High Protein Diet Plan
The Dangers of a High Protein Diet Plan
Some people believe the high protein diet plan is an effective way to gain muscle while losing weight. They point to people who have successfully lost weight on plans like the Atkin’s Diet. Lately, however, the traditional high protein diet plan has combined with low carbohydrate diet plans, and this is definitely a recipe for disaster.
How Does a High Protein Diet Plan Work?
The basic theory behind a high protein diet is this. Protein builds muscle. Carbohydrates don’t build muscle; they are only an energy source. If you minimize the amount of carbohydrates in you diet and maximize the amount of protein, your body will have no choice but to rely on the protein. Completely focused on protein, your body will build more muscle.
When the plan focuses on reducing weight, the theory adds the fact that without carbohydrates the body will also eat up the fats stored in your body and thus reduce your weight.
The foods the high protein diet plan typically advocates are all animal-based: chicken, steak, eggs, fish, etc. The high protein diet emphasizes drinking water and usually suggests supplementing your diet with protein supplements. It minimizes the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Why is it a False Theory?
There are two main problems with this theory. The first is the fact that in order to get the energy to workout and build muscle in the first place, you need carbohydrates. Your body doesn’t simply replace one energy source for another. In fact, without the carbohydrates you need to fuel this process of muscle building, the protein mostly goes to waste and you are just as likely to lose muscle as gain it.
The second and more serious problem is that when you don’t include enough carbohydrates in you diet, you do indeed start using your own fat reserves. Unfortunately, this same process happens during starvation. It leads to what is called ketosis. The body releases a series of acids into the blood stream as it starts devouring itself for energy. If prolonged, these bodily wastes can overwhelm the liver and kidney and lead to severe organ damage. If continued this can lead to death in some individuals.
But there are also a series of negative side effects to this type of unbalanced dieting.
Lack of Necessary Vitamins
Foods that the typical high protein diet plan excludes, like fruits, for example, also tend to be our main natural source for Vitamins. Without supplementing Vitamin C through some other source, your body risks producing a higher number of free radicals that breakdown the natural chemical make-up of our bodies.
Increased Chance of Cancer
Studies have shown that increased animal fats, red meat, high cholesterol and increased free radicals all have a high correlation to increased incidence of cancer.
Lack of Energy
People on high protein diets often feel lethargic and have difficulty keeping up their regular schedules. They often experience greater difficulty thinking clearly and will sometimes become dizzy.
Bad Breath of Body Odor
The ketones—the acids released as the body feeds on itself—are often released through the pores and through respiration. Put simply: they stink! People who are on such diets will often find they have bad breath and other odors.
What is a good diet to help lose weight?
In the end, there is no magic bullet. What you’ve been told since you were a kid is the truth. If you want to lose muscle and gain weight, what you need to do is eat a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. You don’t need to increase your protein level for the most part. As long as you are not a Vegan, you probably get your protein intake for any given day.
Eat a balanced diet. Exercise. Get a good night’s sleep. Don’t drink or smoke. All that boring old, hard to stick to advice is the answer. No wonder so many people are willing to reach for desperate measures, huh?