If you are starting the diet with Phase 2, you can eat all the foods allowed on Phase 1 (see “Phase 1 Foods to Enjoy” Section), as well as those allowed on Phase 2, but there are still a few foods to be careful about because they are high in refined starches or sugar. On “Phase 2 Foods to Avoid or Eat Rarely” Section, you will find the lists of Phase 2 Foods to Avoid or Eat Rarely. Eventually, you’ll learn how to make the best food choices most of the time—and the South Beach Diet will become a lifestyle—but while you’re still trying to lose weight on Phase 2, it’s best to steer clear of the Foods to Avoid. We’re not expecting perfection; a little cheat now and then is okay. Once you become familiar with the healthy eating principles of the South Beach Diet, it will be easy for you to put meals together at home or on the go. But at first, you’ll probably need to refer to the food lists from time to time. In fact, we’ve found that many people like to photocopy the lists and carry them around until knowing which foods to eat becomes second nature.
To make it even easier for you to incorporate these enjoyable foods into your daily diet, we have provided 2 weeks of Sample Meal Plans for Phases 1 and 2. These are meant to be guidelines, not absolutes. I’ve had people walk over to me in airports or shopping malls, clutching their copies of the original South Beach Diet book, and ask, “Since I don’t like hummus, can I eat a different snack on Day 13?” or “I don’t eat pork. Can I substitute smoked salmon for Canadian bacon and eat it with my eggs on Day 9?” The answer to both questions is yes. We understand that not everyone has the same tastes in food and some people have dietary restraints. The point is, we want you to eat foods you like. That’s why we’ve provided you with enough choices to give you plenty of options.
What about Portion Size?
The South Beach Diet doesn’t require you to weigh, measure, or count what you eat in ounces, calories, grams of fat or carbohydrate, or any other way. Weighing, measuring, and counting can be a nuisance, and it certainly isn’t in harmony with turning a diet into a lifestyle. It’s also difficult to sustain.
But while we don’t count calories, calories do count. It’s the quality of those calories that naturally leads to appropriate hunger satisfaction. Generally, if you are making the right food choices, the amount you’re eating takes care of itself. By enjoying meals consisting of lean protein and nutrient- and fiber-rich foods, you will naturally feel satisfied and have no desire to overeat.
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A DIET FOR THE REAL WORLD
We may have our principles, but we’re not doctrinaire. The South Beach Diet is for people living in the real world. We don’t expect you to be perfect, and you shouldn’t expect perfection from yourself, either. Our goal is to teach you how to make good food choices most of the time. If, on occasion, you indulge in a few bites of chocolate cake or half a bag of chips, we don’t want you to feel like all is lost. The worst thing you can do is think, Oh well, I’ve already blown my diet for today by eating that chocolate cake, so I might as well fill up on junk and start again tomorrow. When you view the diet as a real lifestyle and not as an interruption to real life, an occasional bad choice won’t throw you. You’ll simply make better choices the next time.
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Another way to avoid those once-automatic second helpings is to savor each bite and eat slowly, so that your brain has time to detect your normal rise in blood sugar. Don’t rush your meals. In fact, wait 20 minutes before you even consider going back for seconds. That way, you’ll know if you’re still truly hungry—or if you’re just eating more out of habit or because you didn’t give yourself time for satiety and blood sugar signals to reach your brain.
If you read the Foods to Enjoy lists carefully, you’ll see that while I don’t recommend weighing and measuring most foods, I do strongly suggest that you eat a minimum of 2 cups of vegetables with lunch and dinner and, ideally, ½ cup with breakfast, so that you get the maximum health benefits they provide, including plenty of heart-protective antioxidants and fiber. As you’ll also see, I do make suggestions about amounts of fats, dairy products, and certain condiments. Nuts in particular can be a problem because it’s so easy to eat more than a handful once you get started, so I do limit them to one serving daily (see “Phase 1 Foods to Enjoy” Section).
Preparing Your Kitchen
If you’re starting on Phase 1, you should clear your kitchen of foods that you will not be eating and stock up on foods you can enjoy. If you have whole-grain products or wine, beer, or other alcohol, simply move them to the back of the pantry; you will be reunited with them in just 2 weeks, when you begin Phase 2. I do recommend that you throw out the junk carbs, however. The chips and doughnuts have to go—especially if you’re prone to cravings. The following list identifies many of the foods that you’ll need to eliminate during Phase 1.
