no/low carbohydrate, high protein diets

Periodically over the years, lots of radio and television talk shows, books, and magazines have given attention to the no or low carbohydrate, high protein diet. This diet goes by a variety of names, and often is known by the latest author selling a book about some variation of it. Basically, followers are told to eat unlimited amounts of protein foods, such as meats, poultry, fish, cheese and eggs. What the proponents don’t mention is that these foods are very high in fat, especially saturated fat. The diet has no or low amounts of carbohydrates, including most vegetables, sweets, rice, pasta, bread, fruits and milk. Alcohol is a carbohydrate, so beer, wine and other spirits would also be forbidden.

But are carbohydrates bad for us? None of us would be here if they were! Most of the energy we use to move around, work and live is from carbohydrates. The brain usually relies on carbohydrates for its thinking power. Besides carbohydrates, which are our main source of energy, the only other sources of energy are fat and protein.

Do these diets work for weight loss? Yes. In the first week, much of the weight lost is water. But this is healthy water weight and is regained when the person goes back to eating carbohydrates. If the person stays on the diet for a longer time, muscle and fat weight will be lost. The diet is so limited in food choices that it is very boring and monotonous, so followers eat fewer calories than are needed to maintain their weight. It shouldn’t be a surprise that when dieters limit their meal selections to just one food group, they are able to lose weight.

So why not follow this diet? The more food groups a dieter limits, and the longer the low intake continues, the more likely they are to lose their nutritional well-being. Inadequate diets can worsen chronic and acute diseases, delay recovery from illness and hasten development of degenerative diseases. Eating high protein, high fat diets that are low in fruits, vegetables and high fiber grains have been shown, over the years in many published scientific studies, to increase the risk for heart disease, cancers, osteoporosis, kidney diseases, and even death. This diet leads its followers to failure. Sooner or later, they go off the diet, regain body weight and feel guilty.

On no or very low carbohydrate diets, ketosis occurs. Ketosis is the process where ketones (such as acetone) build up in the blood from incomplete burning of stored and dietary fats. This causes very bad breath and can lead to a life-threatening condition of too much acid in the blood.

A low carbohydrate diet depletes muscle glycogen stores and can make exercise workouts seem harder. Various health problems, ranging from fatigue, nausea and diarrhea or constipation, can arise. Essential minerals can be lost from excessive urination from too much water-weight loss. Without carbohydrates in the diet, the body breaks down its own muscle.

Diets too high in meats and saturated fats contribute to heart disease. Even lean cuts of meats and poultry generally contain 50% or more calories from fat. The kidneys have to work harder when the diet is too high in protein. The body cannot store excess protein, but converts it to fat. Some people are susceptible to gout when they eat a high protein diet. Also, much calcium is lost from the body when we increase our dietary protein to high levels. On low carbohydrate diets, people must limit their milk intake, so they may get even less dietary calcium than they would normally. Therefore, they are losing more calcium at the same time that their diet is providing less calcium.

Severely restricting certain foods, such as all carbohydrates, is likely to result in binge eating. Many people will give in to cravings by eating highly sweetened carbohydrates, rather than loading up on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and milk. It would better serve the body to eat nourishing carbohydrates throughout the day.

Certain high carbohydrate foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains and milk products, are loaded with health-promoting phytochemicals, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It makes sense to eat foods that contain many nutrients. Eating more grains, fruits and vegetables is associated with lower blood pressure, and has many health benefits. Plus these foods taste good and add color, crunch and variety to our meals. (For more information about this type of diet, see the 20-page DASH diet book at the National Institute of Health’s web site, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/is)

What would be a better way to lose weight?

Adjust your meal and snack selections according to the food guide pyramid. For instance, are you eating enough fruits? Vegetables? Whole grains? Too much of something? If your pyramid is skewed, change your eating habits until your diet looks more like what is recommended.
Decrease fat to 30% of calories or less, or about 50-60 grams or less a day.
Eat less simple sugars. Cut back on, or avoid, sugary beverages and foods. Read the nutrition facts food labels.
Respond to daily stress in ways that do not involve eating or drinking.
Increase physical activity to 30-60 minutes almost every day. Aim for at least 150 minutes a week. It doesn’t have to be done all at one time, and can be done with a friend. (Bonus: this will improve your social support network, too.)

Forget about focusing on weight loss. Work on becoming healthier to feel better and reduce your risk for disease. Adopt a healthier lifestyle and be pleasantly surprised at the many benefits to your well-being. Ironically, one benefit just may be lasting weight loss!

Mary L. Meck Higgins, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., CDE
Assistant Professor and Human Nutrition Specialist

Used with permission from K-State Research and Extension Service, Human Nutrition

Updated 11/02