THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

In the book The South Beach Diet, Dr. Arthur Agatston advises dieters to avoid most carbohydrate-rich foods for the first two weeks, then gradually add back 'good' carbs, including whole-wheat bread and some fruits and vegetables that won't cause spikes and drops in blood sugar. According to the newsletter, the lack of carbs is what leads to the promised 8- to 13-pound weight loss in the first few weeks. Eating fewer carbs causes those molecules that are in storage to release water—leading to weight loss that people might confuse with fat loss.

However, there's more confusion. According to Agatston's recommendations and the glycemic index (which deals with how foods are absorbed and affect blood sugar), artificially sweetened chocolate milk comes out being better for you than plain skim milk. Also, fettuccine is rated better than linguine—even though they're also exactly the same.

There are other inconsistencies. For example, dieters in phase 2 of the food plan are urged to avoid or rarely eat bananas; however, one of the desserts for that stage of the diet is sliced bananas dipped in sugar-free chocolate sauce. Even more incredibly, according to the newsletter, the book states that whole foods are better for you than mashed foods—but that mashed items are more healthful than whole baked ones. (You can find that nugget on page 54.)

Mistakes also abound. The book inaccurately states that juice pulp is a source of fiber; couscous is a whole grain; ice cream is less fattening than white bread; and that watermelon is full of sugar but that cantaloupe is not. (A cup of each fruit contains 14 grams of sugar.)

The Tufts pamphlet also offers that The South Beach Diet book says that the program 'has been scientifically studied' and has been 'proven effective'—and then fails to offer a single reference in a scientific journal. Instead, the reader gets data presentations from scientific meetings, which do not undergo review by objective investigators. Lastly, cliches are everywhere, including: don't go into a restaurant very hungry; and eat just a few bites of a chocolate dessert instead of the whole thing.