Before I start talking about diets, let me make sure that everyone knows the word "diet" actually means what you eat. As in, my diet consists of cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, and chicken for dinner. Or, my diet is high in carbs, protein, fat, vitamin K, etc. So when you say "I'm on a diet" it actually means "I'm eating." Just thought I'd clear that up. :)
A few weeks ago, I realized as I was grocery shopping that I eat the same 5-6 meals and it was getting pretty old. No wonder I hate going to the grocery store - it's the same thing every time! In general, meals that I cook need to be: 1. cheap, 2. easily divided up and easily heated up later, and 3. nutritious and tasty. In search of new, cheap, and healthy recipes, I found myself foraging through a South Beach Diet cookbook. I was pleasantly surprised.
The South Beach Diet was concocted by a cardiologist, Dr. Agatston, who happens to live in Miami, FL. Because it was started by a cardiologist, immediately I was intrigued. This means it's actually healthy! Yay! I read on and learned a ridiculous amount of nutritional knowledge, things I wish they would've taught me in all my years of education on exercise and diet.
Things like... if you eat anything with sugar in it, the time it takes to absorb into your bloodstream (and therefore trigger insulin release) is directly proportional to how high and quickly your blood sugar will spike. If you eat something with sugar in it but also with fiber, it will absorb slower (fiber slows digestion), thereby causing your blood sugar to rise and fall slower. Slower = better.
And... fiber actually has no nutritional content. None of it is absorbed by your body. It's whole main purpose is to slow digestion and help clean out your colon. Amazing, huh?
I'm technically not "going on" the South Beach Diet, just trying out the recipes and learning a whole lot about how food is processed in our bodies. I would recommend the diet to anyone trying to lose weight, but also for anyone who just wants to eat healthier. It's really simple, and you learn as you go, which means you're more likely to stick with it long-term.
I would love to give each of my patients his book. Maybe since he's a cardiologist he'll donate them....?! :)
Reba - would you mind sending me recipes from that book that you really enjoy? I really want to make healthy, tasty things that don't send our grocery bill skyrocketing! It's hard to find recipes like that. But those! Those sound promising! :)
ReplyDeleteBecca --
ReplyDeleteDo you know what a nutritionist would say about this diet? I don't know -- I'm just asking. I remember the Atkins diet was effective, but had some important side effects, so I'm curious about this one as well.
As far as I know, it's very well received. The Atkins diet was too extreme - in fact, Dr. Atkins passed of a heart attack. But South Beach is legit - it's not crazy extreme or anything, just simple, healthy stuff.
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