Cleaning Out Your Cupboards
Congratulations on your decision to make changes to your lifestyle and improve your health in the New Year! The first step is to devote some space in your kitchen to the foods that you will be cooking and eating as you follow the South Beach Diet lifestyle. This means getting rid of unhealthy foods (and storing some foods that you'll reintroduce later on). Once your family sees all the delicious foods you're able to enjoy while losing weight and improving your health, they may be inspired to help you clean out the rest of the pantry to make more room for South Beach Diet–friendly fare.

During Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet — the first two weeks of this weight-healthy eating plan — you'll enjoy completely normal, satisfying portions of nuts, reduced-fat cheese, lean proteins (like skinless white-meat chicken and turkey, seafood, and lean beef), beans, low-fat dairy foods, and veggies. But that's not all. You'll also enjoy sweet treats and desserts daily! And we encourage you to eat two snacks every day. (Remember, this program isn't about deprivation — it's about learning to make food choices that will boost your health while you lose weight in the process.) You won't eat any bread, pasta, rice, or the like, because eliminating starchy foods allows you to gain control over cravings, which will help keep you from overeating. You'll be surprised how quickly the first two weeks will pass — and how your cravings for refined carbs (like white pasta, pastries, and white bread) will virtually disappear by the end of this period.

To help you get started (or to serve as a reminder), we've created this cheat sheet — a list of foods that should be eliminated for Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet (as well as a few you should stock up on). Many of these foods can be reintroduced once you enter Phase 2, and we recommend storing such foods for later use.

* Foods made with any type of flour, including breads, cakes, crackers, cookies, pastries, and waffles. (Items made with 100 percent whole-wheat flour that contain at least 3 grams of dietary fiber can be stored and added back in Phase 2.)

* All fruit juices, sodas, and other drinks containing sugar, fructose, and corn syrup. Stock up on sugar-free sodas, drink mixes, and seltzer water (including flavored varieties; but be careful — some of these are flavored with high-fructose juice), as well as tomato juice and vegetable juice cocktail. As for alcoholic beverages, put them aside until Phase 2. Then feel free to enjoy one or two glasses of wine, vodka, gin, whiskey, scotch, bourbon, tequila, or rum a day (with a meal, which helps slow the absorption of alcohol). Be aware that Dr. Agatston prefers red wine for those who want to have a drink because of its high polyphenol content (polyphenols are powerful antioxidants). Also, when you do reintroduce alcohol in Phase 2, make certain that any mixers you use are sugar-free.

* All cereals, including those that are high in fiber and have no added sugar. Once you enter Phase 2, you can enjoy cold whole-grain cereals that have 8 or less grams of sugar and are at the upper end of the "good" fiber range. (Cereals in the good fiber range have 3 to 4.9 grams of fiber per serving.)

* Condiments with added sugar (such as ketchup, tomato sauce, and barbecue sauce).
Commercial salad dressings, unless they contain 3 grams of sugar or less per 2 tablespoons. The best dressing choices contain canola or extra-virgin olive oil.

* Whole milk, plus yogurt made with whole milk. To meet the recommended two servings of low-fat dairy per day, stock up on low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt, fat-free or low-fat cheeses, and 1 percent or nonfat milk. Soymilk is also a good choice — look for low-fat plain or vanilla or artificially sweetened flavored varieties with 4 grams of fat or less per 8-ounce serving.

* Fruit. Once you transition to Phase 2, you can stock up on high-fiber fruits.

* Processed meats like bologna and honey-cured ham, and fatty cuts of meat like bacon (except turkey bacon), brisket, liver, rib steaks, and dark-meat poultry.

* All pasta and rice, including whole-wheat pasta and brown rice (which you should store and add back starting in Phase 2).

* Butter, vegetable shortening, and lard. Keep trans–fat–free margarine, extra-virgin olive oil, and canola oil.

* All packaged snack foods (chips, pretzels, and popcorn).

* White sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.

* Potatoes, corn, carrots, beets, and yams. (You can reintroduce carrots and yams, as well as limited amounts of beets and corn, in Phase 2.) Once your cupboards are reorganized, you'll be ready to start your healthy new lifestyle on the Beach!
Go to: www.southbeachdiet.com for more information.