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High Protein Diet
Before explaining the finer points of the high protein diet it maybe useful
to explain what protein is.
Protein is a vital nutrient, essential to a person’s health. Protein is a large,
complex molecule made up of amino acids. Our body uses these amino acids to
create muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal organs.
Proteins help replace and form new tissue, transports oxygen and nutrients
in our blood and cells, regulates the balance of water and acids, and is needed
to make antibodies. In effect proteins are essential to the structure, function,
and regulation of the body.
High protein low carbohydrate diets were big in the 1970's, but lost value
when evidence emerged connecting fat with heart disease and cancers. Over the
past few years there has been a slight resurgence in high protein diets and
they are once again common diets for weight loss.
So what are high protein diets? In their basic form high protein diets are
diets base on eating lots of protein like meat and eggs but almost no carbohydrates
(Such as bread, potatoes, pasta, or rice).
Because they do not allow carbohydrates in large doses high protein diets are
also known as high protein low carb diets
Most low carbohydrate high protein diets recommend eating large quantities
of protein in unrestricted amounts including:
- Red meat
- Fish
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Cheese.
Foods such as pasta, bread, potatoes, fruit, many vegetables, plus any foods
with large amounts of refined sugar are forbidden
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