Baked goods. All baked goods—even healthy breads made from whole-wheat or other whole-grain flours—must disappear on Phase 1. This includes all breads, cakes, cookies, crackers, cupcakes, muffins (English and otherwise), pastries, and waffles, both homemade and packaged.
Cereals. All cereals are off-limits for the first 2 weeks, even oatmeal and bran cereals. Low-sugar, high-fiber cereals reappear on Phase 2.
Flour. All flour is eliminated on Phase 1, including flours made from soybeans and nuts. Cornmeal goes, too.
Packaged snacks. Get rid of cereal bars, cheese puffs, popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, and the like.
Pasta. All pasta—even whole-wheat—is banished during Phase 1. Replace it with spaghetti squash served with marinara sauce.
Rice. All varieties, including brown, are off-limits for 2 weeks. Instead, serve your main dish on a bed of lentils or finely chopped cauliflower (which looks like rice) or on a big bed of kale or spinach.
Starchy vegetables. No beets, carrots, corn, green peas, sweet or white potatoes, winter squash, or yams on Phase 1. Instead choose a wide variety of high-fiber, nutrient-dense vegetables from our expanded list of Foods to Enjoy. Remember to go through your freezer and get rid of any packaged foods that contain these vegetables as well.
Beverages. Eliminate all fruit juices, sodas, and any other drinks containing sugar, fructose, or corn syrup. All alcoholic beverages—beer, cocktails, and wine—are off-limits during Phase 1. Instead, enjoy vegetable juice cocktail, tomato juice, nonsweetened flavored waters, and sugar-free powdered mixes for drinks. Of course, you can always have plain water, club soda, seltzer, and mineral water, as well as herbal teas and the occasional diet soda. You can have caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, or diet soda, but don’t go overboard. Interestingly, recent research has shown that caffeine may actually improve insulin resistance in people with diabetes.
Cheese and dairy. Clear your refrigerator of all full-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, and cream cheese. Toss the ice cream and frozen yogurt as well. Instead, stock up on fat-free or 1% milk, fat-free or reduced-fat cheeses, and low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt.
Fruit. No fresh fruits, dried fruits, jellies, or jams are permitted during Phase 1. They are reintroduced in 2 weeks, when you get to Phase 2.
Oils and fats. Dispose of all solid vegetable shortening, lard, butter, and hydrogenated oils. Replace them with extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, and cooking spray, and with margarines and spreads that do not contain trans fatty acids.
Meat and poultry. Eliminate anything processed that includes sugars, such as honey-baked or maple-cured ham. Do away with fatty fowl such as duck and goose, paté, dark-meat chicken and turkey (legs and wings), processed fowl such as packaged chicken nuggets or patties, beef brisket, liver, rib steaks, or other fatty cuts. Instead, eat the white-meat poultry and lean cuts of meat recommended in the Foods to Enjoy list.
Soup mixes. Remove all powdered soup mixes and canned cream soups. Instead, enjoy clear broth or bouillon soups, gazpacho, and lentil and bean soups. Check labels on all canned soups for hydrogenated oils and other hidden ingredients.
Sweeteners. All sweeteners, except sugar substitutes, are off
-limits on Phase 1. These include white sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup. Instead, use the sugar substitute of your choice.
Condiments. Remove ketchup, cocktail sauce, and fat-free salad dressings that contain sugar. Instead, use prepared dressings that contain less than 3 grams of sugar—better yet, make your own healthy salad dressings (see “Recipes for Phase 1 Meal Plans” Section for recipes).
When You’re Dining Out
The typical American eats about four meals a week outside of the home. When you’re not preparing your own meals, your diet can quickly become derailed. This is true not only during Phases 1 and 2, when you’re trying to shed weight, but also during Phase 3, when you’re trying to maintain. A few weeks of poorly chosen restaurant meals can cause the resurgence of cravings and pack on pounds before you know it. Therefore, it’s essential to learn how to follow the principles of the South Beach Diet whether you are eating at home, at a restaurant, or on the go.
