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American Morning

Interview with 'South Beach Diet' Author Dr. Arthur Agatston

Aired January 02, 2004 - 07:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Weight loss is often one of the top items when people list their New Year's resolutions. One eating plan that's causing a sensation has everyone from Bill Clinton to Oprah Winfrey hooked -- "The South Beach Diet" by Dr. Arthur Agatston, America's best-selling non-fiction book last year. He has a second book out on Tuesday called "The South Beach Diet Companion."
The doctor, Dr. Agatston, is with us now from Miami to talk more about his eating plan.

Nice to see you. Happy new year to you, Doctor.

DR. ARTHUR AGATSTON, AUTHOR, "THE SOUTH BEACH DIET": Good morning. Happy new year to you, Bill.

HEMMER: We are going to try and categorize and explain your diet in two ways here. First of all, you break down foods into sugar rush foods. And on that list is white bread, Coca Cola, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, bananas and white rice. Before we go to the next screen, tell me how this fits or does not fit into your diet plan.

AGATSTON: Well, those foods are digested very rapidly. They cause big swings in blood sugar and you're hungry soon after you finish a meal, and that's the problem. Self-discipline won't help if you're eating foods like that.

HEMMER: So, this is bad then you're saying, all of this on this list.

AGATSTON: It's bad, yes.

HEMMER: How is that banana I ate this morning at 5:00 this morning bad?

AGATSTON: Well, it's not as bad as some of the others, but it's one of the starchy fruits. Most whole fruits are good for us -- the starchy fruits like bananas, you know, corn is a vegetable, that's starchy, pineapple -- those are sugary fruits, not great.

HEMMER: OK, quoting your advice then, stay away from those. But then there is another list: slow-burning foods. We'll put a list up on it. An example here, oily fish and chicken breast and coffee and apples and milk, muesli and chick peas, how do these fit or not then in your diet, Doctor?

AGATSTON: Well, they are slowly digested and cause a small rise and a small slow fall in blood sugar. So, you're not hungry after you eat. They also have wonderful nutrients. They help our metabolism long term to keep weight off.

HEMMER: So, you recommend these. These are the good foods then, according to your book?

AGATSTON: Yes.

HEMMER: OK, define for us then -- because you stress low carbs in a lot of ways in the examples we've just shown here. What's the difference between your diet and the Atkins diet?

AGATSTON: Well, the Atkins lumps all carbs together, and a lot of carbs are absolutely good for us. The fruits, the whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, they have a lot of great nutrients and they're important.

The other is Atkins also lumped all of the fats together, and a lot of fats are very good for us, particularly the Mediterranean oils, omega-3 fish oils. They help keep our blood vessels healthy, and they help our long-term metabolism.

HEMMER: I want to give you a bit of a chance to toot your own horn here. Why do you believe that in the past year your diet caught on the way it did?

AGATSTON: Well, it's important, especially for the new year, to realize that a diet has to be a lifestyle. Losing weight for over a couple of weeks does nothing. Ours was developed for heart patients. It means normalizing your blood chemistries in your weight over years.

And the good news is with knowledge, it really takes more knowledge than self-discipline. If you're eating the right foods you won't be hungry and you can have long-term optimal weight.

HEMMER: Do me a favor then here. I gave you a chance for that one. Answer this one. Whether you're on your South Beach diet or the Atkins diet, what is important, do you believe, other than moderation and making sure you stay healthy diet-wise?

AGATSTON: It's really -- it's knowledge. If you're eating the right foods, the good veggies, the good fats, you're getting wonderful nutrients. You'll protect your heart, your brain, your joint -- your joints, as well as looking good.

And the other thing for the new year is exercise. And there, too, less is more. Do something that you can continue. Don't join a gym, you know, for a month and quit.

HEMMER: That's right. Thank you, Doctor. Appreciate it. Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of the South Beach -- I'm still eating that banana in the morning by the way. You're not going to talk me out of it, all right?

AGATSTON: Just have it with some whole grain cereal.

HEMMER: Happy new year.

