Atkins vs. South Beach

Yesterday I made a post to the South Beach Diet forum, inviting anyone interested to take a look at my blog. Thought some might find it useful. The first two responses I got were, in my opinion, slightly hostile. One said "South Beach is NOT a low-carb way of eating, why should we look at your blog?" And another said something like "I've looked at your site and it looks like you're on Atkins. We are NOT Atkins." Well, I wasn't expecting this kind of response but I responded kindly that I know the guidelines for both Atkins and South Beach, and have taken things from both and thrown in my own educated knowledge of nutrition and have lost weight by watching my carb intake.

Atkins and South Beach are so similar, that I don't understand why South Beachers are so quick to deny that it's a low-carb diet. South Beachers DO restrict their carbs, the "bad" ones, and they restrict more fat than Atkins does. They also allow more sugars than Atkins. But the differences are very minimal. Both diets pay attention to carb-intake. Can anyone enlighten me as to why using the term "low carb" is offensive to those on the South Beach Diet? Really, I'm a little perplexed.

Anyway, for all those South Beach dieters out there, here's a great recipe that works for both Atkins and South Beach. And, it's DE-licious, with a capital DE!

Chicken ala EJ

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oli
2-3 cups shredded or sliced Swiss cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white wine or cooking wine
Juice of one lemon

Directions: Marinate chicken breasts at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) in vinaigrette and olive oil. Pound chicken breasts with a mallet to flatten and tenderize. Place chicken in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and salt on chicken. Top each piece of chicken with equal parts Swiss Cheese. Top with layers of yellow pepper, mushrooms and garlic. Pour wine over chicken. Squeeze lemon juice on top. Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon and salt on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until cheese starts to turn golden. Insert fork into chicken to test for doneness. Serve with steamed broccoli. Serves 4. 3 carbs per serving.