Sample Menu
Here’s a day of typical meals in phases 1 and 2. Why so few entries for portion size? It’s because weighing, measuring, or counting aren’t part of the South Beach game plan. The company says you won’t feel compelled to stuff yourself, since you’re eating nutrient- and fiber-rich foods. And if you do find yourself thinking about going back for seconds, the idea is to wait 20 minutes to make sure you’re really hungry.
Phase 1
Breakfast
6 oz. vegetable-juice cocktail
Cheddar-cheese omelet
Sliced garden tomatoes
Coffee or tea
Midmorning snack
Smoked salmon on cucumber rounds
Lunch
Provencal white bean soup
Endive salad with toasted walnuts and reduced-fat goat cheese
2 tbsp. low-sugar salad dressing
Mid-afternoon snack
Baba ghannouj with veggie dippers
Dinner
Skillet pork chops with sautéed Swiss chard
Red leaf lettuce salad
2 tbsp. Blue cheese dressing
Dessert
Creamy lemon-vanilla ricotta soufflé
Phase 2
Breakfast
6 oz. tomato juice
Cheddar cheese toast
Low-fat turkey sausage patty
Coffee or tea
Midmorning snack
¾ cup blueberries with 4 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt
Lunch
Chilled melon soup with mint
Thinly sliced pork loin over salad greens
2 tbsp. spicy lemon-cumin vinaigrette
Mid-afternoon snack
Part-skim mozzarella cheese stick
Jicama and cucumber slices
Dinner
Broiled flank steak with grilled onions
Zucchini and yellow squash
½ cup brown rice
Dessert
Chocolate mousse
Nutrition
Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional content of a day’s meals in phases 1 and 2 of the South Beach Diet, alongside recommendations from the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Phase 1, aka the startup period, lasts two weeks. Phase 2 lasts until you reach your goal weight. Diet figures were supplied by the company.
| South Beach Diet | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 1,200 | 1,500 | Women | Men |
|
21-25: 2,000 26-50: 1,800 51+: 1,600 |
21-40: 2,400 41-60: 2,200 61+: 2,000 |
|||
| Total Fat | 40% | 30% | 20%-35% | |
| Saturated | 7% | 7% | Less than 10% | |
| Trans | 0% | 0% | N/A | |
| Total Carbohydrates | 30% | 40% | 45%-65% | |
|
Sugars (total except as noted) |
N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Fiber | 30 g. | 37 g. | Women | Men |
|
19-30: 28 g. 31-50: 25 g. 51+: 22 g. |
19-30: 34 g. 31-50: 31 g. 51+: 28 g. |
|||
| Protein | 30% | 30% | 10%-35% | |
| Sodium | 1,560 mg. | 1,886 mg. | Under 2,300 mg., under 1,500 mg. for 51+ | |
| Potassium | 3,880 mg. | 4,318 mg. | At least 4,700 mg. | |
| Calcium | 1,932 mg. | 1,932 mg. |
19-50: 1,000 mg. 51+: 1,200 mg. |
|
| Vitamin B-12 | N/A | N/A | 2.4 mcg. | |
| Vitamin D | 46 mcg. | 46 mcg. | 15 mcg. | |
Recommendations apply to adults 19 and older except as noted. Recommended calories assume a sedentary lifestyle. g.: grams. mg.: milligrams. mcg.: micrograms.
Last updated by Angela Haupt | January 02, 2013
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