The high protein diet effects

The Atkins Diet is a High Protein Diet

The most popular high protein diet is The Atkins Diet. If you need to lose weight quickly, this diet may be for you. It is very popular diet amongst the celebrities. Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Sara Jessica Parker are some of the stars who have lost weight with the Atkins diet.

High Protein Diet – Feel Full, No Cravings

The high protein diet – the Atkins diet – makes you stop craving for sugar and sweets and at the same time you don’t have to go hungry. You can follow a diet rich in meat/protein and still lose weight. When you eat protein you will feel full much faster and the consequence is that you will then eat less.

High Protein Diet – The Long Term Effects

Is a high protein diet only effective during a shorter period of time? Are there any side effects? Let’s see what 4 different studies have to say about the long term effects with a high protein diet.

• According to a study published in “Archives of Internal Medicine”, the Atkins follower had lost 7.27 lb (3.3 kg) more than the ones with diets counting fat and energy intake. The Atkins diet was more effective on a short period of time, but after one year the difference was erased. The study was too short to prove that the diet has a negative affect on the heart and cardiovascular system or diabetes but there have been many discussions on this subject.

• There has been a study on 50,000 women between the years of 1993- 2004. 40% of the women had a traditional low fat diet while 60% didn’t have any restriction on what they could eat. In 2004 the study showed that the persons who followed a diet with little fat had on an average lost 4.85 lb (2.2 kg). There was no clear weight loss on those who didn’t have a restricted fat. According to this study it was shown that the persons reducing their fat intakes was the one losing most weight during this period: 1993-2004.

• According to a study on 42,000 women in Sweden, during a 12 year period, it has been found that the more of the total calorie intake they got from protein, and the less calorie intake they got from  carbs, the higher was the mortality amongst theses women.

• The studies on the effects with high protein diet are not congruous. According to a French study on rats, it shows that those rats that was on a diet with a lot of protein had less body fat, had lower insulin- and blood sugar level and their weight was 18 percent lower than rats on a normal diet. The study on the rats didn’t show any negative signs on the affect on the liver- and kidney functions.

High Protein Diet – Recommendations

The American Heart Association does not recommend high-protein diets for weight loss. An increasing meat intake without regard to dietary levels of saturated fat could cause cholesterol and heart problems. There are other factors to be aware of. In a high protein diet, the vegetables are reduced, because they count as carbs. This can lead to vitamin- and mineral deficiencies. It is recommended that you add vitamin B and D as well as several minerals if you follow a high protein diet. The diet puts the body in “starvation” and ketone bodies is set free which can give you ache in the stomach and bad breath. The ones suffering from diabetes should not follow this diet because it could be harmful for them.

Although there is no clear evidence on the effects with a high protein diet on the long run, you should never the less be observant and careful, as you should with any kind of diet. A compromise could be that you go on a protein diet but not as extreme as the Atkins Diet. Try to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and eat different kinds so you get all the nutrition you need. Here are tips on how you can lose weight with a compromised and safer protein diet:

Tips on a SAFER High Protein Diet

• EAT: Protein and fat – meat, fish, chicken, legumes, milk, butter, oils, nuts
• EAT SOME: Carbs with low GI – spinach, cauliflower, paprika, broccoli, strawberry, peach
• DON’T EAT: Pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, vegetables with high GI such as cooked beetroot, carrots

High Protein Diet: Exercise may save you life!

The exercising may save your life. The Maasai, Nomads from Kenya and Tanzania, live on a diet that is very rich on animal meats and fats (proteins) and poor in carbohydrates, but they rarely have any heart- or cardiovascular diseases. According to a study, made by “Karolinska Institutet” in Sweden (one of Europe’s largest medical universities), the secret may have to do with the fact that they walk a lot, around 12.4 miles (20 km) every day!