Do the South Beach Diet Suitable for Indonesian ?
If refer to the eating habit of most Indonesian people, to take the South Beach Diet (SBD) really need a strong will. Especially when it come to the first phase and the second phase. But if you really serious many Indonesian have succeed run this kind of diet and gain healthier body especially when they might have a heart disease risk and cholesterol problem.
What Is South Beach Diet Anyway ?
But what is South Beach Diet anyway ? This is a diet plan designed by a cardiologist from South Beach, Miami Florida Dr Arthur Agatston and a dietician Marie Almon. Unlike the methods which generally restrict dietary carbohydrate, fat, protein, or a strict rules the South Beach Diet provides flexibility to choose the foods that you like. This diet is not low-carbohydrate diet and also not low-fat diet, but encourage you to select the type of carbohydrate and fat properly.
You will learn how to get a healthy eating habit with SBD system.
SBD is divided into three phases, in each phase you will learn how to run a healthier eating habit for your daily meal and the best part is of course ..losing an extra weigh.
Phase 1
In this phase we train to distinguish good protein from the bad protein. Phase 1 is a rapid losing weight phase. This will make the patient very encourage when they realize that. Phase 1 is about 14 days long, and it is the most hardest phase. The diet rule is very strict You have to control what to eat, just eat high protein food especially low fat protein plus vegetables. You may take three times meal, breakfast-lunch-dinner, with enough portion only do not consume the carbohydrate at all, complex carbohydrate and simple carbs like sugar and fruits. Avoid processed foods like chicken nugget, canned food, frozen sausages and another frozen food. Also you have to avoid rice, noodles, pasta, white bread, chips, cereal, oats. and tubers (potatoes, cassava, taro and many more). Can not have any sugar at all, even fruits and fruits juice. This could be very hard, you won't be able to have milk, condensed milk, and ice cream. But you can consume vegetable oil like corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, sun flower seed oil, olive oil in one tablespoon.
Almost all vegetable are allowed to consume unless the vegetable with high GI (Glychemic Index) rate like carrot, sweet corn, pumpkin. All spices unless soy sauce, tomato sauces, are allowed to consume.
Phase 2
At this stage, a decrease in body weight will occur gradually (0,5-1,0 kg / week). At this stage you have to decrease weight until the desired weight is reached, of course, there is no time limit. This phase also train us to distinguish the good carbohydrate from bad one. Some example of good carbohydrate are whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, rolled oats,and not quick cooking ats. You may have some potatoes but just baked or roasted. Fruis are allowed but in a restriction portion three times a day like apple, grape, pear, papayas, orange, strawberry, and mango. In this phase you may have some milk and low fat milk also low fat plain yoghurt. But avoid ice cream and sweet yoghurt. Avoid fruits with high GI rate like banana, pineapple, watermelon, fruit cocktail, prunes, raisin, honey and jam. Apply this pattern until you reach your perfect weight.
Phase 3
In this phase you just have to maintain your weight. This is an eating habit that should applied for long term. The rule is the same use the healthy oil, choose good carbohydrate (complex and give a full feeling) or simple carb like fruits and fructose sugar. do not eat fruit and drink juice in the same time with the main food. Eat just natural food not processed food or instant food. If you can not stand of it and like to treat yourself you may have some biscuits and fast food once a week but do not take much.
For Indonesian, the SBD is hard to take. Indonesian people love carbohydrate so much especially rice, but if we like to have a better health condition we have to try and learn how to have a good eating habit. Indonesia has many natural foods, rich of vegetables, fruits, and healthy oils so I believe the good eating habit is not difficult to reach.