Over the past decade high protein, low carbohydrate diets have become a hot commodity and just about every meal replacement diet out there is following this trend. The downside of this is that many people do not actually understand the benefits and risks of these high protein diets and just throw themselves into it without even thinking. Instead of being one of those people that have absolutely no knowledge of this protein diet hype, learn exactly what the pros and cons are so you don’t sacrifice your health.
Benefits and Risks of High Protein Diet Plans
Protein is something you’ll find everywhere throughout the human body; it’s necessary to help repair damaged tissues, make enzymes, hormones and the many other body chemicals. Without protein, you could become sick, which is why high protein diet plans have become so popular.
Protein is one of several macro-nutrients your body requires. Macro-nutrients are things that the body needs larger amounts of. Unlike carbohydrates and fat, the human body doesn’t actually store protein so we don’t have a reservoir to draw from whenever your body requires a protein boost. This then leads to many believing that they need to consume excessive amounts of protein all day long, but nutritionists are now stating that this is not entirely true.
People need to focus more on eating less total protein from such things as protein drinks and focus more on getting protein from quality food sources. To ensure we are comparing apples to apples, so to speak, we are going to focus on complete proteins. The chart below does not include all foods that contain complete proteins, but it provides a good cross-section of popular foods.
How Much Protein is Enough?
The media leads us to believe that increasing our daily protein intake will help build more muscle, but this is not exactly true. Building muscle is done through exercise, not the increase of protein consumption. Our bodies require a sufficient amount of protein to function properly, and increasing the amount will not help increase our strength.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has stated the following about protein consumptions:
- Teenage boys and active men can get all the protein they need from three daily servings for a total of seven ounces of protein a day
- For children ages 2-6, most women, and some older people, the government recommends two daily servings for a total of five ounces of protein a day
- For older children, teenage girls, active women and most men, the guidelines give the nod to two daily servings for a total of six ounces of protein a day
How Much Protein Do We Need?
Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams, and a 250-pound person, 92 grams.
Disadvantages of High Protein Diet Plans
Even though thousands of people are doing it, high protein diet plans are not recommended by nutritionists. It can become quite dangerous to a person’s health over time. When people eat lots of protein but few carbohydrates, their metabolisms change into a state called ketosis. Ketosis means the body converts from burning carbs for fuel to burning its own fat. When fat is broken down, small bits of carbon called ketones are released into the bloodstream as energy sources. Ketosis, which also occurs in diabetes, tends to suppress appetite, causing people to eat less, and it also increases the body’s elimination of fluids through urine, resulting in a loss of water weight.
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