During the 1980s, high protein diets gained strength as a new method to lose weight, although there was quickly controversy due to the few guarantees it generated in health. Despite this, again many are using them without knowing that there are different but quite similar modalities. This meal plan promise to lose weight fast and without going hungry, but are they really effective and safe?
The hyperproteic diet consists of a diet based on a high protein intakealso reducing the contribution of carbohydrates and fats to the body. The food plan would have the purpose of increasing the consumption of lean meats, fish, some stews and eggs, prohibiting eating foods that contain carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice or bread.
The purpose of this diet that your daily intake has a large amount of protein, for example, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a consumption of 0.83 g/kg per weight/day for healthy adults and other authors have agreed on an RDI of 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg per weight/day.
There are different modalities, although all quite similar, from the Scarsdale diet, Atkins or even the Dukan Diet, the latter being the best known. This eating plan seeks to increase metabolism by helping burn more calories and, the absence of carbohydrates in the diet, would cause the body to use its sources of fat to produce energy.
Hyperproteic diet: How does it develop?
As is known, this diet is very strict and lacks nutrients that the body needs for its day to day. For many people it is not sustainable and they come to present complications in their health and the recovery of lost weight in a short time. Likewise, the WHO and other health entities do not advise it to continue due to the complications that it can generate.
In this case we will talk about the best known protein diet: The Dukan. This meal plan It consists of 4 phases that each have different objectives but with the same result: weight loss. Likewise, it will always be advisable to go through the supervision of a health specialist to provide you with an adequate diet for your body.
First phase
It offers immediate results, lasts from 2 to 7 days and promises weight loss results of 1.5 to 4 kg. You will only be able to eat 72 protein-rich foods and 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day. It is also advisable to do 20 minutes of physical activity a day.
Second stage
You will have to eat 72 foods rich in protein and add 28 vegetables. Combine days in which only protein is ingested with days in which protein is taken with vegetables, plus 2 tablespoons of oat bran per day. It is necessary to perform 30 minutes of physical activity a day. The promised weight loss is 1 kg per week on average, and it is the patient himself who decides how long he wants to do it. For every Kg you want to lose, you must carry out this phase for 7 days, that is, if you have to lose 20 Kg, you would carry out this diet for 140 weeks.
Third phase
This phase is proposed as the consolidation phase with the idea of avoiding the rebound effect. The duration is 10 days for each Kg lost, and foods such as cereals, potatoes, fruit and free meals are reintroduced, maintaining an exclusive protein intake on Thursdays. It is advisable to perform 25 minutes of physical activity a day.
Fourth phase
It is the last phase and three actions are proposed to stabilize the weight throughout life, since, if this is not the case, it will not be possible to maintain the lost weight. The actions are: Take 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day. Walk 20 minutes a day. Maintain an exclusive protein intake on Thursdays.
Risks of protein diets
According to studies by the World Health Organization (WHO), it indicated that a balanced diet It must be composed of 15% protein, 55% carbohydrates and 30% fat. However, the hyperproteic diet reformulates these parameters, recommending 43% protein, 22.5% fat and 34.5% carbohydrate. The difference is considerable and here is the basis of the risks of this eating plan.
By following this diet, your body will use stored fats instead of the glucose provided by carbohydrates, as fuel, which will increase the acidity of the blood. And you have to be careful, because this is one of the main causes for which it can cause serious health complications, such as suffering from gout.
Although it manages to reduce weight in a short time, it can involve certain serious health risks:
- Vitamin and mineral deficiency.
- Headache and sleep problems.
- Tiredness and dizziness due to lack of nutrients.
- Protein malnutrition.
- Favor the occurrence of eating disorders among many consequences.
In addition, the dangers of this type of diet are related to serious risks at the renal or cardiovascular level, even being able to cause certain tumors in the intestinal area or the digestive system. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Safety considers that this diet can lead to nutritional imbalances and put health at risk by the probability of suffering somatic, psychological, hormonal, growth or performance alterations.