One of the first things anyone ever notices when checking out a diet menu to see if they think they can do it is the “can haves” and the “cannot haves”. You will soon form the opinion that you will not go far with a diet when it is unvaried and boring and all the things you would normally enjoy eating are off the menu. This however is not the case with the South Beach Diet.

You will be shocked and delighted when you check out the foods you can eat while on the South Beach Diet. Although some foods are restricted, the foods on the “approved” list are more than sufficient to allow for healthy and delicious dining.

The diet has taken into account the fact that the majority of people enjoy eating meat of some description. Foodstuffs such as boiled ham, chicken breasts, Cornish game hen, lean cuts of beef and turkey feature on the list of items you can eat, even during Phase 1 when there is more concentration on cutting out bad carbohydrates and saturated fats.

The South Beach Diet is Mecca to the seafood lover. Eating the fruit of the sea is encouraged on all phases of the South Beach Diet, and you are especially reminded to eat fish that offer up high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, like cod and mackerel.

Fruits and many types of grains are not on the menu during Phase 1, but for those of you who really miss these items, do not worry, they are reintroduced on a gradual basis during Phase 2. The fact that you no longer crave these foods will mean you significantly reduce the portion size when you are once again allowed to eat them.

Phase 2 also allows dairy products and full-fat cheeses back into your diet. As with the carbs you gave up in Phase 1, you will now find that your body does not crave these foods like it did before. This helps you to eat them in a healthier way.

When studying the South Beach Diet you will see that there are numerous vegetables which you can incorporate in your menu. Some of the more popular ones are celery and collard greens, asparagus and cauliflower all of which you are allowed in large portions and as long as sweetened with Splenda, you can even eat pickles!

Another great menu item on the South Beach Diet is salads. Take some of the meats and cheeses you can eat on Phase 1, and add a nice helping of romaine lettuce or spinach. You will have a meal-size salad that will be both tasty and healthful, and you wont’ feel like you’re on a diet at all!

When you look at the foods that are allowed on the South Beach Diet, you may be surprised to find many things you thought you would have to give up while dieting. Even when you take away the foods that are restricted, the sheer variety of food combinations available with the South Beach Diet are what makes this a popular program that will help you successfully reach your weight loss goals.

One of biggest draw-backs to many diets is the “forbidden” foods list. It is human nature to desire the things we know we can’t have, and this seems to magnify when you’re on a diet. Dieting is difficult enough without the disappointment of having to eat foods you don’t like.

You will be pleased to learn that this is something that cannot be said about the South Beach Diet. If the question of what you can eat on this diet arises, it would be far quicker to tell you what you cannot eat!

There is no “forbidden fruit” on the South Beach Diet. This program simply teaches you how to enjoy the foods you love in a healthier way. For example, if you are a meat lover, the South Beach Diet doesn’t say, “You can never eat red meat again!” Rather, the South Beach Diet teaches you how to eat red meat sensibly, by choosing smaller, leaner cuts.

When you are first considering the South Beach Diet, have a long look at Phase 1. This is the most restricted part of the diet, yet you will find it is surprisingly varied and quite a few of the things you would expect you are not allowed are there on the menu.

Low in fat or fat free cheese along with beef, pork, eggs, low fat lunch meat and poultry are all allowed so long as you avoid greasy or fatty portions. For all you seafood lovers, you will be delighted to discover that products from the sea are allowed and even encouraged throughout all phases of the South Beach Diet. If you have a sweet tooth, that’s no problem, but you must keep your sweet allowance to 75 calories each day. Phase 1 is the strictest part of the diet but you still have the choice to include your favorite foods so you can see that this diet will be easy to stick to.

One of the reasons the South Beach Diet is so successful, is that you learn how to adapt your own recipes to make them healthier. Phase 1 restricts you to using only canola oil or olive oil, but you will find this actually enhances the taste of your food. You are also advised to use low-fat dairy products during Phase 1, but this is only for two weeks. From that point on, preparing home-cooked meals is a breeze.

Once you hit Phase 2, you are once again allowed to eat fruits and grains. Because of the cleansing your body undergoes during Phase 1, though, you won’t crave these foods like you did before. Your body is now better equipped to process the foods you eat and that will help you continue to lose weight until you achieve your weight loss goal.

So when you are deciding which diet to go on and find yourself asking the question “What can I eat on the South Beach diet?” take a minute to look at the basic foods list and you will find all the information you need to get you started and sail through to a healthier way of life, losing excess weight along the way.

When it comes to the South Beach Diet, one of the most common questions is, “How safe is the South Beach Diet?” You may be skeptical of the South Beach Diet because you have tried fad diets in the past where a bunch of weight is lost only to be regained with gusto as soon as the diet ends. That type of diet is not safe. But the South Beach Diet is not that type of diet. Simply put, the South Beach Diet teaches you new and healthier eating habits. When you follow these healthy diet habits, you lose weight.

What are the benefits of the South Beach Diet? The biggest benefit found on the South Beach Diet isn’t weight loss. It’s learning how to eat healthier. The South Beach Diet teaches you how to tell the difference between good and bad carbs, and clues you in on what fats are ok to eat and which ones aren’t. These simple facts are what make the South Beach Diet so effective.

There are many foods out there that are not good for us to eat: candy, chips, cake, chili cheese fries. Eating a lot of foods that are high in both sugar and saturated fat is part of an extremely unhealthy diet. In Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, you eliminate these problematic foods from your diet by reducing your “sweet calories” to 75 per day.

Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet is very restrictive, because you eliminate fruits and grain from your diet. But Phase 1 is over in 14 days, and during that time your body has the chance to completely recover from the negative effects of eating too many carbs on a regular basis.

You may be pleased to know that Phase 1 only lasts for fourteen days so there is no need to despair as these favorite items are not lost forever. The diet is just trying to educate you to eat these products in a much healthier way. Phase 2 sees the reappearance of fruits and grains on the menu which allows you to eat these foods because you actually want to and not because you are craving for them.

Some have also wondered how the South Beach Diet affects pregnant women. It is not recommended that pregnant women enter into Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. If you are pregnant and still want to follow the South Beach Diet program, skip over Phase 1 and start the diet in Phase 2.

Likewise, due to the fact that growing is still taking place and two weeks without grains and fruit can make them lethargic, teenagers are quite often discouraged from following the South Beach Diet.

If you are in any doubt as to whether the South Beach Diet will be good for you, it only takes a quick consultation with your doctor or nutritionist who will be more than happy to give you advice. Each and every one of us is different and it may be that the original South Beach Diet needs tweaking just a little to be appropriate for you.