I don't think of South Beach as a low-carb diet, rather a "good carb" diet. Perhaps some people are misled by the phased approach: You start out by drastically elminating carbs and then, once you've lost your taste for the worst ones, you gradually introduce them back in. rootbeer1 describe it in a nutshell as "High fibre, low sugar": Eat what you want, but make it whole grains and fresh vegetables rather than sweets and processed foods.