June 15th, 2009 -- Posted in Low Fat Diet |
There are some diets in the health and wellness world today that promote eating a high protein, low fat diet to the exclusion of carbohydrates. These diets are not healthy for the individual to use in the long run, and can often cause health issues even when used for a short amount of time to lose weight. These diets are based on research that shows when the body can not gain its energy through carbohydrates like it normally does for brain and organ functions, then it will begin to burn the fat stores of the body in a process called ketosis, which means the body is burning fat instead of glucose from the carbohydrates. While this is beneficial to losing fat stores that are hard to get rid of by other means, it is not as healthy for the body as a low fat, high fiber diet would be, which is much more balanced.
Problems
It is very difficult to have a high protein, low fat diet and not obtain too much cholesterol, since there is a lot of cholesterol in high protein foods. Even if using products that are reduced fat and lean meats, there is still too much cholesterol that is obtained in a person’s diet if the majority of what the person is eating is protein. High cholesterol leads to a variety of different issues, the main ones being heart disease, strokes and even cancer.
Another problem with a high protein, low fat diet is that the calcium that is taken in through the different dairy products does not have the vitamins and minerals that are needed to bind with to maintain that calcium level. Instead, people on a high protein, low fat diet tend to excrete more calcium from their bodies which can lead to health problems such as kidney stones and also osteoporosis if the diet is consumed over a long period of time.
Other effects of a high protein, low fat diet are that the person can feel nauseous while on the diet and it can also cause bad breath. More serious issues are that, besides kidney stones and heart disease, other organs can start to fail, such as the kidneys as a whole, and it can also cause gout. The risk of cancer mentioned above is also escalated by the lack of fiber in a high protein, low fat diet, which means that there are not the vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that the body needs to fight cancer.
June 14th, 2009 -- Posted in Low Fat Diet |
There are many different diets on the market today that claim to be the best way for individuals to lose weight, such as a high protein, low fat diet which is usually low in carbohydrates as well. Although these diets will often achieve their claims, there are also health risks involved in going to extremes to lose weight, since the basic food groups are not met and the body has to work extra hard in some areas which can cause health problems rather than solutions. When choosing a weight loss plan, individuals should consult their doctor beforehand to make sure there are not any health situations that they need to be aware of and to discuss the nutrition of the diet plan that they are considering embarking upon.
Healthy Eating
Low fat and low cholesterol diets are a fairly good means most of the time to maintain a healthy diet but to also lose weight. The body does need some fat and good cholesterol in the diet in order to function properly, so eliminating these materials completely is not a wise choice. It is wise, however, to decrease the amounts of saturated fat and bad cholesterol that usually accompanies it in the diet so that the body can lose weight and still function properly.
There are easy ways to start to achieve a low fat low cholesterol diet. One of the best ways is to reduce the amount of red meat that is eaten since it is higher in fat and cholesterol that chicken or fish. If individuals really love red meat, they can often substitute turkey burger without being to tell much if any difference in taste. For steaks or other large cuts of meat, it is important to trim all excess fat from the meat and to prepare it without adding extra fat to the meat in a low fat, low cholesterol diet. Grilling is a great way to prepare any type of meat since it naturally allows the extra fat to be cooked off and to fall away from the meat so that the fat content is reduced.
Another way to create a low fat, low cholesterol diet is to use cooking sprays rather than oils, butter or margarine as much as possible when cooking. The cooking sprays work just as well as these other oils and have a fraction of the fat and cholesterol content and in many cases are fat and cholesterol free. When baking, there are also substitutes for oils in the breads or muffins, such as using apple sauce instead, which maintain the moistness of the breads without changing the taste.