South Beach Blues

[muckefuck]

Following monshu's recent checkup (wow, I didn't know human blood pressure readings went up that high!), we have become the latest bears to adopt the South Beach diet--or we will, starting next week; I think this is going to be Binge Week until we get rid of all the nasty things lurking in his larder. He was telling me that I don't have to eat as many twigs and nettles as he does, but frankly I need the external pressure to change my diet.

I think the biggest bummer will be cutting down on the East Asian food, with its high sodium and hidden sugars. Any suggestions for tasty, heart-healthy substitutes will be much appreciated!

Comments

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

the only thing lower-carb than this one is Atkins.

seriously? if people ask me about that diet, i would endorse it if you're diabetic, but not for anyone else. for anyone else i'd say: eat as many non-starch vegetables as you want. eat whole grains, and whole fruits. control how much sucrose you allow yourself. eat a lot of protein, as it keeps your stomach busy.

the rest is trial, error, and working with what you have. everybody's metabolism is different. i've recently gone over to eating hardboiled eggs, like two a day. i have no cholesterol problem, so i'm not worried. but i was apparently having a problem being hungry all the time, possibly from too much soy and not enough animal protein.

when you find yourself craving anything halfway decent for you, your diet probably needs tweaking. ;)

[prilicla.livejournal.com]

Actually, when I was diagnosed with diabetes last year, the dietitian I saw recommended a diet a lot like the one sirhc_warrior is describing, rather than a low-carb diet like Atkins or South Beach. I usually eat about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate at every meal and 15-30 grams at each of my two snacks, which is definitely not low-carb. (I think Agatston recommends eating < 60 grams per day even in the maintenance phase.) Middle-of-the-road diets like the one I'm on don't work for all diabetics, but I'm really grateful that it's worked for me so far. I'm pretty sure I'd have a hard time staying on a low-carb diet for more than a few months, though I know they've worked for a lot of people.

Good luck to you and monshu. Let us know how it goes.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

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.