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Eat a juicy
burger for lunch and a sizzling steak for dinner — and still lose weight.
That's the undeniable appeal of high-protein diets.
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These
popular diets let you load up on meat, cheese, eggs, and other usual dieting
outlaws while severely limiting carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, and
bread.
Weight-loss
programs like the Atkins Diet or the Zone Diet may help you lose weight in the
short term, but they raise some health concerns. In fact, the American Heart
Association (AHA) recently issued a warning about high-protein,
low-carbohydrate diets.
The
following possible side effects suggest a high-protein diet is not a safe,
long-term solution.
High
cholesterol. With all that meat comes a lot of saturated fat, the kind that
causes cholesterol buildup in your arteries. You may lose weight but increase
your risk for heart disease and stroke.
High blood
pressure. When you limit foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains,
you're eliminating good, natural ways to lower your blood pressure.
Gout. Foods
high in protein are often high in purines, which are converted into uric acid.
This can build up and cause gout.
Osteoporosis.
Overloading on protein causes your body to get rid of more calcium, leaving
your bones weak and brittle.
Cancer.
Fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains mean fewer cancer-fighting weapons.
Diabetic
renal disease. Too much protein can put a strain on your kidneys making a high-protein
diet especially dangerous for diabetics.
Vitamin and
mineral deficiencies. The lack of healthy foods in your diet means you're not
getting all the nutrients you need. This can lead to health problems down the
road.
Fatigue and
muscle loss. Carbohydrates are your main source of energy. If you cut them out,
you can become fatigued after exercising. Get fewer than 100 grams of carbohydrates
a day, and your body will resort to burning muscle tissue for energy.
Health
issues aside. High-protein diets are generally boring and hard to stick to. You
need some variety and excitement in any meal plan.
The secret
to weight loss does not lie with some specific proportion of nutrients or the
magic powers of protein. It lies with burning more calories than you take in.
In fact, experts say it's the reduced calories, not the additional protein,
that helps you lose weight on high-protein diets.
Your body
does need protein to function properly. The current recommended dietary
allowance (RDA) of protein is .36
grams per pound you weigh. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should
get 54 grams
of protein a day. Recent studies suggest older people may need slightly more.
But don't go
overboard. Your best bet is to eat a balanced diet. The AHA recommends getting
about 55 percent of each day's calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from
fat, and just 15 percent from protein.
If you
decide you want to try a high-protein diet, make sure you talk to your doctor
first.
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