More than a decade ago, when I first began prescribing the South Beach Diet to my heart patients, eating out was a real challenge. Trans fats were hard to avoid. They were in nearly all fried and most processed foods. Few restaurants offered whole-grain bread or pasta, and most served up the white, highly refined stuff. If you found yourself in a fast-food restaurant, you had to choose between going hungry or filling up on servings of foods laden with bad fats and refined carbs.
The world has certainly become a friendlier place for people looking for whole grains and other healthy carbohydrates, and I feel wonderful when magazine and newspaper food editors tell me that the South Beach Diet has had a lot to do with that change. It’s now not unusual for restaurants and even some fast-food chains to offer many different types of bread, including whole-grain and whole-wheat sourdough. And when it comes to healthy oils, the world has gotten smarter as well. These days your waiter won’t look surprised if you ask for a little olive oil instead of a plate of butter pats. Most chefs will be happy to accommodate your request for fish grilled with olive oil or lemon juice instead of butter. Even more exciting, many restaurants no longer use trans fats for cooking; in some cities like New York, trans fats are banned altogether.
Since we first published the South Beach Diet 5 years ago, it’s become easier than ever to follow our healthy eating principles in just about any restaurant, whether it offers fast food, ethnic dishes, or gourmet cuisine. Here are some suggestions on how to eat out wisely and well.
Scan the menu first. Before selecting a restaurant, review the menu. If all the selections look like they jumped off your Foods to Avoid list, this place may not be the best choice for you. You can get away with splurges every once in a while when you are on Phase 3 and have achieved your weight loss goal, but to get to Phase 3, you need to be more careful during Phases 1 and 2.
Skip the bread. If you’re on Phase 1, just say no to the bread basket. You don’t need it. If you’re on Phase 2 or 3, you can enjoy a piece of whole-grain bread or a whole-grain roll on occasion. Have it with olive oil; the fat slows down the absorption of the carbs by your bloodstream. Even on Phase 3, if you find yourself tempted to empty the bread basket before you get to the main course, ask the waiter to take it away. If you’re dining with friends, simply move it far away from you on the table.
Consider your beverages. Skip the mixed drink or cocktail and order a nonalcoholic beverage, such as water, club soda with a twist, diet soda, or unsweetened iced tea. You can have a glass of red or white wine with dinner if you’re on Phase 2 or 3, but if you start drinking too early in the evening, you may be tempted to have several drinks, and those liquid calories can really add up.
Order soup as a first course. I’m big on soup these days. You should be, too, because it’s a filling way to start a meal. If possible, order a cup as soon as you sit down so that when you order your entrée, you’re not feeling ravenous. If you’re on Phase 1, stick to clear broth or consommé, a plain bean soup, or vegetable soup made with chicken or vegetable stock and thickened with puréed vegetables.
Have a salad next. Another trick for filling up before the entrée comes is to order a big salad of mixed greens after your soup. Ask for olive oil and vinegar on the side.
Pretend you’re at home. Order your main course the way you would create a healthy meal at home. First, look for lean protein on the menu. Ask for grilled fish or shellfish, white meat chicken or turkey, or a lean cut of beef, such as sirloin or filet mignon. Instead of starchy side dishes, request extra servings of vegetables that have either been steamed or lightly cooked in olive oil or chicken stock.
Enjoy Your Favorite Cuisine
Keep in mind that different cuisines may pose different challenges. Do you love French food but worry about the sauces? Are you crazy about Mexican cuisine but wonder about the cheese and chips? Here are some tips on how you can eat at your favorite ethnic restaurants without compromising the principles of the South Beach Diet.
Mexican. For South Beach dieters, Mexican food can be very good or very bad, depending on the choices you make. For starters, pass on the basket of fried tortilla chips. Skip the fat-laden refried beans and rice. Avoid tacos, tortillas, quesadillas, and other refined carbs (like white rice and corn). On the other hand, fajitas—made with strips of grilled chicken, steak, or (better yet) seafood and lots of grilled vegetables—are a great option. If you’re on Phase 1, skip the fajita wrapper and just enjoy the delicious contents. If you’re on Phase 2, try to find a restaurant that offers whole-wheat wrappers, or eat just a bite or two of a regular one.
