Antioxidants are frequently promoted for their ability to protect against heart disease, cancer, aging, and more. While the term "antioxidant" is commonly used, many people do not understand what an antioxidant is or how it works.
Simply put, antioxidants are substances that have the ability to prevent or delay cell damage. Research links this cell damage to many diseases including heart disease, cancers, Alzheimer's, diabetes, liver disease, and Parkinson's Disease (1).
What causes this cell damage? Free radicals. Free radicals are unstable and extremely reactive molecules. When they react with other molecules in our body, they interfere with their ability to function properly and may even damage them. Our body creates free radicals through natural body processes such as breaking down foods or …show more content…
Arthur Agatston. It encourages the selection of healthy carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean protein. It claims to jumpstart weight loss and curb cravings. The South Beach Diet is divided into three phases.
Phase 1:
This phase is the most restrictive and only last for two weeks. The diet claims this week jumpstarts weight loss and reduces cravings. It requires dieters to eliminate almost all carbohydrates except for high fiber vegetables and low-fat dairy. During these two weeks, dieters eat lean meats, high fiber vegetables, low-fat cheese, nuts, seeds, and eggs.
While this is not a healthy long-term diet pattern, research suggests that low carbohydrate diets do result in less hunger and more short-term weight loss than low-fat diets (1).
Phase 2
After the first 2 weeks, phase two begins. Dieters stay on this phase until they lose their desired amount of weight. During this phase, some of the restricted foods are slowly reintroduced. These include fruits and whole-grains such as whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, and brown rice.
Phase