The South Beach Diet Pros and Cons

Benefits and Disadvantages of Dr. Agatston's Weight Loss Plan

Feb 22, 2010
Thomas Alan Gray

Salad Nicoise, South Beach Diet Phase 3 - Knut Pettersen

Since its publication in 1993, The South Beach Diet and its related cookbooks have many followers. Does it work? Does it last? Pros and cons of a weight-loss program.

Disillusioned by the low-fat diets promoted by the American Heart Association during the '80s, cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston developed the South Beach Diet in Miami Beach, Florida as a guide to reducing obesity in his heart patients. Nutritional guidance was provided by Marie Almon, chief clinical dietitian at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

"The South Beach Diet is not low-carb. Nor is it low-fat." So says Agatston in the introduction to his 2003 book, The South Beach Diet (Rodale Press, 2003). Nor, as some critics have claimed, is it particularly high-protein. Okay, so what is it?

The three-phase South Beach Diet encourages people to take two basic steps:

Substitute complex carbohydrates from vegetables and whole grains for simple carbohydrates (processed white sugar, some starches)
Reduce the consumption of saturated fats and trans-fats in favor of unsaturated and omega-3 fats.

The author, along with thousands of others whose stories are in Agatston's books and on the South Beach Diet web sites, will testify that the diet works. However, it has its pros and cons.

The South Beach Diet Pro: Advantages and Benefits

The main benefit of any diet plan must be long-term maintenance of weight loss. Lack of maintenance led Agatston to reject some popular diets of the time, including low-fat diets recommended by the American Heart Association.

Effective – Properly followed, the diet will result in permanent weight loss and improved health
Heart Healthy – Developed by a cardiologist specifically to meet his patients' needs.
Nutritionally Balanced – Developed in consultation with a trained dietitian
Encourages Proper Eating – Properly followed, the diet results in life-long changes to eating patterns
Provides sufficient caloric value – The "all you can eat" approach at every level means that the dieter will never feel hungry.
Simple – No need to weigh food, count calories.
The three phases lead to long-term maintenance, eliminating the yo-yo effect of most diet plans
Clinically developed and tested under medical supervision
Many of the recipes are delicious.
The ingredients may be new to some people, expanding one's food experience and taste horizons

These advantages are taken from materials in Dr. Agatston's books and from testimonials (including the author's personal experience with four years on the diet).

The South Beach Diet Con: Disadvantages and Difficulties

Proponents of the South Beach Diet don't have much to say of a negative nature, but the diet has its critics (many of whom seem not to have read Agatston's books at all). From those critics, and from the author's personal experience, the following are the main weaknesses or problems of the South Beach Diet.

Phase 1 is Restrictive – Some people have reported that they find phase 1 difficult. It is the most restrictive, as it weans the dieter off of sugar, starch, and saturated fats.
Saturated Fats – There is some continuing controversy about the effects of saturated vs unsaturated fats on cholesterol levels.
Documentation – The books are not properly documented with scholarly research and footnotes to back up Agatston's anecdotal research reports, note some critics. Given that the books are popular literature, not a scientific paper, this may not be relevant. Still, the backup should be available.
Preparation – Many of the meals take a great deal of preparation time. This requires lifestyle adjustments.
"I don't do mornings" – The diet is tough for those who aren't "morning people", in part because of the prep time. A Pop-Tart® and coffee on the go aren't a South Beach breakfast, and throwing a bunch of prepared foods into a bag for lunch isn't going to do it either.
Expensive – A lot of the menu ingredients are costly and hard to get, at least in Canada in mid-winter. But it's not as bad as it could be: a 2008 article at Forbes.com magazine gives figures showing that the South Beach diet ranked fifth of seven popular diets rated for cost.
Strange Ingredients– Many of the recipes use ingredients that may not be readily available across North America
Bad Recipes – Tastes vary widely, and the recipes may not suit everyone. Unfortunately, dieters may learn only after cooking an expensive dish that it is not to their taste.
Portion Sizes – The portion sizes sometimes seem to be designed for contestants on America's Biggest Loser. Dieters must quickly learn that "serves 1" often means "serves one incredibly hungry person with a huge appetite" and adjust recipes accordingly.
Leftovers – The meal plans have little provision for leftovers from those huge portion sizes.
Poor Menu Planning – Only a portion of an expensive ingredient may be used in a recipe, and not used anywhere else in the phase. The dieter must be prepared to improvise, substitute, and repeat meals, as the alternative is to waste unused ingredients.

The South Beach Diet has been incorrectly classed by both critics and followers as low-carb, low-fat, or high-protein. Although it seems to work for many, it may not be suitable for all, and it certainly has its pros and cons.