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Low & High Protein Diets

Learn About Plans Focused on Proteins

A high protein diet is something the medical community is looking at now and deciding whether or not it’s a healthy way to eat. Many of the high protein dieters in various studies reported feeling less hungry than on other plans - and apparently they took in almost 500 calories less per day on average. What they don’t know for sure is if it’s the lower carbohydrate intake or the higher protein intake that makes these dieters feel less hungry.

The Atkins diet, is a high protein low carb diet that’s often criticized for the liberal amounts of saturated fat that are allowed on the plan. Saturated fat has long been blamed for things like high cholesterol and heart disease, so many deem the Atkins diet to be unhealthy because of it. This is even though most people who follow the diet and lose weight show a drop in cholesterol levels, as well as drops in other things like blood sugar and blood pressure, which usually indicate improving health.

Not every high protein diet allows you to eat as much fat as you want, and usually those that don’t are thought of as healthier by the experts. Protein Power is a type of diet that stresses the intake of protein foods , but also restricts carbohydrates moderately and encourages the choice of healthy fats over saturated ones.

Meats including beef, pork, chicken and fish are staples of Protein Power and other similar diets, because their creators believe that it’s the large amount of protein in your body that lets you lose weight, heal more quickly, and achieve better health. This type of diet still restricts carbohydrates to a level that many people might be uncomfortable with. But it’s not nearly as carb-restrictive as Atkin’s, which all but eliminates carbs in the beginning, and then requires most carbs to be either vegetables or those created with special ingredients throughout the rest of the diet.

An example of a low protein diet that has helped many people is Dr. Dean Ornish’s carbohydrate based diet. He claims that by cutting out all animal products except egg whites and fat-free dairy products, not only can you lose weight and achieve better health, but you can even reverse heart disease.

While most carbohydrate diets, including vegan diets, can be low protein, they can also be moderate to high protein, depending on the food choices. The principle of the Ornish Diet is for 70% of the diet to come from carbohydrates like grains and vegetables, 20% of the diet is to come from non-animal protein sources like beans and some grains, and only 10% of the diet is to come from healthy fats like monounsaturated fats.

Diets like Atkins, the Zone and the South Beach diet, which contain varying amounts of protein but usually more than a typical diet, take the opposite approach. And they’re popular enough that frozen entrees can be purchased that will fit into the meal plans. But whether you choose low or high protein, it has to be something you can live with.