From the variety of diets, eyes run up. It is difficult to assess all the advantages and disadvantages without delving into the essence of a particular diet. The protein diet has long made a splash with its amazing results. What is it and is it really effective? Will it harm your health?
The Benefits of a Protein Diet
Most of the dietary restrictions for weight loss are aimed at a sharp decrease in the calorie content of food, including at the expense of proteins. In fact, they are allowed to eat only vegetables, some fruits and other low-calorie foods.
The principle of a protein diet is as follows. The body, when it needs energy costs (physical activity), first of all begins to consume 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 recently received body is used up does it begin to "fat reserves"
A protein diet provides a minimum intake of light carbohydrates from food. In such conditions, the burning of stored calories immediately begins. At the same time, other cells of the body do not suffer, since there is enough protein for their functioning. Weight loss is due to adipose tissue, not muscle loss.
The advantages of a protein diet are as follows:
- An excellent and stable result in a fairly short period of time. Most protein diets are designed for a short period of time - from 2 to 4 weeks. During this time, you can lose from 5 to 15 kg or more, it all depends on the initial body weight.
- There is no feeling of hunger. With such a diet, a constant blood glucose level is formed, there are no surges, and the appetite is controlled.
- The obtained result holds for a long time. Diet rules form the principles of healthy eating, and they are already becoming a habit.
- Frequent and fractional nutrition "accelerates" the metabolism, which contributes to weight loss.
- Proteins are extremely important for 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 indicate a process in the body where proteins would not participate. 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 disorders appear, memory and endurance decrease. 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. The lack of essential amino acids leads to various disorders in the body. There is no such thing on a protein diet.
- The set of products is very diverse, you can create a delicious and favorite diet, and not eat only 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. The disadvantages of a protein diet include the following:
- The load on the urinary organs increases. The kidneys filter all the blood of the body several times during the day. With an increased content of protein complexes, the tubules may be "blocked", which will subsequently lead to disruption of the organ's work. Therefore, a contraindication to a protein diet is kidney disease.
- Blood clotting increases. Consequently, the risk of thrombosis and thromboembolism increases. This diet is not recommended for people who have ever had similar problems, as well as those suffering from hypertension, diabetes mellitus.
- Despite the variety of foods, the protein diet is still unidirectional. This can provoke a deficiency or excess of certain elements. For example, in this case, it is recommended to additionally take calcium complexes and vitamin D.
- The minimum amount of fiber can provoke disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. Most often, constipation and colitis occur. If there is a tendency to such ailments, it is better to choose other diets.
- Any prohibition of the body on something can ultimately lead to a breakdown, depression. The same with a protein diet, despite the relative variety of foods.
- Eating frequent meals (up to six times a day) is sometimes difficult to maintain in today's pace of life.
Contraindications to diet
Any restriction on food should be treated 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 dietitian or therapist. Only a doctor can comprehensively assess the condition and the possible danger of such a diet.
- Diseases of the liver, as it is involved in the processing of all nitrogenous compounds that come in the form of proteins.
- It is dangerous to stick to a diet while carrying a baby and lactation.
- In the presence of tumor processes, especially of a malignant nature.
Fast weight loss diet options and their features
For weight loss, you can use both the classic protein diet and its varieties, supplemented with certain categories of products.
Just protein
Compliance with 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, and so on);
- you can add buckwheat, oats and soy in any form.
Protein-carbohydrate
It differs in that a portion of complex carbohydrates is added to the proteins. In addition to the main products, the diet is supplemented with the following:
- flakes (muesli),
- dried fruits,
- nuts,
- black bread,
- durum wheat pasta,
- honey,
- fruits.
Protein and vegetable
With a protein-vegetable diet, you can additionally 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 fibers will stimulate intestinal peristalsis, adsorb all toxins and metabolic products.
Vitamin and protein
This type of protein diet involves enriching the diet with vitamins. There are two possible options:
- Alternating on 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
In order to minimize the negative effects of the diet, the following guidelines must be followed:
- Drink at least 1. 5 - 2 liters of clean water per day. This will help keep your kidneys safe.
- If you have to follow 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 individually calculate the needs based on body weight.
- All dishes must be prepared in any way, but not fried. Boiling, steaming, stewing, baking is a healthy diet.
- The amount of table salt should be minimized.
- All dishes can be spiced abundantly, use cinnamon, turmeric, but not ready-made seasonings with flavor enhancers, including mayonnaise.
Menu for the week by day
In any diet, the most difficult thing is to create an interesting menu so that it 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: an egg (only proteins are allowed, then two), tea or coffee.
- Snack: orange.
- Lunch: fish baked with vegetables.
- Snack: yogurt.
- Dinner: fish.
Thursday
- Breakfast: yogurt with cinnamon.
- 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: curd omelet.
- Dinner: stewed vegetables.
Saturday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with cinnamon.
- Snack: apple.
- Lunch: chicken broth with boiled vegetables.
- Snack: a slice of any cooked meat with vegetables.
- Dinner: kefir.
Sunday
- Breakfast: curd cheesecake with cinnamon.
- Snack: grapefruit.
- Lunch: broth from any lean meat with vegetables.
- Snack: a slice of cheese.
- Dinner: yogurt.
Delicious and healthy recipes
It is 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 in a blender with two egg yolks, 50 g of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Beat one apple separately and then 5 egg yolks. Mix all three ingredients. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Recipe 2. Curd omelet. Beat the whites of the egg until foamy. Separately, do the same with cottage cheese, add chopped onions and dill, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything, pour into a mold and bake in the oven until tender.
- Recipe 3. Soup with meatballs. Mix the minced chicken with chopped onion, add pepper, bran and egg white. Form the meatballs, dip them in boiling water in a saucepan. Add salt, a few peppercorns, 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. Place in the refrigerator for an hour. Then wrap in 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. Stuff the onions and carrots inside. Wrap in foil and bake in the oven 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.
Moreover, it should be raw meat, from which it is necessary to prepare meals on your own. Sausage delights, sausages, dry-cured and uncooked smoked products - all this is not useful. First, they are high in fat. Secondly, additives and flavoring enhancers stimulate appetite. This category also includes all semi-finished products.
Permitted and prohibited drinks
During the diet, attention should be paid not only to food, but also to the incoming fluid. First, it also has 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 (it should make up 90% of all liquid);
- non-carbonated mineral;
- tea and coffee without sugar (you can add a little milk);
- infusions of herbs, dried fruits.
During a protein diet, it is useful to consume tomato juice and celery. All other packaged drinks contain a lot of sugar, flavoring sweeteners. The benefits from them are minimal, and there are 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, Ducan and others. They also belong to protein, but are based on special principles of nutrition and have significant features.
The safe duration for protein diets also depends on the health status. It is believed that about two weeks a year is acceptable for everyone.
Rules for exiting a protein diet
In order for the effect after the diet to be fixed for the longest possible period and without excessive stress for the body, you should adhere to the recommendations for getting out of such a diet. They will be as follows:
- You should eat 4 - 5 times a day in small portions.
- Breakfast is required, should 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 correctly and is useful - boil, steam, stew.
A slender figure is 80% dependent on lifestyle, eating habits, and not on heredity, as most people believe. A protein diet is one of the most effective, safe and varied foods on the list of approved foods. It allows you to master the rules of a balanced diet, intelligently organize your diet. But this is not a panacea, and the extra pounds will return again, if you do not change your habits and increase the level of physical activity.