The South Beach Diet is drawing an unlikely group into the low-carb craze: vegetarians.

bq. For years low-carb and vegetarian diets have been on opposite ends of the eating spectrum–when an Atkins dieter orders a bunless burger, a vegetarian orders a burgerless bun. But Dr. Arthur Agatston, a Miami Beach cardiologist who created the South Beach Diet, said he developed a vegetarian version of his plan long before it became a best-selling book and diet to the stars. Now about 4,000 vegetarians use his diet’s website, which offers meatless meal plans and recipes.

A South Beach vegetarian eats lots of vegetables, beans, legumes and soy products. Fruit and whole grain foods are allowed in moderation in the second and third phases of the diet. If the vegetarian eats eggs and dairy, low-fat products are allowed.

Kraft Foods has inked a deal with Dr. Arthur Agatston, creator of The South Beach Diet. The company will use the South Beach Diet trademark to promote some Kraft products that can be used by people following the South Beach Diet program. Specifically what items that will be promoted is unknown at this time.

Kraft will also put up money for nutrition research at the Agatston Research Institute.

Financial terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed.

Dr. Arthur Agatston’s South Beach Diet book series has a hold on three of the top give slots on this week’s best seller list. Here is the list, from USA Today:

# “Plan of Attack”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/074325547X/prworld
# “The South Beach Diet”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1579546463/prworld
# “The South Beach Diet Cookbook”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1579549578/prworld
# “The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1579549586/prworld
# “Angels & Demons”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0671027360/prworld

Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution comes in at #61.

Anheuser-Busch is claiming that the beer information found in Dr. Arthur Agatston’s South Beach Diet is based on errors. The best-selling diet book slams beer and bans drinking it, saying it is high in maltose, a form of sugar. But the beer maker says that is simply not true because there is no maltose in beer. Maltose, from barley malt, is found in beer only in its early brewing stages and is eliminated when yeast converts it to alcohol and carbonation, according to Anheuser-Busch and its quoted health professionals.

In his book, Agatston advises dieters to “avoid white wine, spirits, or, worst of all, beer”; calls maltose in beer “even worse than table sugar”; calls maltose “the king of all sugars” that leads to a “beer belly”; and says “guzzling this beverage” encourages “storage of fat around the midsection.”

The South Beach Diet is the #1 top selling book in America acccording to USA Today. It took the top slot from smash-hit novel The Da Vinci Code.

Dr. Atkins

The Times Of India is running a piece about the newest thing to hit Indian culture–the South Beach Diet.

bq. It’s the diet that helped former US president Bill Clinton lose 15 kg. Now it may help throngs of plump Indian women fit into dream thongs.

After the now famous and infamous Atkins diet that advocated dropping carbohydrates for proteins, the South Beach Diet is creating waves across the world.