With the variety of diets, eyes widen. It's difficult to assess all the advantages and disadvantages without delving into the essence of a specific diet. The protein diet has long been successful with its amazing results. What is and is it really effective? Will it harm your health?
The Benefits of a Protein Diet
Most dietary restrictions for weight loss aim at a marked reduction in the caloric content of foods, including at the expense of proteins. In fact, they can only eat vegetables, some fruits and other low-calorie foods.
The principle of a protein diet is as follows. The body, with the need to spend on energy (physical activity), first consumes the carbohydrates that were received last.
With normal physical activity, this is where the process of "burning" calories ends, there is no weight loss. Only when the newly received body runs out, it starts to "fat reserves"
A protein diet provides a minimal intake of light carbohydrates from food. Under these conditions, the burning of stored calories begins immediately. At the same time, other cells in the body do not suffer as there is enough protein for them to function. Weight loss comes from fat tissue, not muscle loss.
The advantages of a protein diet are as follows:
- An excellent and stable result in a very short period of time. Most protein diets are designed for a short period of time - 2 to 4 weeks. During this time, you can lose 5 to 15 kg or more, it all depends on your initial body weight.
- There is no feeling of hunger. With this diet, a constant blood glucose level is formed, there are no spikes and appetite is controlled.
- The result obtained is valid for a long time. Diet rules are the principles of healthy eating and are already becoming a habit.
- Frequent, fractional nutrition "speeds up" metabolism, which contributes to weight loss.
- Proteins are extremely important to the body. Cell walls are built from them, complexes to maintain immunity, are necessary for normal digestion, muscle growth and renewal of all tissues. It is difficult to indicate a process in the body in which proteins would not participate. Therefore, a sufficient intake of protein does not cause situations of excessive stress for the body.
- Protein is essential for the absorption of vitamins. Conventional low-calorie diets are often accompanied by changes in the conditions of the skin, hair, nails, the onset of heart disorders, decreased memory and stamina. A protein diet is devoid of these negative aspects.
- You can lose weight and build muscle at the same time. This cannot be done with a lack of protein. Especially true for men.
- Many amino acids (proteins are made of them) are essential for the human body. They can only be obtained with food. Lack of essential amino acids leads to various disorders in the body. There is no such thing in a protein diet.
- The product range is very diverse, you can create a delicious and favorite diet and not just eat buckwheat or cabbage.
- The amount of carbohydrates in a protein diet is minimal, but sufficient for the productive work of important organs, for example, the brain.
Disadvantages, without which nowhere
Diet is a stressful situation that requires adjustment. Disadvantages of a high-protein diet include the following:
- The load on the urinary organs increases. The kidneys filter all the blood in the body several times a day. With an increased content of protein complexes, the tubules can be "blocked", which will later lead to the interruption of the organ's functioning. Therefore, a contraindication to a protein diet is kidney disease.
- Increases blood clotting. Consequently, the risk of thrombosis and thromboembolism increases. This diet is not recommended for people who have had similar problems, as well as for people who suffer from hypertension, diabetes mellitus.
- Despite the variety of foods, the protein diet is still unidirectional. This can lead to a deficiency or excess of certain elements. For example, in this case, it is recommended to additionally take complexes of calcium and vitamin D.
- The minimal amount of fiber can cause disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract. Most of the time, constipation and colitis occur. If you are prone to such illnesses, it is better to choose other diets.
- Any prohibition of the body on anything can ultimately lead to a breakdown, depression. The same is true with a protein diet, despite the relative variety of foods.
- Eating frequent meals (up to six times a day) is sometimes difficult to keep up with today's pace of life.
Contraindications for diet
Any dietary restrictions must be dealt with wisely. The main contraindications for a protein diet are as follows:
- Chronic diseases, especially of the kidneys, heart, intestines. If available, it is best to consult a nutritionist or therapist. Only a physician can comprehensively assess the condition and possible danger of such a diet.
- Liver disease, as it is involved in the processing of all nitrogenous compounds that present themselves in the form of proteins.
- It is dangerous to follow a diet during pregnancy and lactation.
- In the presence of tumoral processes, mainly of a malignant nature.
Diet Options for Fast Weight Loss and Their Features
To lose weight, you can use both the classic protein diet and its varieties, supplemented with certain product categories.
just protein
Adherence to a balanced diet of a protein diet leads not only to comfortable weight loss, but also to the normal maintenance of all physiological processes in the body.
In this case, only pure protein products are allowed. This includes the following:
- meats (lean pork, beef, rabbit, chicken, turkey, etc. );
- eggs and low-fat dairy products (mainly cottage cheese);
- legumes;
- fish and other seafood (squid, mussels and so on);
- you can add buckwheat, oats and soy in any form.
Protein-carbohydrate
It's different because a portion of complex carbohydrates is added to protein. In addition to the main products, the diet is complemented with the following:
- flakes (muesli),
- Dry fruits,
- nuts,
- black bread,
- durum wheat noodles,
- honey,
- fruits.
Protein and vegetable
With a vegetable-protein diet, you can also eat vegetables and fruits - raw and cooked (but not fried), as well as mushrooms. This option is especially suitable for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. A sufficient amount of coarse fiber will stimulate intestinal motility, adsorb all toxins and metabolic products.
Vitamin and protein
This type of protein diet involves fortifying the diet with vitamins. There are two possible options:
- Alternating days (2 + 2) only protein products and then vitamins. The latter include fruits, vegetables, berries.
