Page 32 - BTC Debunking the diet

Next up is South Beach. So named for the area in Miami where everybody
looks thin and gorgeous (think Umhlanga), this diet has also been criticised
for being a fad diet. It gained immense popularity in 2003 after a book
extolling its virtues was written by a guy called Arthur Agatston. More
specifically, Agatston formulated the diet in conjunction with Marie Almon,
who was the chief dietician at Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Miami Beach.
He had a practice in nearby South Beach.

The magic bullet

Carbohydrate restriction is the key ingredient to weight loss, as with Banting.
Atkins proclaims that because it takes more calories to burn fat than carbs,
you consume more calories as you are eating, and every bit helps. Fat is also
purported to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Some critics have lauded the fact that South Beach promotes high-fibre low-
glycaemic carbs, unsaturated fats, and lean protein, and as such is more
balanced than either Atkins or Banting, partly because it draws a distinction
between good and bad fats and carbs.

The pros

The Americans are particularly vain (don’t we just love ‘em), so you can be
sure either of these diets will lead to weight loss. The copious amount of
beautiful flesh in Miami’s South Beach bears witness to this, while in LA
people on Atkins lined the streets half a mile thick, to quote an old song.

The cons

Like so many diets, including half the ones in this book, the medical and
nutritional fraternity both roll their eyes and peer down their noses at their
lack of sustainability.

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This booklet © 2019, Rob Rodell, all rights reserved.