Disadvantage of High-Protein Diet Plans

After the popularity of the Atkin's diet, many find it difficult to look a carbohydrate in the eye while animal meat and full fat dairy are consumed at every meal. However, recent studies have shown that high-protein diets may tax the body's digestive ability, resulting in a number of diet-related health problems.

Fit versus Healthy

• Holistic nutritionist, former professional athlete and coach Yuri Elkaim reminds us in his book "Eating for Energy" that "you can be fit without being healthy." If you currently eat a high-protein diet consisting of meat and dairy and consider yourself generally fit, you may still be creating an acidic environment within your body, which is believed to be the main precursor to disease.

Claimed Benefits of High-Protein Diets

• 1. Reduced cravings
  2. Feelings of satiety after eating
  3. Weight loss
  4. No need to obsess about portions
  5. Easier to build muscle

Misconceptions

• You do not need the high levels of protein found in meat to build muscle. Take into consideration vegetarian body builder Steve Holt---his personal site can be found at http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/index2.html.

  Diets that consist of the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables (5-10) daily, and natural, whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa, create an alkaline environment in your body while providing all of the nutrients found in meat and dairy, plus extra beneficial minerals and antioxidants.

  As much as most Americans hate to hear it, portions do matter. Weight loss is ultimately determined by a negative calorie balance, meaning that in order to lose weight, you must expend more calories than you consume.

  It can be said that the moment you crave a salad, you know you're truly hungry. Most people do not catch themselves craving fruits or vegetables on a daily basis, but refined sugars and carbohydrates---anything you can buy and eat in less than 5 minutes.

  Satiety depends on nutrient density, not calorie density. If you feel hungry quickly after a nutrient dense meal (vegetables, whole grains, fruit), your body is most likely craving the calorie dense, nutrient void foods you are used to eating. The chemicals used to process these foods have addictive qualities.

Dangers of High Protein Diets

• Acidity---When the body has no carbohydrates to burn for fuel, it will burn fat. While this results in weight loss, it also results in a buildup of ketones in the body, leading to acidosis and damage to vital organs.

  Difficulties with Digestion/Elimination---Cooked food lacks the enzymes present in raw fruits and vegetables. Foods that still contain their living enzymes help to digest themselves in the body. "Dead" food is taxing on the system because it calls more of the body's limited number of enzymes to work for digestion, meat being one of the hardest foods to digest.

  High protein = High fat---Meat and dairy often contain saturated fat which is known to increase the risk of heart disease.

  Chemicals---Meat that comes from cows that are not organically raised and grass-fed is loaded with chemicals and antibiotics for growth and preservation. Among these chemicals is sodium nitrate, which "alters the color of preserved fish and meats and also prevents growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria which causes botulism" (Elkaim). These chemicals are thought to be highly toxic to human beings but are not outlawed, much like crop pesticides.

Rule of Thumb

• A sure way to be fit and healthy: eat from the earth. Foods closest to their natural state are best. Raw, living fruits and vegetables, and sprouted nuts, grains, and seeds are loaded with all the nutrients your body needs, and will keep you young and fit for a long time to come.