy to digest then the calories that are in them. Your body has to expend energy in order to digest and absorb foods, in fact, 10% of your daily caloric intake is used to process foods in your body. So these "negative" calorie foods are foods that take more calories to digest then actual calories in the item of food. Here is a brief list of negative calorie foods. You can basically eat these items in any quantity you want during the day...remember though, this is for the raw version of the food, adding butter, etc, to any of these things will eliminate the negative calorie effect.
Vegetables
Broccoli, cabbage (green),carrot, cauliflower, Chile peppers (hot), cucumber, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onion, spinach.
Fruits
Apple, cranberries, grapefruit, lemon mango, orange, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, tangerine.

Please try to cook curries with the vegetables mentioned above to go with the rotis so that it would help your weight loss.
Phase 3: The Rest of Your Life
This is the maintenance phase: how you'll eat for the rest of your life. It's the most liberal stage. You can continue to eat snacks if you need them, but most people find that they are satisfied without them.

There will always be times when you overindulge a little even after years on the diet. Those are the times when you'll switch back to Phase 1 for a week or two. You'll get back to where you were, and then you'll return to Phase 3.

TIPS :
Don't Forget (All Phases)
1. Drink at least eight glasses of water or decaf beverages (club soda, unsweetened flavored seltzers, decaf tea or coffee [no sugar], decaf sugar-free sodas) per day.

2. Limit caffeine-containing beverages to 1 cup per day.

3. Take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement.

4. Take a daily calcium supplement (500 mg for men of all ages and women under 50, 1,000 mg for women over 50).
5. In phase 2 or 3 take the fruits mentioned in the Negative Calorie Food table whenever you feel like eating a snack.

Please feel free to mail me @ archanamakineni@yahoo.com for any questions or further information.