Definition

The South Beach Diet is a popular commercial weight-loss diet created in 2003 by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., and first outlined in the best-selling book "The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss."

The South Beach Diet, which is named after a glamorous area of Miami, is sometimes called a modified low-carbohydrate diet. The South Beach Diet is lower in carbs (carbohydrates) and higher in protein and healthy fats than is a typical eating plan. But it's not a strict low-carb diet.

There is also a keto (ketogenic) version of the South Beach diet. Ketogenic diets include very few carbs. The goal of a ketogenic diet is to force the body to use fat for energy instead of carbohydrates or protein.