Have we lost our minds?
You might have noticed a few unexpected ingredients popping up in a couple of our latest recipes, such as fat-free yogurt and whey protein powder. We also use cottage cheese and lean cuts of meat like chicken breast more frequently. So, whatβs cooking?
Personally, I have taken a hard pass at highly processed and fat-free products since 2009 when I started my LCHF (keto) journey. So when Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, my boss and founder of Diet Doctor, started talking to me about a high-protein diet with immense excitement, I almost didnβt want to listen.
I pictured tasteless βdiet foodβ like dry chicken breast and steamed broccoli, and I honestly thought that maybe this is the time for me to move on. Iβve been an advocate for keto for so long because I don’t feel deprived and I get to enjoy delicious food every day. Thereβs no chance that I would go back to counting calories.
The fact is that according to the latest research, a diet with a higher protein percentage (meaning fewer calories coming from fat and carbs) has proved to be very effective for weight loss β especially if you combine it with low carb. It sounds good on paper, but what does it mean for us who have to eat this stuff?
The crucial question for me as Head of Recipes at Diet Doctor was: Can we make high-protein recipes that will work well with our meal plans, are easy to prepare, and, most importantly, taste amazing?
After I started experimenting with the high protein recipes and the macros, I learned that you have to choose your fat sources more wisely. If you would like to try the higher protein approach, you can still enjoy chicken thighs with skin, mayonnaise, and cheese β but not all together or in limitless amounts.
For example, if you want to make a sauce with cream or butter, you need to use a leaner cut of meat like tenderloin, instead of pork chop, to get the right balance between fat and protein. Want to eat bacon? Stupid question … of course, you do! Use the bacon fat to fry the eggs instead of frying them in extra butter and pair it with other ingredients with less fat, such as eggs and veggies.
So, have I completely changed the way Iβm eating now? Do I eat steak and eggs for breakfast? Am I shredded?
The answer is “NO.” I believe that diets do not have to be black or white. You can choose what works for you and skip the rest. For me, that means Iβm more restrictive with adding fat to my food than I was before. I still enjoy full-fat dairy products, chicken with skin, and mayonnaise because it tastes amazing and makes me happy.
I also learned some new tricks. For example, fat-free yogurt is excellent to bake with and cottage cheese topped with cinnamon and berries is a quick and filling snack.
Some days I do intermittent fasting; some days I eat strict keto with lots of protein; some days I eat vegetarian food. And believe it or not, sometimes I even eat pizza that is not made of a vegetable.
You do you.
You will always progress by keeping an open mind, listening to your body, and learning from your experiences.
Mayby one off your specialist can reflect in this concern.
Here you can read about what our specialists have written about protein and insulin: https://www.dietdoctor.com/high-protein#benefits
Best,
Jill
Anyway i tried the high protein approach and did not feel as good as with LCHF; not even close as good. I was not as energetic and I didn't loose that much weight either (well...maybe I did something wrong and ate too much protein and not enough fat ). But it taught me one very important fact. If I'm hungry and like a snack - I now choose protein not fat anymore. For me in case of snacks only - Protein doesn't stall weight loss, fat does. With higher protein I have difficulties with IF, with higher fat, it is easy. So afterall this was another very important mile in my journey to find out what my body really needs.
It doesn't seem like there is much consideration given to anyone over 45 with changing metabolism challenges, so I look at the new recipes and adjust accordingly to what I understand my macro needs to be. As a participant in the Virta program for a little over a year really hammered in my macro targets. It can be very difficult for people with risk factors and disorders like T2D to adjust and heal, so in that light, I would say something like traditional pizza shouldn't even be mentioned in this format.
I appreciate what DD is all about. Gracias.
Glad to hear that you learned something new about yourself. I think high-protein diets for weight loss will work great for people that don't like to do intermittent fasting and that is not a big fan of sauces and fatty foods in particular. But I'm the opposite. I like to eat a maximum of two times a day and love sauces based on butter, cream, or mayo... π
I'm sure I would get awesome results if I followed HP strictly but I rather have a bit of extra "fluff" and enjoy a bit more fat. So it totally depends on what goals and food preferences you have.
At the moment we are focusing on high protein recipes so that the people that want to follow that diet (or why not mix it up?) can have a good amount of recipes to choose from. We already have hundreds of other yummy keto and low-carb recipes. But we will absolutely continue creating "regular" keto and low-carb recipes as well.
