Response from: Margie (Check me out!)

Hope this goes through... the "security code" has 3 characters that look like they could either be a "9" or a "g!" South Beach is not really a "low carb" diet, although many people tend to think of it that way (and when compared to how some people ate BEFORE going "on the beach," it might have lower overall carbs than before ;) ). South Beach is a "good carb" diet, that is based in large part on the Glycemic Index. It is also possible to believe you're on South Beach and intentionally choose not to eat enough carbs because you find it confusing to distinguish between the good carbs and the bad carbs. But even Phase I is not low-carb. Unfortunately, though, many people think it is, and avoid many of the good low-GI carbs that are allowed on Phase I. I wish I knew more about the "GI diet," so I could explain what, if any, differences there are. The thing with the Glycemic index is that it's a means of classifying carbs or foods that contain carbs, according to how quickly they become blood sugar. High-GI carbs can spike your blood sugar, after which your body perceives excess blood sugar and decides to store some of that energy as fat. Then upon storing the excess as fat, your blood sugar crashes, and you become hungry. Obviously not a good thing if you're diabetic, or if you're trying to lose fat. Essentially South Beach has taken all the work out of evaluating foods according to their GI, so that you need only know whether a food is on the list. While the GI is very important when sticking to South Beach, it is not the only thing that determines whether or not a food is on the South Beach "foods to enjoy" list(s). There are some low-GI foods that aren't that healthy (such as many candies), and some high-GI foods that are very nutritious (certain fruits). So the lists are not strictly a reflection of what's good/what's bad with respect to GI; they also account for what's good/what's bad with respect to the good/bad fats, the amount of nutrition in them, etc. There are other things about South Beach that are important to understand if you're going to compare it to other diets. South Beach encourages the consumption of three meals, with healthy between-meal snacks. You should eat every 2-3 hours, and not allow yourself to get hungry (because when you're hungry, you tend to overeat and/or to grab whatever's handy, even if it's something "bad"). You're also supposed to drink plenty of water. Caffeine should be avoided (although one cup a day is "OK" if you absolutely have to), because it can cause cravings. When you start to introduce whole grains and other moderate GI carbs in Phase II, you should always do so with a "sugar stopper" (i.e., the foods that help slow digestion--fat, fiber, protein, acid)--which isn't that hard to do if you are having a meal that likely contains several of these elements anyway. It is possible to follow weight watchers, and do South Beach at the same time. Many diabetics follow South Beach (except as diabetics, they HAVE to count carbs). Vegetarians, vegans, and people with allergies are able to follow South Beach--they just don't eat the foods they can't. I hope this helps with your understanding of this healthy eating plan. I am an active poster at the prevention message boards (where there are several forums devoted to South Beach); please feel free to stop by and ask more questions! (Or e-mail me). Margie

Response from: Linda (Check me out!)

Thank you so much for that long answer Margie Very kid of you to take the time to respond so thoroughly! I shall check out the message board!