- You can also simply supplement protein foods with vitamin supplements throughout the day.
Basic rules of a protein diet
To minimize the negative effects of diet, the following guidelines should be followed:
- Drink at least 1, 5 - 2 liters of clean water a day. This will help keep your kidneys safe.
- If you have to follow a protein diet for a long time, you should take vitamins and mineral complexes.
- Don't reduce the number of calories to less than 1200 per day. It is best to calculate individual needs based on body weight.
- All dishes must be prepared anyway, but not fried. Boiling, steaming, stewing and roasting is a healthy diet.
- It is desirable to minimize the amount of table salt.
- All dishes can be seasoned profusely, use cinnamon, turmeric, but not ready-made spices with flavor enhancers, including mayonnaise.
Menu for the week to day
In any diet, the hardest part is creating an interesting menu so that it is both beautiful and tasty. It can be represented approximately as follows:
Monday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese, unsweetened tea or coffee.
- Snack: a glass of kefir.
- Lunch: steamed or roasted chicken.
- Snack: half an apple.
- Dinner: chicken with vegetables.
third
- Breakfast: low-fat, unsweetened yogurt with cinnamon.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: beef cooked with tomato or cucumber.
- Snack: a glass of milk.
- Dinner: beef and cabbage.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: one egg (only protein allowed, then two), tea or coffee.
- Snack: orange.
- Lunch: baked fish with vegetables.
- Snack: yogurt.
- Dinner: fish.
Thursday
- Breakfast: cinnamon yogurt.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: chicken with asparagus.
- Snack: kefir.
- Dinner: asparagus or chicken.
Friday
- Breakfast: an egg or just protein.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: mushrooms with vegetables.
- Snack: curd omelet.
- Dinner: cooked vegetables.
Saturday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with cinnamon.
- Snack: apple.
- Lunch: chicken broth with cooked vegetables.
- Snack: A slice of any meat cooked with vegetables.
- Dinner: kefir.
sunday
- Breakfast: curd cheesecake with cinnamon.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: broth of any lean meat with vegetables.
- Snack: a slice of cheese.
- Dinner: yogurt.
Delicious and healthy recipes
It's healthy to eat simply. Recipes for proper nutrition are very quick and easy to fit into the daily diet. Examples of first courses, second courses and dessert can be as follows:
- Recipe 1. Curd cheesecake. You should take 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese and mix it in a blender with two egg yolks, 50 g of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Beat an apple separately and then 5 yolks. Mix the three ingredients. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Recipe 2. Curd Omelet. Beat egg whites in snow until frothy. Separately, do the same with the curd, add the chopped onion and dill, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything, pour into a mold and bake until soft.
- Recipe 3. Soup with meatballs. Mix the chopped chicken with the chopped onion, add pepper, bran and egg white. Form the meatballs, dip them in boiling water in a pan. Add salt, some peppercorns and bay leaf to the broth. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Recipe 4. Meat. You should take a piece of meat, salt, pepper, grease a little with lemon juice. Place in refrigerator for an hour. Then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes at 200 degrees.
- Recipe 5. Fish. Take the mackerel, peel it. Brush all sides with a mixture of pepper and salt. Stuff the onions and carrots. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 160 degrees for 30 minutes.
how to choose meat
When choosing meat for a protein diet, you should give preference to the following types:
- hen,
- beef,
- rabbit meat,
- Turkey meat.
In addition, it must be raw meat, from which it is necessary to prepare meals on your own. Delicious sausages, sausages, cured and raw smoked products - all this is no good. First, they are high in fat. Second, flavor additives and enhancers stimulate appetite. This category also includes all semi-finished products.
Drinks allowed and prohibited
During the diet, pay attention not only to food, but also to the incoming liquid. First, it also contains calories in most cases. Second, additives and preservatives can interfere with digestion and other organs.
It is useful even outside the diet to give preference to the following drinks:
- ordinary drinking water (should represent 90% of all liquid);
- non-carbonated mineral;
- unsweetened tea and coffee (you can add a little milk);
- herbal infusions, nuts.
During a protein diet, it is helpful to consume tomato juice and celery. All other packaged drinks contain lots of sugar, sweeteners and flavors. Their benefits are minimal and contain a lot of calories.
How Much Can You Follow a Diet
The protein diet is designed for an average of 10 to 12 days, but there are also extended options. For example, Duke and others. They also belong to proteins, but are based on special nutritional principles and have significant characteristics.
The safe duration of protein diets also depends on health status. About two weeks a year is believed to be acceptable to everyone.
Rules for getting off a protein diet
In order for the after-diet effect to be fixed for as long as possible and without undue stress on the body, you should follow the recommendations for getting off this diet. They will be as follows:
- You should eat 4-5 times a day in small portions.
- Breakfast is mandatory and must include protein (cottage cheese, yogurt, meat).
- Last meal no later than three hours before bedtime.
- It is better to refuse sweet, fatty, starchy foods or just "taste".
- Trying to cook properly and it is useful - boil, steam.
A slim figure is 80% dependent on lifestyle, eating habits and not heredity, as most people believe. The protein diet is one of the most effective, safe and varied foods on the approved food list. Allows you to master the rules of a balanced diet, intelligently organize your food. But that's not a panacea, and the extra pounds will come back if you don't change your habits and increase your level of physical activity.