Eyes will go up from the variety of diets. It is difficult to gauge all the pros and cons without delving into the essence of a particular diet. The protein diet has long been causing a sensation with its amazing results. What is it and is it really effective? Will it harm your health?
The benefits of a protein diet
Most dietary restrictions on weight loss are aimed at large reductions in the calorie content of foods, including at the expense of protein. In fact, they are only allowed to eat vegetables, some fruits, and other low-calorie foods.
The principle of a protein diet is as follows. With the need for energy costs (physical activity), the body first begins to consume the last carbohydrates ingested.
With normal physical activity, this is where the process of "burning" calories ends, there is no weight loss. Only when the recently obtained body is used up does it begin to "reserve fat"
A protein diet ensures a minimal intake of light carbohydrates from food. In such conditions, the stored calories will start burning immediately. At the same time, other cells in the body do not suffer as there is enough protein for their function. The weight loss comes from fat tissue, not muscle loss.
The benefits of a protein diet are:
- An excellent and stable result in a relatively short time. Most protein diets are designed for a short period of time - anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. During this period, you can lose 5 to 15 kg or more, it all depends on your initial body weight.
- There is no feeling of hunger. With such a diet a constant blood sugar level is formed, there are no tension peaks and the appetite is controlled.
- The result obtained lasts a long time. Diet rules form the principles of healthy eating and are already becoming a habit.
- Frequent and fractionated diets "accelerate" the metabolism, which contributes to weight loss.
- Proteins are extremely important to the body. Cell walls are built from them, complexes for maintaining immunity, they are necessary for normal digestion, muscle growth and the renewal of all tissues. It is difficult to pinpoint a process in the body that proteins would not participate in. Therefore, a sufficient intake of proteins does not provoke excessive stressful situations for the body.
- Protein is essential for the absorption of vitamins. Conventional low-calorie diets are often accompanied by changes in the condition of the skin, hair, nails, heart disease appear, memory and stamina decline. A protein diet is free from these negative aspects.
- You can lose weight and build muscle at the same time. This is impossible with a lack of protein. Especially applies to men.
- Many amino acids (made up of proteins) are essential for the human body. They can only be ingested with food. The lack of essential amino acids leads to various disorders in the body. There is no such thing on a protein diet.
- The range of products is very diverse, you can put together a delicious and popular 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, such as the brain.
Cons without which nowhere
Diet is a stressful situation that requires adjustment. The disadvantages of a protein diet include:
- The load on the urinary organs increases. The kidneys filter all of the body's blood several times a day. With an increased content of protein complexes, the tubules can become "blocked", which in turn leads to a disruption of the organ's work. Therefore, kidney disease is a contraindication to a protein diet.
- Blood clotting increases. As a result, the risk of thrombosis and thromboembolism increases. This diet is not recommended for people who have ever had similar problems, people with high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus.
- Despite the diversity of foods, the protein diet is still one-sided. This can cause a deficiency or excess of certain elements. In this case, it is recommended, for example, to additionally take calcium complexes and vitamin D.
- The minimal amount of fiber can cause gastrointestinal disruption. The most common are constipation and colitis. If there is a tendency to such discomfort, it is better to choose other diets.
- Any prohibition on the body to do something can ultimately lead to breakdown, depression. The same goes for a protein diet, despite the relative variety of foods.
- Eating frequent meals (up to six times a day) is sometimes difficult to sustain in today's rhythm of life.
Contraindications to diet
Any food restriction should be treated with caution. The main contraindications to 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 doctor can fully assess the condition and the possible danger of such a diet.
- Diseases of the liver, as it is involved in the processing of all nitrogen-containing compounds in the form of proteins.
- It is dangerous to follow a diet while you are carrying and breastfeeding a baby.
- In the presence of tumor processes, especially of a malignant nature.
Quick weight loss options and their properties
For weight loss, you can use both the classic protein diet and its variants, supplemented by certain product categories.
Egg whites only
Adherence to a balanced diet of a protein diet leads not only to comfortable weight loss, but also to the maintenance of all physiological processes in the body, normal.
In this case, only pure protein products are allowed. These include the following:
- Meat (lean pork, beef, rabbit, chicken, turkey, etc. );
- Eggs and low-fat dairy products (mainly cottage cheese);
- Legumes;
- Fish and other seafood (squid, mussels, etc. );
- You can add buckwheat, oats, and soy in any form.
Protein carbohydrates
It differs in that a serving of complex carbohydrates is added to the proteins. In addition to the main products, the diet is supplemented with the following:
- Flakes (muesli),
- Dried fruit,
- Nuts,
- Black bread,
- Durum wheat pasta,
- Honey,
- Fruit.
Egg whites and vegetables
With a protein-vegetable diet, you can also eat vegetables and fruits - raw and cooked (but not fried) - as well as mushrooms. This option is particularly suitable for people who suffer from gastrointestinal disorders. A sufficient amount of coarse fibers stimulates intestinal motility, absorbs all toxins and metabolic products.
Vitamins and proteins
With this type of protein diet, food is enriched with vitamins. There are two possible options:
- Alternately on days (2 + 2) only protein products and then vitamins. The latter include fruits, vegetables, berries.
