Just watch your serving size and count sugar-free dark chocolate towards your daily Extras on the South Beach Diet.

Protein bars can be a convenient way to add carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals to your diet. Also, they may curb appetite, fuel a workout, or support muscle repair after exercise. Still, they can't replace the quality and nutrient composition of whole foods.

Here are 10 healthy snacks to keep in your kitchen:

• Hard-boiled Egg with Salt and Pepper.
• Cottage Cheese with Sliced Cucumbers and Fresh Salsa.
• Turkey Lunch Meat, Lettuce and Tomato Roll-ups.
• Homemade Guacamole with Red Bell Pepper Slices.
• Mixed Nuts.
• All Natural Peanut Butter with Celery Sticks.

The South Beach Diet is a lower-carb diet that emphasizes lean meats, unsaturated fats and low-glycemic-index carbs. It was created by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston.

Yes, fellow chocolate lovers, it's possible to lose weight and eat chocolate every day! Will eating chocolate every day cause weight loss? Yes, eating chocolate can be part of a healthy lifestyle that promotes weight loss! However, evidence is very slim that a chocolate-focused diet would cause weight loss.

The South Beach Diet is lower in carbs (carbohydrates) and higher in protein and healthy fats than is a typical eating plan.

Can help you build muscle – A protein bar eaten after exercise can help your body repair damaged tissue and build new muscle. The amino acids contained in protein bars are the building blocks of muscle tissue and they also help prevent muscle soreness after exercise.

Protein bars are healthy snacks since they provide quick protein and other nutrients to your body to replenish lost nutrients and to satisfy hunger. Your muscles need to be nourished like we do, and if they are too low in nutrition they will start to cramp up and lose strength.

Pros of the South Beach System

• The South Beach Plan Is Simple.
• Low in Saturated Fats.
• Encourages Individuals To Experiment.
• Its A Healthy Diet.
• It Recommends Eating Heart-Healthy Unsaturated Fats.
• Promotes Consuming Complex Carbohydrates.
• Discourages Eating Junk Food.
• It Makes Food Cravings Cease.

The South Beach Diet touts many benefits, including reduced hunger and lower blood pressure, blood glucose, and triglycerides. But like all diets, not everyone takes well to the South Beach Diet. If you're considering using this diet to lose weight, be sure to review the following pros and cons before you begin.

Originally called the Modified Carbohydrate Diet, the plan was renamed the South Beach Diet after the South Beach neighborhood in Miami Beach near Agatston's practice. The diet plan was initially developed for Agatston's own patients.

Pros of the South Beach System

• The South Beach Plan Is Simple.
• Low in Saturated Fats.
• Encourages Individuals To Experiment.
• Its A Healthy Diet.
• It Recommends Eating Heart-Healthy Unsaturated Fats.
• Promotes Consuming Complex Carbohydrates.
• Discourages Eating Junk Food.
• It Makes Food Cravings Cease.

10 Reasons Why Chocolate Is Good For You

• Lowers Blood Pressure. Substances called flavanols in cocoa work like blood pressure-lowering drugs called ACE inhibitors.
• Prevents Liver Damage.
• Keeps Your Heart Healthy.
• Makes You Feel Good.
• Boosts Brain Power.
• Keeps You Slim.
• Makes You A Genius (Maybe…)
• Renovates Blood Vessels.