I advocate Atkins program as a healthier option. Dr.Agatston, the creator of South Beach, was unwilling to defend the health benefits of saturated fats even though there was never any scientific evidence to denigrate saturated fats & lots of evidence to support the health benefits of saturated fats.
f you prefer beans, fish & chicken, then South Beach might be your preference. Atkins allows all meats but does not allow beans for the first 7 weeks. If you have more than 30# to lose, I highly recommend Atkins - the higher carb levels on South Beach trigger carb cravings & rarely allow weight loss in someone with insulin dysfunctions.
The rungs to reintroduction of carbs in 5 gram units - all available to very active people in as little as 11 weeks. Make sure you do them in order & you can skip a rung if you do not intend to include it in your permanent way of eating, such as the alcohol rung.:
* (minimum week 3 - maximum 25grams day) Acceptable vegetables, larger quantities
* (minimum week 4 - maximum 30grams day) Add 5grams Cottage cheese
* (minimum week 5 - maximum 35grams day) Add 5grams Nuts & seeds
* (minimum week 6 - maximum 40grams day) Add 5grams Berries
* (minimum week 7 - maximum 45grams day) Alcohol can be added if desired
* (minimum week 8 - maximum 50grams day) Add 5grams Legumes
* (minimum week 9 - maximum 55grams day) Add 5grams Other fruits
* (minimum week10 - maximum 60grams day) Add 5grams Starchy vegetables
* (minimum week11 - maximum 65grams day) Add 5grams Whole grains
If you are continuing to lose or maintain (whichever is goal) in week 12 & beyond, you continue to add 5grams a day per week til you reach your personal carb level.
The body does better with more saturated fat than less. Saturated fats are required to make many vitamins & minerals bioavailable so they can be incorporated into the body structure. Saturated fat is required for the body to function properly & to regenerate & heal.
7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat
1) Improved cardiovascular risk factors
Saturated fat in the diet is the only means to reduce the levels of lipoprotein (a) — that correlates strongly with risk for heart disease. Eating fats raises the level of HDL, the good cholesterol.
2) Stronger bones
Saturated fat is required for calcium to be incorporated into bone - According to expert in human health, Mary Enig, Ph.D., as much as 50 percent of the fats in the diet should be saturated fats for calcium to be effective in the bone structure.
3) Improved liver health
Studies show that saturated fat encourages the liver cells to dump fat content. Saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from toxic insults & even to reverse the damage.
4) Healthy lungs
The fat content of lung surfactant is 100 percent saturated fatty acids. Replacement of these critical fats by other types of fat makes faulty surfactant & potentially causes collapse of the airspaces & respiratory distress.
5) Healthy brain
Your brain is mainly made of fat & cholesterol. Most of the fatty acids in the brain are actually saturated. The brain needs saturated fats to function optimally.
6) Proper nerve signaling
Certain saturated fats, function directly as signaling messengers that influence the metabolism. Without the correct signals to tell the organs & glands what to do, the job gets done improperly.
7) Strong immune system
Saturated fats found in butter & coconut oil play key roles in immune health. Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in the white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize & destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, & have potent germ-killing ability. We need dietary replenishment of them to keep the immune system vigilant against cancerous cells & infectious invaders.
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/06/06/saturated-fat/ Plaque build up in the arteries are more attributable to carb consumption than dietary fats, which seems to be the conclusion of the following study. Carb consumption raises triglycerides & VLDL (bad cholesterol). Fats raise the HDL (good cholesterol). High triglyceride levels (>100) & low HDL levels (<60)are an indicator of plaque, glycation - the precursors to a heart attack and heart disease.
study from the Oxford group examining the postprandial (after-eating) effects of a low-fat vs. low-carbohydrate diet. (Roberts R et al, 2008)
Postprandial lipoproteins, you'd think, would be plentiful after ingesting a large quantity of fat, since fat must be absorbed via chylomicrons into the bloodstream. But it's carbohydrates that figure most prominently in determining the pattern and magnitude of postprandial triglycerides and lipoproteins. Much of this effect develops by way of de novo lipogenesis, the generation of new lipoproteins like VLDL after carbohydrate ingestion.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/after-eating-effects-carbohydrates-vs.html