Benefits and Risks of a High Protein Diet Plan

By: Laura Evans

Is a high protein diet plan one of these fad diets? To many, the perfect diet plan is a plan that is easy to follow and leads to quick weight loss. Unfortunately, these desires lead to many fad diets that do not work over the long haul.

Advantages of the high protein diet plan
One of the nice things about going on a high protein diet plan is that you will not have to buy any special types of foods. You will just be changing your focus towards proteins and limiting your carbohydrates when you eat. In addition, you may feel fuller for longer periods of time because it may take longer for your body to digest protein than carbohydrates or fats.

Disadvantages of the high protein diet plan
While you will lose weight when on a high protein diet, much of the weight that you lose may be water weight. This means that you will regain some of your weight loss after you go off of this diet plan. In addition, the high protein diet plan really doesn't train you to change your eating into healthy eating habits. So, not only will you gain back the weight due to water loss, you are likely to put weight back on because you are eating the same stuff as before you went on your diet.

You may also experience side effects such as irritability or headaches when you are on a high protein diet.

Health risks of the high protein diet plan
Staying on a high protein diet over the long term can cause health problems. For example, unless your diet calls for you to watch your fats, particularly your saturated fats, you may put yourself at a higher risk of developing heart disease or having strokes in the future because of high cholesterol. High protein diets can also lead to an increased risk of developing cancer.

In addition, people who stay on high protein diets over a long period of time lose more calcium in their urine than those who eat balanced diets. This can lead to osteoporosis and kidney stones.

The bottom line is that a diet that focuses on changing your bad eating habits and encourages you to exercise will lead to long term weight loss and a healthier body than any short term gains that you might enjoy from using the high protein diet plan for short term weight loss. 

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