AGATSTON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.





Agatston>


Aired January 2, 2004 - 07:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Weight loss is often one of the top items when people list their New Year's resolutions. One eating plan that's causing a sensation has everyone from Bill Clinton to Oprah Winfrey hooked -- "The South Beach Diet" by Dr. Arthur Agatston, America's best-selling non-fiction book last year. He has a second book out on Tuesday called "The South Beach Diet Companion."
The doctor, Dr. Agatston, is with us now from Miami to talk more about his eating plan.

Nice to see you. Happy new year to you, Doctor.

DR. ARTHUR AGATSTON, AUTHOR, "THE SOUTH BEACH DIET": Good morning. Happy new year to you, Bill.

HEMMER: We are going to try and categorize and explain your diet in two ways here. First of all, you break down foods into sugar rush foods. And on that list is white bread, Coca Cola, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, bananas and white rice. Before we go to the next screen, tell me how this fits or does not fit into your diet plan.

AGATSTON: Well, those foods are digested very rapidly. They cause big swings in blood sugar and you're hungry soon after you finish a meal, and that's the problem. Self-discipline won't help if you're eating foods like that.

HEMMER: So, this is bad then you're saying, all of this on this list.

AGATSTON: It's bad, yes.

HEMMER: How is that banana I ate this morning at 5:00 this morning bad?

AGATSTON: Well, it's not as bad as some of the others, but it's one of the starchy fruits. Most whole fruits are good for us -- the starchy fruits like bananas, you know, corn is a vegetable, that's starchy, pineapple -- those are sugary fruits, not great.

HEMMER: OK, quoting your advice then, stay away from those. But then there is another list: slow-burning foods. We'll put a list up on it. An example here, oily fish and chicken breast and coffee and apples and milk, muesli and chick peas, how do these fit or not then in your diet, Doctor?

AGATSTON: Well, they are slowly digested and cause a small rise and a small slow fall in blood sugar. So, you're not hungry after you eat. They also have wonderful nutrients. They help our metabolism long term to keep weight off.

HEMMER: So, you recommend these. These are the good foods then, according to your book?

AGATSTON: Yes.

HEMMER: OK, define for us then -- because you stress low carbs in a lot of ways in the examples we've just shown here. What's the difference between your diet and the Atkins diet?

AGATSTON: Well, the Atkins lumps all carbs together, and a lot of carbs are absolutely good for us. The fruits, the whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, they have a lot of great nutrients and they're important.

The other is Atkins also lumped all of the fats together, and a lot of fats are very good for us, particularly the Mediterranean oils, omega-3 fish oils. They help keep our blood vessels healthy, and they help our long-term metabolism.

HEMMER: I want to give you a bit of a chance to toot your own horn here. Why do you believe that in the past year your diet caught on the way it did?

AGATSTON: Well, it's important, especially for the new year, to realize that a diet has to be a lifestyle. Losing weight for over a couple of weeks does nothing. Ours was developed for heart patients. It means normalizing your blood chemistries in your weight over years.

And the good news is with knowledge, it really takes more knowledge than self-discipline. If you're eating the right foods you won't be hungry and you can have long-term optimal weight.

HEMMER: Do me a favor then here. I gave you a chance for that one. Answer this one. Whether you're on your South Beach diet or the Atkins diet, what is important, do you believe, other than moderation and making sure you stay healthy diet-wise?

AGATSTON: It's really -- it's knowledge. If you're eating the right foods, the good veggies, the good fats, you're getting wonderful nutrients. You'll protect your heart, your brain, your joint -- your joints, as well as looking good.

And the other thing for the new year is exercise. And there, too, less is more. Do something that you can continue. Don't join a gym, you know, for a month and quit.

HEMMER: That's right. Thank you, Doctor. Appreciate it. Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of the South Beach -- I'm still eating that banana in the morning by the way. You're not going to talk me out of it, all right?

AGATSTON: Just have it with some whole grain cereal.

HEMMER: Happy new year.

AGATSTON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.





Agatston>