Fat On The South Beach Diet example essay topic

South Beach Diet Fanatics Experts say many people are dieting because of the government's recent warnings about the U.S. obesity epidemic. About 64 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Yet helping people control their weight is a tricky issue. 'It's a balancing act, because on the one hand, clearly we have concerns that more and more teenagers are becoming obese,' said David Serwer, associate professor of psychology and director of education at the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania. 'On the other hand, we don't want teenagers to be so restrictive with their food that they may develop an eating disorder. ' Katelyn Eckenrode, a senior at Newtown High School in Sandy Hook, Conn., says the country's obesity problem spurs dieting.

'So many Americans are obese, and people are saying, 'I don't want that to be me, so I'm going to go on the 'blank' diet (Carb-Crazed). ' ' The South Beach Diet is the latest in a series of diet fads. However, the principals applied in the South Beach Diet are not new, they are tried and tested. The South Beach Diet is not low-carbohydrate. Nor is it low-fat. Instead, this diet teaches participants to rely on the right carbohydrates and the right fats - the good ones.

As a result, participants lose weight, lower their cholesterol, reduce their risk of heart disease and diabetes, and eliminate cravings without feeling hungry. Some call it the "updated version of the Atkins diet (. com)". The South Beach Diet teaches a way of life where a person relies on the right carbohydrates and fats in their diet. This diet allows a person -- according to south beach-diet-plan. com -- "to live contently without eating the bad carbohydrates and fats". In contrast, when a person eats bad carbohydrates and fats they feel hungrier, causing them to eat more, which causes weight gain.

In exchange for eating right, one become healthier and one can enjoy an eight to thirteen pound weight loss in two weeks. The Diet was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a highly respected cardiologist, to work with individuals body safely and effectively. This diet works in phases, the first two for a specific time frame and the third phase for life. With the South Beach diet approach, one can stop counting calories, stop weighing food portions, and stop feeling as though you are deprived from eating good-tasting and satisfying food. Trying to lose weight and become healthy by depriving the body of food makes no sense. In addition to the three meals each day, the dieter will also eat a snack between breakfast and lunch, and then again between lunch and dinner.

Even if the dieter does not feel like eating these snacks, for the South Beach Diet to work, he / she needs to, and after dinner, the dieter will even have dessert. Additionally, during this phase, the dieter can drink all the coffee and tea you want and be sure to drink lots of water. (south beach-diet-plan. com). There are three basic phases present in the SB Diet. In phase one, you eat normal portion sizes but all carbohydrates are restricted. Phase one last two weeks and is the strictest phase and the hardest to endure in the diet. It emphasizes lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish.

Low-Glycemic-index vegetables are allowed as well as low-fat cheese, nuts, and eggs. Dieters should expect to lose somewhere between eight to thirteen pounds in the two week frame. In phase two, some of the banned food are slowly introduced while weight loss continue to around one to two pounds per week. The SB diet participant should remain in phase two until you have lost your desired amount of weight. Phase three is for maintenance and should be followed for life. This phase is all about maintaining your desired weight with a healthy balanced diet.

Should the dieters weight begin to climb, simply return to Phase one (south beach-diet-plan. com). South Beach diet labels are on numerous them. The September issue of USA Today revealed that the maker of Oreos, Kool-Aid and Cheer Whiz will announce plans for the South Beach diet seal of approval to appear on 200 Kraft foods lower in carbohydrates and fats. The target goal is to lure shoppers back to 100-plus-year-old Kraft's fold. Many of its brands have suffered serious defections by increasingly nutrition-conscious consumers. With sales flagging for the past year, there has even been speculation that some of Kraft's biggest units are on the block, from Oscar Mayer meats to Post cereals.

For Kraft, the South Beach deal seems an admission that the diet -- linked with celebrity dieters such as Bill Clinton, Bette Midler and Nicole Kidman -- may be a bigger consumer draw currently than the Kraft name. The South Beach Diet book, by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, has sold more than 8 million copies (USA Today). Low-carbohydrate mania, fueled by the popularity of the Atkins and South Beach diets, is taking the country by storm. About 15 million Americans are estimated to be on a low-carbohydrate diet. South Beach stresses low carbohydrates and high protein, but it is more flexible than Atkins. About 24 million Americans are cutting out carbohydrates, and 44 million more say they may try a low-carbohydrate diet in the next two years.

Dieters may be limiting their carbohydrates, but they have plenty of new products to munch on. Manufacturers have introduced more than 1,500 low-carbohydrate products in the past two years. Even pet foods come in low-carbohydrate variations (Carb-Crazed). Some of the Kraft products that will carry the 'South Beach diet recommended' label on their packages: Louis Rich turkey, chicken cuts; Light n' Lively cottage cheese; Kraft 2% reduced fat and fat-free cheese; Philadelphia Light fat-free cream cheese; Jello-O sugar-free gelatin; Cool Whip light, fat-free whipped topping; Grey Po upon mustard; Planters cocktail peanuts; Triscuits reduced-fat snacks; Crystal Light beverages (USA Today). Aug. 12 -- Steve Murphy and his Rodale team are among the few getting fat on the 'The South Beach Diet. ' The president of the Emmaus publisher of books and magazines said Wednesday that the company's first-half revenues for 2004 were 28 percent ahead of the period a year ago.

