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Most of the foods on the list for Phase 1 of SB are the same as Atkins. The difference is that you don't have to limit the veggies. In Atkins induction you may be able to have the same veggies, but you would have to limit them to 1 1/2 cups. With SB you can have much more than that. Also, you can have quite a few things that you would either have to severely limit on Atkins because of the higher carb count, or not have at all, such as tomatoes and onions. Also, you can have nonfat plain yogurt and milk, many kinds of beans (like black beans) and some other things.

The other difference is the fat. SB doesn't advocate low fat, but they advocate the right kind of fat. Saturated fat is very limited. You need to choose lean cuts of meat and no cream or full fat cheeses.

They are similar, but very different. I find that SB is much easier for me because of there is so much more variety. I thought staying away from full fat cheeses and giving up cream and cream cheese would be really hard for me, but I've found that the extra variety I get from the extra veggies, dairy and now that I'm in ph. 2, whole grains and fruit more than makes up for the loss of some of my old favorite fats. And SB is NOT low fat. I still eat about the same amount of fat, I just eat different kinds now.

This is the most helpful link I've found for South Beach. It has the most information that I've found. http://www.mizfrogspad.com/south_beach_diet.htm

Hope this helps.