South Beach Diet

• No Calorie or Fat Counting
• Dietary Flexibility
• Sustainable Diet Plan

No Calorie or Fat Counting

The South Beach Diet doesn't involve calorie or fat counting. While the program can be quite restrictive at first, you are eventually allowed to add more foods in and turn your diet into a lifestyle change. This makes dieting easier and more convenient for the subscriber.

Dietary Flexibility

The South Beach Diet has options for those on ketogenic diets and those managing diabetes. The company includes a Diabetes Gold Plan ($11.79 per day) and keto-friendly meal choices with each plan. However, these dietary considerations might be somewhat limited compared to other meal plans that offer vegan and vegetarian solutions catered to these restrictions.

Sustainable Diet Plan

The South Beach Diet was invented by a cardiologist and a dietician. Together, they created this heart healthy plan to help people lose weight and make better eating choices. This is a diet plan designed to be sustainable as you move through the phases. In the first phase, dieters restrict pastries, dairy, breads, fruits, and many other carb- and unhealthy fat-rich foods. When moving on to new phases, consumers re-introduce more foods into their diets. The goal is to transform the diet into a healthy lifestyle.

Dieters are encouraged to eat several small meals and snacks a day. Researchers consider this to be good for boosting metabolism and helping customers stay on their diet.

• Limited Selection
• Long-Term Health Concerns

Limited Selection

While other meal plan subscriptions may have several choices that rotate out every week, Gold and Platinum subscribers to the South Beach Diet have a pool of 101+ foods. For those subscribing to the cheapest plan, the Silver plan, the selection may be even more limited. This hampers long-term use of the South Beach Diet because the meals might become repetitive.

Long-Term Health Concerns

Some researchers have pointed out that the South Beach Diet is low-carb and low-fat, despite the founder's claims. If customers do not allow themselves enough carbohydrates, their bodies may enter ketosis, which is a condition resulting from a lack of glucose. Additionally, if subscribers return to old habits after unsubscribing, weight gain may occur quickly and exceed the customer's initial weight. These concerns are not applicable if the customer adheres to the diet without overlimiting carbs and aims to follow the diet for long-term health benefits.

One concern that is applicable when adhering to the South Beach Diet is calcium deficiency, particularly in women. The diet restricts calcium in the first phase, and its allowance for two cups of dairy daily in the second phase is below the daily recommended amount.