Take care,
Jill
I agree. Anything that reminds me of dieting gives me the chills π. Thankfully even if you chose to try the HP diet you will not have to count anything if you use our personalized meal plans or the meal plans that the DD recipe team has created because we already did the counting for you π.
Glad you found a healthy lifestyle that works for you.
And don't you worry, we will definitely continue creating "regular" keto recipes as well. We also have some new and exciting keto collabs coming up shortly π
Best,
Jill
The telling of us to care about calories and reducing fat intake is not the influence I want in my life. But if this is just one of many low carb lifestyles you advocate then it is what it is..
Interesting. It seems to works well for alot of people and for some people like you it's clearly not a good option.
Thankfully we have tons of other recipes on our site to enjoy. You could also tweak the HP ones and reduce the amount of meat etc a bit and replace the yogurt for example with a mix of sour cream and mayo π.
Best,
Jill
Diet Doctor's long-term purpose is to empower people everywhere to dramatically improve their health. One size does not fit all so based on the latest research we decided to add higher protein as an option for those who could benefit from it. So it's something extra. We're not removing something and we're still going to create new keto and low-carb recipes etc.
About the non-vegetable-pizza, I understand that it's not for everyone. But for me, that does not have diabetes or gluten intolerance it actually works to eat something that is not low-carb on special occasions. I enjoy it while I eat it and then I usually get reminded of how good I feel when I eat low-carb and get back on track asap π .
Take care,
Jill
I'm glad you are enjoying the new recipes and that they work well for you π€
Thank you for your feedback we will look into that for sure.
Best,
Jill
Here you can read about all the benefits and research behind the higher protein diet: https://www.dietdoctor.com/high-protein
Best,
Jill
You seem to have found what works best for you and that's great ππΌ
The HP diet is just an addon to what we already offer. So we still have tons of recipes and meal plans with "regular" keto and low-carb recipes. Not that you will probably need it that only eat meat once a day but still π
Best,
Jill
We address this, and other concerns in our FAQ on the topic.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/high-protein/faq
Rather, I am challenging the dogma that one approach works for everyone or that if it worked for you last year, it will continue to work for you today. Diets are notoriously hard to study longitudinally for a variety of reasons and each person will, at some point, have to make their own decisions when analyzing research. Even deciding how one will measure progress or success may vary from person to person or for one person over a lifetime. So thank you Jill and thank you DD for offering a a variety of opinions, and the menus to back them up, so that we who are seeking to make conscious choices in our eating can do so from a more informed and self-validating place.
On the bright side, some of our mammal relatives eat an extremely-high protein diet and are nevertheless rather fat ...
... e.g. whales;-)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33446907/
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03662-x
But I decided to to the Data Driven Fasting Challenge hosted by Marty Kendall earlier this year. I was drawn to it because he is teaching people to use blood glucose measurements to determine when we should eat. During the challenge the message was basically: UP YOUR PROTEIN as that is not a energy source and limit your carbs and fats which are energy sources. The problem is, if you up your protein you most likely will eat more carbs except if you go full-on carnivore.
On paper it all makes sense. BUT, I totally spanned out of control. I hate the diet mindset of measuring everything, trying to up my protein while keeping carbs and fats low, tracking my blood glucose and it messed me up so much. And yes, I was actually starting to get nightmares of eating lean chicken breasts and steamed broccoli and white scrambled eggs.
During the 4 week challenge I've gained 10kg even though my blood glucose drop a lot. And now 4 months later I still am not able to lose the kg's that I've gained. For me HIGH PROTEIN is a NO! Although, there might be some positives in the high(ER) protein message, but I do not think it should be high protein.
However, I have a suggestion for DD. If DD is going to be a community where you give more than one dietary option, then you should split the information into the different sections on the website. You are just going to confuse the people by talking KETO and HIGH PROTEIN on the same recipe tread etc...and who knows, tomorrow you might also recommend the HIGH CARB, LOW FAT, WHOLE FOOD movement of Dr Neal Barnard that also work for a lot of people..
Great question, and thank you for surfacing your concern. Our Medical team will be addressing this matter soon in upcoming resources!
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with higher protein and highlighting your concerns. Certainly what works for one, does not necessarily work for all. I hope that you have found a better balance that works for your body and your mind while helping you progress towards your health goals!
We are always striving to improve how we present new or existing information and resources to support people in their journey towards better health. I will share your input with the team, but it's important to note that keeping low carb simple will remain at the core of our message. You can follow a low carb diet and include a higher protein intake if that is the path you choose. We have a great guide with helpful FAQs for those curious or interested to learn more https://www.dietdoctor.com/high-protein/faq.