I would like to clear up a few things before I officially start SBD.

Nuts- Almonds specifically. What kind should I buy? I ended up with Archer Farms roasted and salted. Is this okay?

Dark chocolate- Is nestle dark chocolate chips okay or is their a better/lower glycemic brand?

Wine- I have never had red wine so I am lost. I would prefer something I can buy at Walmart. Today I bought Mogen David Concord for $6.79 at Walmart. I have no clue if this is good for me or not. I would be willing to pay about $20 to $25 dollars tops on wine. Should I drink a glass everyday?

Salad dressings- I bought South Beach Living Kraft italian and ranch dressing. Is this okay or is their a better choice?

Cheese- I bought Frigo LIGHT string mozzarella cheese. Did I go wrong buying the light version? What would be a better cheese for snacks?

Hopefully I am done with my questions. I would really really appreciate ANY input you guys can offer. THANKS!

You can eat any kind of nuts, just pay attention to the serving sizes. I think they range from 8 macadamia nuts a day to 30 pistachios a day. Don't get any honey-roasted or nuts with any kind of glaze, but you should be fine with dry roasted.

If you're going for chocolate, seriously buy the most expensive kind you have. I think the serving size is 1 ounce, once a week, and only after you finish Phase 1.

I have no clue about wine as I don't drink alcohol.

My go-to salad dressing is olive oil drizzled over a salad sprinkled with salt and pepper. Sometimes I splash some balsalmic vinegar on there, too.

Light cheeses are generally fine. A good rule to remember for cheese is to keep it to 6g of fat or less a serving. Then, you can eat any kind of cheese that meets that standard.

Good luck!

Kara

Kara's right about the cheese--light is usually best, unless you can stand the fat-free stuff (which a lot of people can't!). Have you read the South Beach book at all? I don't believe wine is allowed in Phase 1, if memory serves (I don't drink, so it's a non-issue for me in any phase).

As for nuts, I have roasted salted almonds. they're not dry roasted, but I check to see what kind of oil they were roasted in, and if it's a good oil, then I don't worry about it. I think the ones I have are roasted in canola oil.

I make my own salad dressings so I know there is NO sugar in them at all. I use Splenda to sweeten them when needed. I just find recipes online and replace the sugar with some Splenda (although I'm planning on experimenting with some more natural sweeteners--erythritol, stevia, and agave nectar--they don't cause cravings for me).

I don't much care for chocolate, and I can't STAND dark chocolate, so I can't help with that one

I am reading the book now and hope to start phase 1 next week. I actually don't drink but I always hear how good wine is for you. I figured I would try it but this wine is so darn cheap it has me wondering. I do know I can't have it in phase 1 I just wanted to prepare. I have a feeling I'm not going to like wine.

All the almonds I picked up were roasted with a mixture of vegetable, peanut, cottonseed, soybean and sunflower oil.

Cath, wine is not needed at all so don't start. You just might like it and turn into a wino like me!

You do want to limit your dark chocolate to one ounce a week. I go over often and that is one of the things that has kept my weight up. Go for the darkest you can handle. I like the 75% to 80% dark chocolate but you may find that is too bitter for you at first. For chocolate chips I go with semisweet usually. I think you will find the Nestles has more sugar.

I may rethink the wine.