Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it."
Unfortunately, it is in the febrile interest of mainstream politicians and influential members of society to think that it is the other way round. And it is precisely this lack of acknowledgement which is part of the problem.
On Saturdays I indulge myself on the little pleasure of reading the Guardian newspaper, and a few months back I came across an article named “How to say ‘non’ to vol-au-vents”. If it sounds a bit French to you it is because it comes from a French figure named Dr. Pierre Dunkan. Doctor Dunkan is been described in the article as the protein-loving doctor. I will tell you more on this dieting system but before I will briefly describe how the official dieting with doctors started.
The doctoring of losing weight trend started with the Calorie Restriction Diet (CRD) accompanied in many cases by some sort of amphetamines to reduce appetite. This began in the 70s. The CRD has a host of beneficial qualities to it. To name some, it is a crucial part of any regime that will work efficiently and will have beneficial effects in the long term. However, it was approached in practice with a rather burdensome operation in which every ingredient had to be weighted to the exact amounts. This proved to be unsustainable as a way to lose weight and be on a realistic scheme. Furthermore, the outlandish claims that this regime combined with amphetamines would return the person to a healthy balance weight was to be vanished.
If it is true that great amounts of weight were lost, the person was left addicted to the amphetamines and when these were stopped weight would pliled back with a surplus. Although this practice was soon abandoned it left patients in a state of hopelessness and frustration.
Not very long ago, Dr. Robert Atkins whose diet advice was on high-protein, high-fat, non-carbohydrate diets was also in the limelight as a new trend that was to be the final solution. The protein based diet was answering some of the problem. There again, Dr. Dunkan’s diet on a high-protein, low fat, low carbohydrates had certain resonance. Unfortunately, the protein here deriving mainly from meats cannot possibly leave the high fat content behind.
This discrimination, omission of food groups and lack of balance prevents the body from benefiting from nutrients that are essential and should only be exercise under extreme circumstances, for very small periods at a time and under strict supervision.
There are a number of diets available which claim to work on different theories but although all of them may hold a grain of truth in them there is no one diet per se that could be recommended to the whole of humanity as we are all equal but definitely not the same, right?.
We have all heard of innumerable crash diets and quick fits, some known by fancy names and others after the person who exercise then for the first time, as if it was a matter of a discovery or a novel price. After all these people are making a healthy living and finally it could be said that any publicity is good publicity in the end. But for the reader it adds to another failure to find a solution in the search of achieving a suitable weight or a healthy and balanced diet.
If it would be true to say that a diet which is high in protein would achieve the desirable amount of weight loss for the majority of people. It is equally necessary to add that a medium to long term protein diet would cause serious health problems. The exclusion of food groups from the diet will never be part of the long term solution in achieving a balanced weight. This is a well known factor by all serious professionals in the field.
So do I hear the question from you as to why all this fanciful diets continue to gather momentum? The answer has to do with speed. On the one hand is the demanding force from people wishing to lose weight rapidly and on the other the poor effort that most are willing to make. Needless to say that such is the demand of this course of action that the market constantly engineers new fad diets.
What are the perils of a high protein diet?
The requirement of protein for a normal sedentary person is 0.9 g/Kg of body weight. For instance, 63 g for a 70 Kg person. However, requirements are also greater during childhood for growth and development, during pregnancy or when breast-feeding in order to nourish a baby, or when the body needs to recover from malnutrition or trauma or after an operation.
When carbohydrate is missing or ingested in small amounts from the diet, the body is forced to burn fat from its stores and also from the diet to fulfil its need for energy. The breakdown products of this process are called ketone bodies, which in turn begin to accumulate in the body. A build-up of ketones can cause great damage to kidneys and the liver. Furthermore, this build-up upsets the balance of acids and alkalines, causing acidosis. If this process continues unless immediate treatment is applied, a state of coma or death might result.
Other side effects of a high protein diet are unpleasant body odour and bad breath. High-protein foods are often also high in animal fats, mostly saturated fats and cholesterol which run in the blood increasing the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.
Another important factor to consider is the loss of muscle tissue. The higher the amount of protein that you eat and the lower the carbohydrate, the lower your body protein stores will be because you’re using protein as a fuel. The implications of cutting out fruits and vegetables, exposes you to the risk of developing vitamin B and E deficiencies. Finally, the purpose of carbohydrates such as fruit , vegetables, grains and cereals, particularly the wholegrain varieties, are the main source of dietary fibre in the diet. Eliminating these foods begin with constipation and inevitably lead to diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome and make you more susceptible to bowel cancer.
To conclude the take away message would be three different aspects:
1. Do not adopt a high protein diet for more than a week or so unless advised by a doctor and under strict supervision.
2. If you suffer from any related kidney condition or liver problems the effects of this diet would be even more severe.
3. Unless you have gained more than 3 stones in weigh (19 Kg approx.) a high protein diet would not be recommended.
Remember that there are not quick fixes in the medium and long terms and prevention is always better than cure.
