Food...

The South Beach Diet was developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a Miami cardiologist. After seeing many of his patients struggle to lose weight, he decided that there had to be a better way. "I wanted to make weight management easier and more enjoyable for them", Dr. Agatston said. The resulting diet is based on eating a wide variety of foods, emphasizing lean proteins, unsaturated fats, fiber-rich vegetables and whole grains. The diet is structured in three phases:

Phase 1
Phase 1 lasts 14 days, during which time you will eat normal-size portions of lean meat, fish, eggs, reduced fat cheese, nonfat yogurt, nuts and plenty of vegetables. You won't have any bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, sugar, fruit or alcohol.

Phase 2
Whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole fruit and whole grain cereals are also good choices in Phase 2. Some indulgences are allowed, but you will have to pick and choose. You won't be able to have all of them all the time. You will remain in Phase 2 until you reach your goal.

Phase 3
In this phase, you'll be eating normal foods in normal-size portions according the the basic rules of the South Beach Diet program.

A Phase 2 Recipe:

Fruity Panna Cotta

Ingredients:
1 container (32 ounces) plain nonfat yogurt
1 package (8 serving size) Jell-O Strawberry flavor sugar-free low calorie gelatin
1 cup sliced strawberries