About Low Carb & High Protein Diets

All About Low Carb & High Protein Diets do they really work? Yes, you do lose weight initially on a High Protein/low-carb diet but 90% of your initial weight loss is water & that’s where the problems begin. What happens after your body has shed its water weight? It starts to burn the leftover fat and then because it lacks carbohydrates to burn for energy it starts to burn protein in your muscles.
 
These diets induce a metabolic condition known as ketosis which is really an unhealthy condition found in people who suffer from kidney disease and diabetes. It is not usually found in healthy people burning protein is not healthy because protein is nature’s building material & is vital for repairing & rebuilding your body’s cells, tissues & organs.
 
Advocates of the low-carb/High Protein/Fat diets play down ketosis & claim it’s proof your body’s burning fat. That’s true in part ketosis does burn fat but will also eventually, burn your body’s muscle tissue. If you’ve ever been on one of these diets, you’ve noticed that your urine gets yellow. This is due to ketones which is a by-product of ketosis.
 
This is evidence that your body is burning and breaking up muscle tissue which is protein. That’s dangerous because if too much of your body’s protein is broken down you could suffer irreparable liver and kidney damage. Further symptoms of muscle breakdown are evident in general weakness, fatigue & lack of energy.
 
Another thing to consider about low-carb/Protein diets is that during the process of ketosis, your body also breaks down fatty acids & converts them to ketones & acetones which are used for fuel. A side effect of this is that your body loses vital minerals like potassium and sodium. This reduces your thyroid hormone level which in turn slows down your metabolism and subsequently your rate of weight loss. Furthermore, ketosis could boost your blood cholesterol levels which is definitely not a safe situation.
 
Once you stop the regimen the weight piles right back on & then some. There’s a simple way to avoid this. Do not restrict your diet to any one food group or category. Rather than blindly cutting Carbohydrates and increasing protein & fat intake you should opt for a healthy ratio of 30% protein, 15% fat, & 55% Complex Carbohydrates. This ratio will help you to lose weight steadily and safely. The key is to reduce fat and SIMPLE carbohydrates, not Carbohydrates in general.
 
Another downside of low-carb/High-Fat diets is that studies show that the fewer carbs you consume the more likely you are to consume more fat. And this excess fat is stored up in your body’s fat cells where they’ll linger indefinitely clogging up your arteries with unhealthy cholesterol. Thus the more fat you eat the more your body will retain no matter how little carbs you eat even if you eat no carbs at all.
 
Now here’s the secret about eating complex carbs because complex carbs have a low glycemic index your body has to use 250% more energy to convert these carbs into fuel than it does to convert fat into fuel. Your body works harder to metabolise & burn calories from complex carbs than it does High Protein/Low Carb. The result? Safe systematic weight reduction is the best way to avoid health problems and sagging skin caused by too rapid weight loss.
 
Don’t eat too many carbs low carb diets could shorten your life. Don’t eat carbs after 3pm eating more carbs makes you fat carbs cause type 2 diabetes, grains cause inflammation & the list goes on. There’s plenty of negative press about carbs so let’s clear the air and sort this out once and for all with regards to public health recommendations we should be gunning for not high, not low, but moderate amounts of carbohydrate. No need to be afraid of bread, rice & pasta right?
 
However if your health dashboard is lighting up (e.g. high blood glucose levels, high cholesterol & triglycerides, fatty liver etc) or you’re suffering from an autoimmune disease a mental health condition or something else, sometimes, under the guidance of a dietitian and/or doctor a low carb diet might just be the thing you need to improve your health. If the research is saying that low-carb diets may be associated with an overall shorter lifespan then we really should take note of this.
 
Do we need to go so gung-ho on low carb or would it be better to take a more conservative approach, still following a lowish carb meal pattern but one that delivers a more appropriate amount of carb, focusing on carb quality? I think you all know what the answer is. It really depends on the individual’s personal circumstances. It’s about weighing up the need to go low carb vs the potential consequences of the approach. For example, if one person weighs 150 kg. they’re living with type 2 diabetes & they have poorly controlled blood glucose levels, perhaps a very low-carb diet would be the most appropriate approach for that person. At least in the short term under the guidance of a health professional.
 
The health dashboard is in the black & they’re a little overweight taking extreme action on a very low-carb diet isn’t worth the risk. One very clear risk is the reduction in fibre & fibre variety on a very low-carb approach cutting out nutrient-rich foods including whole grains, legumes, certain vegetables & fruit won’t do your gut health any favour. And as we’re starting to learn, our gut health has a big say in how healthy we are in mind and body. To maintain a healthy gut it’s best to focus on a variety of different fibre types. Something from each fibre category soluble fibre, insoluble fibre & resistant starch.