Ketogenic Diet Made Easy With Other Top Diets: Protein, Meditterean and Healthy Recipes

Table of Contents

Easy To Follow Protein Diets

Protein Diets & Diet Plans

By: Louise. A. Costas

Chapter 1- The Protein Diet Explained

Over the years, many doctors and dieticians have noticed that when a person eats more protein and fewer carbohydrates, they have the ability to lose weight faster. In fact, it has been noted by famous organizations, like the Mayo Clinic, that when a diet rich in protein and low in carbohydrates is observed, it can help to erase signs of heart disease and can allow the pounds to simply melt away. So what is the protein diet and is it really worth the strict regimen it requires? Many say that it is the answer to obesity and for people to learn to re-train their eating habits. Some who have used this diet plan have been able to cancel surgeries, like the gastric bypass.

Is High Protein The Diet For Today?

The protein diet works by allowing a person to eat foods they love and that are very filling. Meats like chicken, turkey, fish, and even pork are incorporated into the diet because they are high in protein. There have been several variations of the original diet that have indication or attack periods and restricted carbohydrate intake, but this is not your everyday low carbohydrate plan. The difference in this type of diet is that the person doesnt count carbohydrates, but rather grams of protein.

Also, most low carbohydrate plans do not enforce the counting of calories. In this plan, a person must not only calculate calories but grams of protein. Each food that a person eats has protein content and this must be strictly monitored. Extreme levels of protein with not enough calories can be dangerous and can even cause death. That is why this diet plan requires not only protein in appropriate levels, but also a certain amount of calories. Each persons requirements are different and it is based on the weight loss needs.

What about Fruits and Vegetables?

Sure there are some elements of the carbohydrate diet in this plan too. For example, even the simplest piece of fruit, like an orange, is loaded with carbohydrates and carbohydrates are bad. This diet plan teaches a person to eat the foods that have fewer carbohydrates and are more filing to allow them to not experience any hunger and to allow the body the fuel it needs. For instance, when dealing with fruits like strawberries, honeydew, watermelon and raspberries, they all have a much lower carbohydrate content that that of a banana or apple. The reason being is the water content within the piece of fruit. If fruit has more water, it will have fewer carbohydrates.

Vegetables have little to no carbohydrate content. The only vegetables that are usually avoided on this diet are potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and carrots. All other vegetables are usually allowed in whatever portions a person desires. By filling up on vegetables that provide good fuel for the body, the body wont crave as much sugars. Potatoes are especially high in starch, which ultimately turns to sugar. The main principal behind this diet is to avoid carbohydrates and eat more protein. However, the protein must be high in fiber and grams of protein and low in fat and calories. Some vegetables, like spinach, give the body more vitamins and minerals than other plants. The diet is rich in protein and plant based foods.

Why Protein?

Protein is not just meat; actually it is just a fraction of what a person can eat. It is acceptable to eat eggs, beans, nuts, legumes, and of course meat. While it is acceptable to eat pork, cuts of meat that tend to be full of fat should be avoided. The goal is to have more than 200 g of protein per day. On the traditional low carbohydrate diet, a person doesnt count the protein grams or the fat content.

The fat content doesnt matter on low carbohydrate plan, but on the high protein diet, the meats should be lean cuts with less fat. This plan restricts fat intake and some calories to have a perfect balanced plan. So how much protein is in average foods? Take for instance a can of tuna, it has about 100 g of protein, but just protein alone is not enough fuel for the body, there are other caloric needs. Tuna has little calories, so included with this tuna much be other selections that are within the plan for an even balance.

Who Uses This Diet Plan?

The high protein diet plan is recommended for those who need to lose large amounts of weight and bodybuilders. Because of its quick results, it allows people who are suffering with obesity to quickly get their situation under control. The increase in protein and the decrease in sugars cause the body to detox rather quickly. As the body detoxifies all the sugar, it will allow it to quickly burn stored up levels of fuel. Those who start on this plan and do the induction or attack phase, can lose as much as 6-10 pounds in the first week. This helps to jump start the metabolism and to get the weight loss on track.

The weight is known to come off rather quickly. However, it must be said that as soon as breads and other carbohydrate foods are incorporated back in, if it is not done in the correct portions, the weight can pile back on. By taking away the fuel from the body, or carbohydrates, it causes the body to go into what is known as starvation mode. During this mode, the body will begin to burn the fat it has stored for fuel. The results are nothing short of amazing. People who are on this plan are averaging 1-2 lbs. of weight loss per week.

Is This Diet For Everyone?

Hollywood is always looking for new diets and trends and ways to lose weight quickly. While the low carbohydrate plan has helped many, saying that a person can never have bread or fruit again is kind of unrealistic. Sure at some point a person is going to want a banana or an orange. The goal with this plan is to up the protein and reduce carbohydrates, fat and see dramatic results.

Chapter 2- Types of Protein Diets

Many people turn to protein diets in order to achieve weight loss. That's because some weight loss experts suggest that high-protein diets, along with regular exercise, can reduce blood fats. Protein diets also help maintain lean body tissue while using fat as a fuel source.

Protein is essential for the body to be able to function properly. This essential nutrient promotes growth, energy, strength, weight loss, and many more health benefits. Common sources of protein include beef, poultry, beans, eggs, soy, cheese, milk, and more. Many people enjoy protein in the form of shakes or bars. Inadequate protein intake can cause various conditions such as hypotension and anemia. Without protein, muscle mass may decrease, and this can cause weakness. The high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been very popular for many years. Protein diets offer many weight loss options. The following are different types of protein diets.

Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet is a diet plan invented by Dr. Robert Atkins. This diet includes all types of protein and fat, including poultry, fish, meat, eggs, cheese, oil, and butter and restricts carbohydrates like pasta, bread, fruit, alcohol, milk and starchy vegetables like corn, peas and potatoes. The Atkins diet promises that you will lose weight and will not be hungry with this low-carbohydrate diet. This diet also promises that you will achieve better memory function and heart health, as well as other health benefits.

The Atkins diet stresses that people who are overweight consume too many carbohydrates. The body burns both carbohydrates and fat for energy, but carbohydrates are used before fat. By drastically reducing carbohydrates and consuming more protein and fat, the body naturally loses weight by burning fat more efficiently. The Atkins diet claims that most people use this diet plan for weight maintenance, optimal health, and disease prevention.