Vegetable Shopping for Week One of the South Beach Diet

During the first phase of the South Beach Diet, you should severely restrict the amount of carbohydrates that you eat. Eating vegetables can be a great way to get you through the first week, but you should take care to eat only vegetables that are low in carbohydrates. Some vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, can have a high carbohydrate count and should be avoided. Look for low-carb vegetables when you go shopping for the first week of the South Beach Diet.

Menu Planning

• Plan out the meals that you'll eat during the first phase. For breakfast, you may want to eat an omelet with cheese and vegetables; lunch might be a salad with chicken; dinner could be fish with a side of vegetables; and snack might be sliced vegetables. Use South Beach Diet-based books or websites to plan your meals.

  Once you know what you want to eat for the week, make a grocery list. Going to the store with a list helps you to save money since you'll only purchase what you need on the list. A list can also help you to avoid buying vegetables that later go to waste because you didn't eat them in time.

Salad Vegetables

• For the most part, salad vegetables are allowed on the South Beach Diet. Use dark, leafy greens as the base of your salad---these have the most nutrients. Top off your salad with broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms, snow peas, cucumbers and tomatoes. (Tomatoes do have more carbs than some of other vegetables, though, so limit to one whole tomato per serving).

  Salad vegetables may start to go bad by the end of the week. You may want to purchase special bags that keep produce fresh longer or plan to make another stop at the grocery store midweek.

Low-Carb Vegetable Sides

• Vegetable-based side dishes can help you to stay full while still being low calorie and low carb. While a side dish can be as simple as steamed broccoli, you may want to consider more exotic flavors. Look for recipes that incorporate your favorite vegetables. Fats and cheeses are allowed during the first phase of the South Beach Diet, so you can create creamy sauces to serve over your vegetable side dishes. Avoid potatoes, corn, yams and carrots, however, all of which have high carbohydrate content.