A high-protein diet is often recommended by bodybuilders and nutritionists to help efforts to build muscle and lose fat. It should not be confused with low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins Diet, which are not food-energy–controlled and which often contain large amounts of fat.
While adequate protein is required for building skeletal muscle and other tissues, there is ongoing debate regarding the use and necessity of high-protein diets in anaerobic exercise, in particular for weight training and bodybuilding.
Women need at least 50 grams of protein a day — men about 60 grams per day. With a high-protein diet, it can be much more than that. This extra protein can come from meat, eggs, seafood, cheese or vegetarian sources like soy. These diets often restrict carbs like cereals, grains, fruits, and possibly vegetables.
Extreme protein intake (in excess of 200 g per day), coupled with inadequate intake of other calorie sources (fat or carbohydrates), can cause a form of metabolic disturbance and death commonly known as rabbit starvation. Even when consuming other calorie sources, consuming more than 285 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person) may be unsafe.
How Do High-Protein Diets Work?
You can lose weight on a high-protein diet. Choose lean meats and dairy for your proteins. It’s better if you find a program that includes vegetables in the diet, so you don’t miss out on fiber and other important nutrients. When you cut out carbohydrates, you lose weight quickly because you lose water. Then, with no extra carbs, the body begins burning more fat for fuel. This can lead to ketosis, which may make losing weight easier because you feel less hungry. Ketosis may cause temporary headaches, irritability, and nausea but appears to be safe long-term.
Protein is also described as essential by advocates of the high-protein diet, such as the bodybuilding community; it is believed to provide the muscle with amino acids required to repair the damage done by anaerobic exercise. High protein consumption leads to increased levels of IGF-1, a hormone which, among other things, increases muscle protein synthesis. Some may prefere to consume protein supplements after bodybuilding workouts, as they provide a quick and easily consumable protein source. Alternatively, meat, beans, or other high-protein foods are consumed.
We hope this post has been useful, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with more points that we may have missed out and your experiences on a high protein diet!
