Here is a list of ten reasons not to fall prey to the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets and how they may negatively affect both performance and health.
1. Most high-protein diets are also very low in calories, far below the recommended minimums for healthy weight loss. Low calorie level jeopardizes muscle energy levels, leads to earlier fatigue, and feeds into the restrictive behavior patterns of an eating disorder.
2. Most high-protein diets have 2x to 3x the recommended dietary allowance for protein needs. They can put the body at increased risk for kidney problems such as kidney stones and kidney failure earlier in life.
3. Most high-protein diets are so low in energy and total food variety that you cannot meet your recommended dietary allowances for vitamin and mineral needs without supplementing the diet additionally.
4. Most high-protein diets so severely under-recommend carbohydrate intake, that they increase cravings for more simple or sugar-type carbohydrate sources and potentially increase the risk of binging later in the day.
5. Most high-protein diets promote high amounts of water weight loss leading to increased risk for severe dehydration and causing light-headedness, fatigue, cold sensitivity, and decreased metabolic rates.
6. Most high-protein diets purport that high carbohydrate intakes are the cause of America’s problem with obesity. Science does not support this evidence. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source.
7. Over time, a person on a low-calorie high-protein diet will slow his or her metabolism so severely that normal eating will cause immediate water regain as the body tries to establish a normal balance again.
8. Most high-protein diets are so low in fiber that your gut function can be compromised. Over time, there is increased constipation and an increased risk of colon cancer.
9. Most high-protein diets recommend so much animal protein (>10 oz./day) that cholesterol and saturated fat intake will be above recommended levels, putting the athlete at increased risk for heart disease and slow weight gain leading to obesity in the long run.
10. Most high-protein diets accelerate the rate of calcium loss from bone and increase the risk of osteoporosis. For active women, this increases the risk of bone related injuries.
The high-protein diet is just another attention-seeking fad diet. Unfortunately, it brings along with it a host of medical and performance complications. We must support eating plans that are nutritionally sound, well balanced, and adequate in both carbohydrate and protein.