Is a high protein diet the best way to lose weight? There have been some famous diets that advocate this, most notably the Atkins Diet. There are also some more recent diets, such as the New High Protein Diet that are slight modifications on the Atkins Diet.
All of these diets tell you to eat more protein and fewer carbohydrates, and insist that this is healthier and will allow your body to burn calories more efficiently.
Is The High Protein Diet Effective?
When it comes to diets, you can always find many experts on both sides of a question or debate. The high protein diet is no exception. The first thing we should look at is the question of whether this is a safe and healthy way to eat. The answer is, it depends.
A very high protein diet can put stress on your kidneys. This is especially true if you are prone to kidney stones or other kidney-related problems. In fact, if you have this kind of health issue, you should not go on a high protein diet without consulting with your physician.
What Kind of Protein? Meat or Nuts, Seeds, and Beans?
Another aspect of the high protein diet to consider is that not all proteins are equal. When it comes to meat and animal products, for example, you may want to consider that most of these are produced under very unnatural conditions today.
Animals are routinely given antibiotics and hormones to stimulate growth and prevent diseases (often caused by overcrowding at factory farms). Even vegetarians have to be careful about where they get their protein.
Soy, once heralded as a miracle food, has been found in certain studies to be detrimental in large quantities.
Another healthier method is what my daughter does. Normal diet without meat but supplemented with lots of nuts, seeds, and beans. Even though all vegetables have some protein, Beans are a lot higher. Also Nuts and seeds are higher in fat but very high in protein as well
The Evil Carbs Are Pushed Away in High Protein Diets
One reason why people often succeed in losing weight with high protein diets is that they are eating fewer carbohydrates. It’s not that all carbs are bad, but many of the carbs people eat today are made with refined white flour.
When it comes to losing weight, simply giving up low quality carbs is one of the best things you can do. So it is this, rather than the high protein half of the equation, that is creating most of the success.
The healthiest diet, and the one that will enable you to lose the most , depends on your own metabolism to some extent. Some people seem to do better with a low protein diet, others with high protein.
The real secret is to watch the quality of the carbs and protein that you are consuming. And, along with this, to eat substantial quantities of vegetables and fruits every day.
If you follow this advice, and also get regular exercise, you won’t have to go on an extreme diet that may create health problems down the road.