I'm often asked if a high protein diet, such as the Atkins diet, is necessary. These diets seem to be a reversal of what would be considered a conventional diet. The typical North American diet is low in protein and high in carbohydrates. This is understandable considering that we have been taught to follow the Food Guide Pyramid, which tells us to base our diet on bread, cereal, rice, and pasta.
Here are some facts to consider before I answer this:
Over half of North American adults are considered overweight.
Nearly one-quarter of North American adults are considered obese.
From 1960 to 1994 the prevalence of obesity has increased from 13.4 percent to 22.3 percent. Most of this increase took place in the last decade.
From 1991 to 1998, obesity increased throughout both genders, and all age groups.
About 11 percent of children aged 6 to 11, and 11 percent aged 12 to 17 were overweight from 1988 to 1994.
Is the low protein/high carbohydrate diet working? Obviously not.
Two studies published in February's Journal of Nutrition state that an increase in dietary protein helps to stabilize blood glucose, reduces post-meal insulin response, and has positive effects on body composition and blood lipids.
In both studies, a group of women were assigned either to a high protein/moderate carbohydrate diet or a low protein/high carbohydrate diet. Weight loss in the high protein group was significantly higher compared to the low protein group. This study demonstrates that increasing the proportion of protein in ones diet has positive effects on body composition.
Conclusion:
We need to re-think our diets.
But just because these studies say a diet higher in protein is healthier and more beneficial for fat loss doesn't mean you should eliminate carbohydrates all together. This could just result in a different set of health problems, but by substituting some of the carbohydrates you currently eat with a quality protein, you can definitely tip the scales in your favor.
Some great choices are:
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Extra lean ground beef
Salmon
Egg whites
Fat-free cottage cheese
Round steak
Sirloin steak
About the Author: Derek Beech is a Personal Weight trainer with over 15 years experience as a Competitive Bodybuilder. Become a subscriber in order to enjoy many more of my health and fitness related articles. Website URL http://www.derekbeech.info
