Quenching Your Thirst in Phase 1

Making improvements to your current lifestyle involves a multipronged approach: For instance, selecting the right fats and carbs over trans fats and highly processed carbs; choosing beverages without added sugar and other unhealthy fillers; and getting enough physical activity. Truly understanding these South Beach Diet® weight-healthy strategies will help you adopt them — and become healthier in the process. Here's a crash course on Phase 1 beverage guidelines to get you started — or to refresh your memory if you are returning to Phase 1. (Put it on your fridge to help you remember.)

The following is a list of Phase 1-approved drinks:
- Water
- 1 percent low-fat or fat-free milk or buttermilk
- Low-fat (4 grams of fat or less) plain soy milk or sucralose-containing flavored soy milk
- Coffee and tea (limit caffeine-containing beverages to 1-2 servings per day)
- Decaffeinated coffee and tea
- Herbal tea without added sugars (Avoid any teas that promise to help you lose weight or boast any other unrealistic health claim.)
- Sugar-free flavored waters (check labels carefully, as flavored waters often contain hidden sugars), soda, iced teas, powdered drinks, etc.
- Club soda or seltzer
- Tomato or vegetable juice cocktail

You should avoid the following:
- Fruit juices
- Sodas with added sugar
- Whole or 2 percent reduced-fat milk
- Alcohol (Once you hit Phase 2, on the occasions that you do drink, you may have up to two glasses of wine. If you prefer another alcoholic beverage, you can choose from vodka, gin, whiskey, scotch, bourbon, tequila, or rum instead.)
- Flavored waters with added sugar

* Go to: www.southbeachdiet.com for more great tips!

DANIELLE'S COMMENTS: If you have several pounds of FAT to lose, don't even think about using anything from the second list. There is a reason. Common Sense says, only use the drinks suggested in phase 1. Personally, water, coffee and the occasional diet soda are the only things I drink when I'm trying to lose weight.