- You can also simply supplement protein-containing foods with vitamin supplements throughout the day.
Basic rules of a protein diet
To minimize the negative effects of dieting, the following guidelines should be followed:
- Drink at least 1. 5-2 liters of clean water a day. This will help protect your kidneys.
- If you have to adhere to a protein diet for a long time, you should take vitamin and mineral complexes.
- Do not reduce the number of calories to less than 1200 per day. It is better to calculate the need individually based on body weight.
- All dishes must be prepared in some way, but not fried. Cooking, steaming, stewing, baking is a healthy diet.
- It is desirable to minimize the amount of table salt.
- All dishes can be richly seasoned, use cinnamon, turmeric, but not ready-made seasonings with flavor enhancers, including mayonnaise.
Menu for the week after day
The hardest part of any diet is to create an interesting menu that is both beautiful and tasty. It can be roughly represented as follows:
Monday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese, tea or coffee without sugar.
- Snack: a glass of kefir.
- Lunch: boiled chicken, steamed or baked.
- Snack: half an apple.
- Dinner: chicken with vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: low-fat and unsweetened yogurt with cinnamon.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: boiled beef with tomato or cucumber.
- Snack: a glass of milk.
- Dinner: beef with cabbage.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: one egg (only proteins are allowed, then two), tea or coffee.
- Snack: orange.
- Lunch: fish baked with vegetables.
- Snack: yogurt.
- Dinner: fish.
Thursday
- Breakfast: cinnamon yogurt.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: chicken with asparagus.
- Snack: kefir.
- Dinner: either asparagus or chicken.
Friday
- Breakfast: an egg or just protein.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: mushrooms with vegetables.
- Snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: steamed vegetables.
Saturday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with cinnamon.
- Snack: apple.
- Lunch: chicken broth with boiled vegetables.
- Snack: a slice of boiled meat with vegetables.
- Dinner: kefir.
Sunday
- Breakfast: curd cake with cinnamon.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: lean meat broth with vegetables.
- Snack: a slice of cheese.
- Dinner: yogurt.
Delicious and healthy recipes
Eating simply is healthy. Recipes for proper nutrition can be integrated very quickly and easily into your daily diet. Examples of first courses, second courses, and desserts can be as follows:
- Recipe 1. Cottage cheese cheesecake. You should take 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese and mix in a blender with two egg yolks, 50 g of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Beat an apple separately, and then 5 egg yolks. Mix all three ingredients. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes.
- Recipe 2. Cottage cheese. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Separately, do the same with cottage cheese, add chopped onion and dill, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything, pour into a mold and bake in the oven until soft.
- Recipe 3. Soup with meatballs. Mix the minced meat with chopped onions, add pepper, bran and egg white. Shape the meatballs, dip them in boiling water in a saucepan. Add salt, a few peppercorns and bay leaf to the broth. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Recipe 4. Beef. You should take a piece of meat, salt, pepper, grease a little with lemon juice. Put in the fridge for an hour. Then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes at 200 degrees.
- Recipe 5. Fish. Take mackerel, peel. Brush on all sides with a mixture of pepper and salt. Pour in onions and carrots. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 160 degrees for 30 minutes.
How to choose meat
When choosing meat for a protein diet, give preference to the following types:
- Hen,
- Beef,
- Rabbit meat,
- Turkey meat.
In addition, it should be raw meat, from which you need to prepare meals yourself. Sausage specialties, sausages, dry cured and uncooked smoked products - none of this makes sense. First, they are high in fat. Second, additives and flavor enhancers stimulate the appetite. All semi-finished products also fall into this category.
Allowed and prohibited drinks
During the diet, attention should be paid not only to food, but also to the liquid that enters. First, in most cases, it has calories too. Second, additives and preservatives can affect digestion and other organs.
Even outside of the diet, it makes sense to give preference to the following drinks:
- Ordinary drinking water (it should make up 90% of the total liquid);
- Non-carbonated mineral;
- Tea and coffee without sugar (you can add a little milk);
- Herbal infusions, dried fruits.
While on a protein diet, it makes sense to consume tomato juice and celery. All other packaged beverages contain a lot of sugar, flavoring sweeteners. The benefits from them are minimal and they are high in 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 advanced options. For example Ducan and others. They also belong to proteins, but are based on special nutritional principles and have essential characteristics.
The safe duration of a protein diet also depends on your state of health. It is believed that around two weeks a year is acceptable for everyone.
Rules for quitting a protein diet
So that the effect lasts as long as possible after the diet and without excessive stress on the body, you should adhere to the recommendations for getting out of such a diet. They will be like this:
- You should eat small portions 4-5 times a day.
- Breakfast is compulsory, it should contain protein (cottage cheese, yogurt, meat).
- Last meal no later than three hours before bedtime.
- It is better to refuse, or just "taste", sweet, fatty, starchy foods.
- Trying to cook properly is useful - boil, steam, stew.
A slim figure 80% depends on lifestyle and eating habits, not heredity as most people believe. A protein diet is one of the most effective, safest, and most varied foods on the approved foods list. It allows you to master the rules of a balanced diet and organize your diet intelligently. However, this is not a panacea, and the extra pounds will come back if you don't change your habits and increase physical activity.