What Can I Eat On The South Beach Diet?

If you have been looking around for a diet that will let you work towards keeping healthier eating habits, you might have been dismayed by what you find.  So many diets will restrict your eating to the point where you are constantly consumed by cravings, which significantly lessens their chance of success, but this is something that the South Beach Diet has never been accused of.  If you ever ask someone, “What can I eat on the South Beach Diet?” you'll often find that it is much simpler to list what you can't eat! 

One of the main selling points of the South Beach Diet, and one of the reasons that so many people start it and end up sticking with it is that it does not take away the foods that you really love so much as adjust the way in which you eat them.  For instance, where other diets will tell you to cut out red meats entirely, the South Beach Diet suggests that you use lean cuts and eat your meat in smaller quantities.  In this way, you do not get frustrated with reduced eating.

When you are looking to judge this diet simply on the basis of “What can I eat on the South Beach Diet?” take a look at Phase 1.  The eating that you do in Phase 1 of this diet is the most restricted your food will be the entire time that you are on it, and when you take a look at what's on the South Beach Diet menu, you may be surprised at everything that is still okay.

For instance, cheese that happens to be low fat or fat-free is still fine, as is low-fat lunch meat.  Eggs are permitted, as is poultry, beef, and pork, as long as you take some care to eliminate overly greasy or fatty portions.  Seafood, at all phases of the South Beach Diet, is encouraged.  You'll also find that even eating sweets is fine as long as you can limit it to about 75 calories per day.  When you put this into perspective, along with the reminder that this is the most strict it will get, you can see why this diet is so easy to stick to.

One concern that many people run into when they are on diets is that if they like to cook, they often aren't sure what is appropriate to put in or leave out.  While on Phase one of the South Beach Diet, you will be restricted to canola oil and olive oil, and non-fat or low-fat milk and yogurt, but you'll find that after you have gotten through the strict Phase 1 that things get much easier.

During Phase two of the South Beach Diet, whole grains, normal dairy products and fruits are brought back into your diet, and you'll also find that you don't crave them as much as you did before.  You'll still be eating foods that are easy for your body to break down and this will keep your weight dropping.

Wondering “What can I eat on the South Beach Diet?” is a great way to get started, so take a look at some basic food lists and you'll find plenty of information to get you started and to help you breeze through it!