Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum... and to the South Beach Diet. I ordered the books a few days ago and I'm waiting for them to come in. I have a couple of questions, though.

It seems like nuts are a big snack food for the diet. Trouble is, I don't like them. What alternatives are there? I like sunflower seeds... are these a good substitute? Can they be salted?

Another thing is that Phase I especially seems to rely on eggs. I have high cholesterol, so wouldn't eating all these eggs pose a problem?

Any advice or suggestions that you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

There are lots of other things to snack on than nuts. I snack on raw veggies like red pepper, zucchini or cauliflower. I'm not sure about sunflower seeds.

I use the Eggbeaters or other egg substitutes. Nothing says you have to eat eggs either. Check out our phase 1 breakfast section.

HI I'm new here. I have the book but can't fins it so am printing off the foods allowed on phase 1. Is there support for the SB diet, here? I am switching over from Adkins to SB, I was told SB is healthier...

Thanks.

You can to the right place! :welcome3" ...Feel free to post questions, join us on our daily chats and share your thoughts, recipes etc!!!

Here's a link to the Emergency Handbook for Phase 1...it has a list of foods for Phase 1 in it....
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58182

Thanks for the warm welcome! Is this also the site where you chat? I am lokoing for some helpand suggestions on keeping on program. I know this is not a diet but a life change.. Any tips?

Hi Cathy, just ask away!!!!! you can always count on a chick or 2 or 3 to respond with help! And search the forum , there's alot of info here to help you... In the meantime , here is a link to today's daily chat... we start a new one each day.. so when you pop in tomorrow, look for a Wednesday chat thread...

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74762

I clicked on the link you gave and there was nothing there.. Help.

sorry I got it...

Ncola, nuts aren't really a big part of SBD, though they are super-healthy, so they make a great addition to the diet, in moderation. You can substitute seeds like Sunflower or other 'nuts' like Soy Nuts (actually soy beans), if you like, just make sure you eat only ONE serving a day of either nuts or nut butters (like natural peanut butter). You'll find the servings listed in the book. Think about ways to incorporate the vitamins you'd be getting from nuts (like vit E in almonds and the omega 3's in Walnuts) to your diet from other sources, like ground flax seed, flax seed oil, and such.

Have you read the book? Dr. A explains why this diet is actually extremely beneficial for lowering your cholesterol, even with all those eggs. I wouldn't eat five or six a day , but one a day should be fine for your health. If you stick to good fats, moderate your saturated fat intake, and stay away from trans fats, I bet you'll find your cholesterol much improved! There have been several members of the forum who have done really well with this on SBD and have gone off their meds for cholesterol and blood pressure. Of course, talk with your doctor to see what she/he thinks, but I'm sure they'll be in support. My doctor actually recommended SBD to me!

Thanks, beachgal, for the advice and for the welcome. I got the book in the mail on Monday along with the quick and easy cookbook, but to tell you the truth I had learned most of the information in the book already through this site! It's definitely been helpful so far-- this is my first real push to try to lose weight and hopefully, between the book and this site, I'll be able to "fight the good fight" and win.