The 'South Beach Diet' franchise, with 13 million copies currently in print, was one of the main contributors to the revenue growth, Murphy said. The private company, which focuses on health and fitness publications, as usual did not disclose revenues or release other dollar figures. Last year, Rodale's revenues reached $500 million, according to Publisher's Weekly. Rodale has about 1,000 employees worldwide and 690 in the Lehigh Valley, making it one of the 35 biggest employers in the region. This is the second straight year of healthy first-half revenues for Rodale. Revenue for the first six months of 2003 was 14 percent higher than the same period of 2002, and also was helped by the emergence of the 'South Beach Diet,' Murphy said in a release.

Rodale put 'The South Beach Diet' and 'The South Beach Diet Good Fats / Good Carbs Guide' on best-seller charts in 2003. ' The South Beach Diet Cookbook' followed this year. The company also had strong growth in advertising revenues and newsstand sales in its magazines such as Men's Health, Prevention and Runner's World, Murphy said. According to the Publishers Information Bureau, Rodale experienced the highest advertising page growth among the top 10 U.S. magazine publishing companies.

Advertising pages for Rodale's magazine titles were up 11 percent for the first half of this year, compared with an industry total of 0.7 percent. Over the same period, advertising revenues for Rodale's magazines were up more than 24 percent against an industry average of 7 percent. Prevention magazine added 140 new advertising brands since being redesigned in January. Now the 11th-largest magazine in the country, the circulation is at its highest point in 10 years at 3.3 million, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Prevention increased revenues 28 percent to $76.8 million in the January though July period of the year, compared with the same period in 2003, according to the Magazine Publishers Association.

For the first seven months of the year, Men's Health revenues rose 19.6 percent to $76 million, according to MPA. Circulation was 1.7 million at the end of 2003, according to the ABC. Runner's World had a 44.9 percent increase in revenues, to $23.6 million, over the first seven months of last year, according to MPA. Circulation figures were not available through ABC. Organic Style, with circulation of 614,846, saw revenues up 85.8 percent to $15.2 million in the first seven months, compared with the same period in 2003. Backpacker revenues through July were up 3.5 percent to $9.2 million in the first half of 2004, compared with the same period in 2003 (morning call).

There are many opinions to be heard about the South Beach diet but like any other diet the promo websites share a very optimistic view. 'I don't ever suggest it to anyone as a healthy way to lose weight. The weight loss that it promotes is usually very rapid, which isn't healthy if you lose weight too quickly,' Campus Nutrition Educator Tonya Hefmer said. 'Plus it's hard on your body, and the weight is likely to come back when you go off of the diet. ' Hefmer also said she is often asked about the South Beach diet, one of the most popular low-carbohydrate diets on the market now. She suggests a more traditional way to lose weight (Healthcare Custom Wire).

Another says: 'I lost 25-30 pounds on the South Beach Diet. It drastically changed my eating habits. I basically went from doing everything wrong to doing everything right. But then I gained the weight back because I went back to my old eating habits, and I couldn't exercise because I broke my leg going down the stairs (family heart disease motives). ' On the contrary, a south beach promotional website reads: "Along with losing extra weight and changing the way your body responds to food, your blood chemistry is also changing, improving your cardiovascular system. With heart disease being a leading cause of death where the only symptom of heart attack is often death, improving your cardiovascular system will add quality years to your life.

Although you may have started the South Beach Diet as a way to lose weight, when finished, you will see that you achieved so much more (south beach-diet-plan. com)!" There will always be fad diets promoted by money-making million airs so they can try for billions in this hopeless world of over-stocking on diet books, obesity society...

Bibliography

Campus Nutrition Educator Tonya Hefmer. Interview. Health Care Custom Wire Carb-Crazed? (cover story) Current Events, 9/24/2004, Vol.
104 Issue 3, p 1, 3 p, 2 c; (AN 14441487). Ebsco Host: Academic Search Premier". How does it work?" Copyright 2003.
web gets South Beach diet's seal of approval By: Bruce Horowitz. USA Today, 09/27/2004;
AN J 0 E 240191320104) "Publisher Rodale says revenues are up in first half Authors: Dan Shop".
Morning Call, The (Allentown, PA). Newspaper Source. 08/12/2004 (2 W 63847542549) "Reviewing the South Beach Diet".
web beach diet/ "What is the South Beach diet?" Copyright 2003.