I am not writing this article to advertise the South Beach or any other diet for that matter. I am telling my story about being diagnosed as having pre-diabetes and what the South Beach Diet has done for me.

In July of last year I had my physical performed. After reading the lab reports I was informed by my doctor that the ratio between my good and bad cholesterol was borderline and my glucose level was over 100. The Dr was very concerned with the glucose number as this was the second time in a row that I had this high a reading and he basically told me that I was pre-diabetic. This news concerned me greatly as diabetes does run in my family as well as heart disease.

My Dr let me know that if I didn’t get this under control I was looking at developing type-2 diabetes and heart problems. He subscribed a Statin drug for the cholesterol but suggested that I take a look at diet and exercise to control my blood sugar. When discussing diets he mentioned the South Beach so I decided to give it a shot. I was advised to have another lab test done in 6 months to see if the diet and the Statins were working so I scheduled one for January.

I immediately went to the local bookstore and purchased my copy of South Beach. I sat down and started reading it and the first thing I noticed it didn’t appear to be all that restrictive. I read that the first two weeks you only could eat lean meats and some vegetables but after that you could start adding back in fruit and occasionally bread. (Whole wheat or multigrain bread made without enriched flower).

In a nut shell I realized that the concept behind this diet was to cut out starches, processed sugars, and fat from what you eat. This meant white bread, potatoes, candy and anything that wasn’t naturally made. However, most vegetables were fine except for my favorites, sweet corn and white potatoes but all green vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans etc. were ok to eat. Meats needed to be a lean as possible and most raw fruits are perfectly fine to eat in moderation. Low fat cheese and eggs are also acceptable to eat daily on the diet.

The book explained why some foods are OK while others are not. It was based on the glycemic index which is roughly how quickly your body absorbs sugar from a food.

When you eat a particular food your pancreas secretes insulin to breakdown starches into sugar which are then released into your blood system and stored. If you eat something very sweet such as a chocolate candy bar your pancreas goes into overdrive and floods your system with insulin. A sudden surge in insulin and you get a sudden surge in blood sugar. A little while after this surge your blood sugar plunges and you’re hungry again.

Potatoes, white bread, pasta, donuts etc., all have high glycemic indexes which means they have very little fiber in them so they are digested quickly and your blood sugar is quickly elevated. Foods such as whole wheat breads do not have the fiber removed during baking so your stomach needs to work harder to break down the food, thus your pancreas releases insulin more slowly and you do not experience this rapid rise in your blood sugar.
Older and overweight people can experience a problem where the pancreas ceases to produce enough insulin to break down the sugars. This is called Type-2 diabetes. If you get to the point where you have this type of diabetes it would be life changing. At the minimum you would have to go on a strict no carb diet and worse it can be deadly. Blindness, circulation problems in legs and arms, heart attacks and stroke can all be caused by diabetes. To prevent this type of diabetes you need to cut out sweets and starches before your pancreas gives up. Once you have diabetes there is no cure.

I will not ramble any longer about diabetes or low carb, low fat diets. I do want to say I just got back from my follow-up Dr’s visit and for the first time in three years my glucose level was normal. The ratio of my good to bad cholesterol was normal and I have lost 20 lbs. I have not exercised anymore than I did these last few years but I have been following the South Beach Diet for the last 5 months. The Dr is happy, I’m happy and I found that limiting the amount of sugars, starches and fats has been relatively easy to do. Not only is my blood sugar and cholesterol levels normal but I can now fit into some pants I thought I was going to have to throw away. The South Beach Diet is working for me!

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