How Long has the South Beach Diet Been Around?

The first edition of the South Beach Diet came out in 2003. Dr. Arthur Agatston is the Miami-based cardiologist who developed the diet. Before the first book came out, it was being used in his clinic as a way to help obese patients lose weight in a healthy way.

WebMD says the South Beach Diet is a healthy dieting option. This diet is broken into three phases with phase one being the most restrictive and phase three being the least restrictive. In phase one, participants aren't allowed to eat fruit, bread, rice, pasta or dairy products. Some of those are slowly reintroduced in phase two of the program. Even more of these foods are reintroduced in phase three.