Chinese. There are some 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States, so chances are, you’ll be eating in one soon. Authentic Chinese cuisine is very healthy. American-Chinese cuisine is quite different from the real thing. People who visit China for the first time are often surprised that the vegetables are served al dente with little or no sauce, and rice is usually served at the end of the meal, after diners have eaten their fill of other foods. So tell your waiter you want your Chinese food Chinese style: no heavy sauces; no deep-fried, breaded food; no fried noodles on the table to get you into trouble; no sweet-and-sour sauce or sugary hoisin sauce. Pass on the rice if you’re on Phase 1. If you’re on Phase 2 or 3, ask for brown rice instead of white. Avoid lo mein noodles and other noodles made from wheat and rice flour. Clear soups with vegetables, or any combination of steamed fresh vegetables with small amounts of meat, poultry, or seafood, are always good options. Lightly sautéed chicken, beef, or pork with vegetables is also a healthy choice. Ask that your food be cooked without MSG, a food additive that can give some people flushing or headaches.
Greek and Middle Eastern. Mediterranean restaurants, such as those offering Greek, Turkish, Israeli, or Lebanese cuisine, are great choices. Here you’re likely to find grilled seafood, lamb, and chicken, along with chickpeas, fresh vegetables, and salads with small amounts of feta cheese. Sounds like food right out of the pages of the South Beach Diet, and indeed, much of our plan is modeled on the healthy Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Even in this South Beach Diet-friendly environment, however, there are some dishes to avoid. If you’re still trying to lose weight, pass on casseroles such as moussaka (lamb or beef, eggplant, and potatoes) and pastitsio (pasta with meat), which are typically made with a high-fat béchamel sauce. If you’re on Phase 3, eat these dishes rarely, as a special treat.
French. French cuisine has an undeserved reputation for being bad for dieters. Just look at the people in France. Sure, there’s the heavy haute cuisine smothered in cream sauce and butter, which is not diet friendly. But there is also the lighter, healthier Mediterranean style of French cooking that uses olive oil instead of butter and is abundant in fresh vegetables, fresh fish and shellfish, poultry, and salads. If you’re dining in a French restaurant, you can’t go wrong by ordering fish sautéed in olive oil with a side of vegetables. Enjoy your repast with a glass of red or white wine. Do as the French do—eat slowly and savor your food. End the meal with a small amount of dessert on
occasion—a few strawberries, perhaps, or a small piece of dark chocolate. Sounds just like our Phase 3 lifestyle, right?
Japanese. It’s a safe bet that a South Beach dieter will find something great in a Japanese restaurant. This cuisine is known for its fresh fish, lightly cooked vegetables, and grilled meat and poultry entrées. Sushi, Japanese-style raw fish served with a small amount of rice, has become one of the most popular foods in the world. You can enjoy sushi on Phase 2 if you ask for it with brown rice, a staple in many Japanese restaurants these days, or request a rice-free roll. If you are on Phase 1, stick to the rice-free rolls or sashimi, thin slices of raw fish served without rice. Tofu dishes are usually good choices, but steer clear of tempura or deep-fried foods. And even though teriyaki dishes are grilled, the sauce is often loaded with sugar. If you love teriyaki, you can enjoy it occasionally on Phase 3 but not on Phases 1 or 2. On Phases 2 and 3, you can also enjoy soba noodles in moderation; unlike most Japanese noodles, which are made from wheat and rice flour, soba noodles are made from buckwheat. Most Japanese restaurants also offer edamame, seaweed salads, and stir-fried or steamed vegetables, making it easy for you to have your 2 cups of veggies with your meal.
Indian. Indian cuisine offers some terrific options for South Beach dieters. Thanks to clever cooking techniques and the liberal use of spices, the same lean protein, good carbs, and good fats you’ve been eating every day take on an exciting new flavor in the hands of an Indian chef. Try the tandoori-style dishes, in which fish, poultry, meat, and/or vegetables are roasted at very high temperatures in a clay oven. Other good choices include dal (a dish made with lentils or various other kinds of beans), raitas (yogurt-based sauces), vegetable salads, curries, and masala-style dishes made with sautéed tomatoes and onions. Many Indian restaurants serve the meal with white basmati rice. Ask your waiter not to bring it, or ask if they have brown basmati. You should also avoid Indian breads such as puri, a puffy, deep-fried flat bread, or naan, which is baked but still typically high in refined carbs. Indian appetizers such as Samosas (triangular fried pastries filled with vegetables) are also off-limits. And be sure to steer clear of dishes cooked with butter and cream.
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