Comparing and Contrasting the Atkins and South Beach Diets

Comparing and Contrasting the Atkins and South Beach Diets

The Atkins and South Beach diets appear to be the same, but they do have their differences. They both suggest that limiting carbohydrates in ones? meals is a successful way to lose weight. Each diet also consists of a series of phases where carb intake can gradually increase. Although these correlations between the two diets make them difficult to be distinguished, they are in fact quite dissimilar. Whereas the Atkins diet allows consumption of all fats and hardly any carbs, the South Beach diet permits certain carbs and does not allow just any fat product. Another difference arises in the area of long term effects as several nutritionists fear that Atkins may eventually become harmful to one?s health, but see only long term benefits with the South Beach diet. Despite their similarities, the Atkins and South Beach diets prove to be very different.

The Atkins diet works by limiting a diet?s carbs and replacing them with proteins and fats. As complex sugars in carbohydrates store longer in the body, Atkins believes eliminating them will cause the body to burn fat opposed to burning the carbs (?Atkins vs. South Beach?). This belief is the reason why the dieter is only allowed foods such as meats, eggs, and cheeses. All starchy foods with carbohydrates such as potatoes, breads, and pasta are not allowed.

The Atkins diet consists of four phases. In the first phase, the induction phase, only twenty grams of carbs may be eaten each day for a period of two weeks. The point of this first phase is to immediately start burning fat due to the lack of carb intake. In the second phase, a small amount of carbs are reintroduced to the diet. The dieter increases t...

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... long run. The one concern over South Beach is that the overall amount of food allowed for each day is too small. Still, despite such speculation over the risks involved in these diets, no conclusions have been drawn. So even though both diets have similar beliefs, they are both quite distinct.

References

?Atkins vs. South Beach: How the Hottest Diets Measure Up?

November 10, 2004

?Long Term Affects of Atkins Diet Still Hazy?

November 11, 2006

?South Beach: Like Atkins, Only Different?

November 10, 2006

?South Beach diet phases? November 11, 2006

?The Phases of Atkins? November 10, 2006