YOU Docs Daily
Don't Cut Carbs Until You Read This
Here's what most people don't know about high-protein diets: You don't have to nix carbs to lose weight. Restricting carbs isn't what peels off pounds. It's increasing healthy (nonanimal) protein and substituting whole-grain carbs for processed carbs that slims you down. That's because both help keep your appetite in check. So you can lose weight quite effectively without saying goodbye to your favorite whole-grain crackers and whole-wheat toast, not to mention cantaloupe, carrots, and other good carbs.
But is there anything really wrong with those high-protein diets that ask you to eat three times as much protein as carbohydrates and limit your carbs to a puny 50 grams per day? Actually, yes.
- Going that low in carbs cheats you of all kinds of things (and we don't mean Cheez Doodles). Your brain needs carbohydrates to perform at its best, and many good-for-you carbs, such as veggies and beans, also contain fiber and phytonutrients (plant substances that increase your defenses against heart disease and cancer, to name just two benefits).
- Extreme protein diets can cause ketosis, a physiological state that, over time, can lead to painful gout or increase your risk of kidney, liver, and electrolyte problems.
- Animal protein appears to damage the smooth inner-lining cells of your arteries, fostering atherosclerosis or plaque.
So what's the right protein/carb balance for weight loss? In one study, people felt much fuller when they ate 30% of their calories from protein versus only 15%. (In both cases, they ate 50% of their remaining calories from carbs and got the rest from fat). Later, they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted for 12 weeks, as long as they stuck to the same pattern: 30% protein, 50% carbs, and the rest fat. The result? They ate a whopping 450 fewer calories per day and lost almost 11 pounds!
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