High protein low fat foods

High protein low fat foods are not a good way to diet.

It's widely accepted now that carbohydrate, especially starches and sugars with a high glycemic index, are the real villain when it comes to obesity, rather than too much fat. Cutting out the starches rather the fat in the diet makes for more successful weight loss. However, this is a highly complex issue, and the astute dieter had better beware.

When you see nutritional scientists and doctors violently disagreeing, it just means that there are many things of which we just aren't sure.

Firstly, because many carbohydrates are extremely healthy. An apple for example is loaded with carbs, but the wise person still eats an apple a day, or perhaps half, if you can't manage a whole. Or three per day if your cholesterol is high; that alone will drop your bad LDL by 10 percent.

Breast malignancy

Breast cancer has the highest prevalence in the Netherlands and the United States; one in eight women. Hormone replacement therapy and high protein low fat foods are fingered.

Secondly, high protein diets are very hard on the kidneys, and are the main cause of breast cancer; and presumably other CA too. 

Research in the Netherlands, which has the highest rate of breast tumours in the world, shows that too much animal protein is the villain; that and post-menopausal hormones.

Dieter beware, apply your mind to these high protein, low-fat foods; they could cost your life. And in any case they just don't work; you will be constantly famished.

Lima bean pods.
Green bean salad.
Tofu salad.
Authentic hummus recipe.
Mutton neck of lamb.
Eggs Florentine.

Beware the high protein diet

These are all high protein dishes; there is nothing wrong with any of them per se. But especially beware the high protein diet in general, and especially if linked with low fat is our advice.

Should the fat be severely restricted, or lavishly used?

Looking for something specific, say "recipes for Swiss chard," type it into the Site Search tab in the main menu.

And thirdly, without the essential fatty acids, you will die; literally. This is particularly important for the pregnant and breast-feeding woman. Her babe is absolutely dependent on healthy omegas for its brain and nervous system.

Limit the good sources of fat and your babe's brain will be stunted and have a lower IQ.

Did you know the brain is 60% omegas? Be careful with your high protein low fat foods diet. OLIVE GARDEN NUTRITION ...

Healthy nutrients is a very important subject for the chiropractor, because all nerves are coated in a sheath called myelin. Starve them, or coat them in bad fats and you can expect tingling in arms and hands and legs and a much higher chance of getting the really nasty neurological diseases.

Research done in the Netherlands, and confirmed in Japan, proves that a high protein / low carb diet is one of the main causes of Motor Neuron Disease, the king of nasty conditions, also known as Lou Gehrig's sickness, named after the baseball star.

High protein low fat foods

High protein low fat foods diets are hard on the kidneys and are the main cause of breast cancer when from animal sources; if combined with glycemic carbohydrate they will cause obesity too.

But, you've heard that a protein-rich diet is the way to lose weight, particularly one that is low in fat, and low in carbs too. So it is. But your high protein diet plans must look at the bigger picture. Good health. To lose weight in order to be healthier, by unhealthy methods, makes no sense at all. You don't want to lose weight but in the process increase the risk of breast cancer, do you? Nor do you want to lose all that weight, only to succumb to a neurological disease.

And, TOP OF THE LIST, you want to get it off, and KEEP IT OFF. I always thought it ironical that Dr Adkins died an obese man when he fell down the stairs and cracked his skull. There's absolutely no virtue in losing thirty pounds, and within a year put it all back on, is there? Worse off than when you started, because you'll also now be depressed! High protein low fats foods is perhaps the way to go, but with a little intelligence mixed in the recipes. It's not simple to lose weight healthily.

Lower down we'll consider the high fat diets; surprisingly, if combined with low starches, they are very successful.

Good sources of protein

Good sources of protein should include chickpeas, lentils and beans, whether you are vegetarian, or not. Then, and only then, can you add fish and fowl, meat, cheese and eggs.

Proteins are the building blocks of tissue. Made up of long chains of nitrogen-rich "amino acids", foods with protein are vital for you and your child. A protein-deprived diet causes a nasty condition called kwashiorkor, common in developing countries like South Africa.

That nitrogen is captured from the atmosphere by nitrogen fixation bacteria that live in many plants, but particularly legumes.

So, your best sources of protein are either:

  1. Group I: Plants like legumes, or
  2. Group II: Animals that have themselves eaten good sources of protein.

What comes quickly to mind are beans, peas, lentils, tofu, hummus in the first group, and red meat, chicken, fish, dairy products and eggs in the second group.

I'm sure you noticed: All the good sources of protein in Group I are "high protein low fat foods" - vegetarian protein.

But all those in Group II are " high protein diet foods, but high in fat and, except for the fish, not good fat. They are all (except the fish) amongst the foods to avoid high cholesterol; jup, damned if you do, and if you don't.

FOOD PROTEIN FAT CARBS TOTAL KCALS
Green beans 19264343
Lima beans 80,4 21 115
Green peas 7 0,4 23 121
Cooked Chickpeas 92,627164
Hummus 5 920 177
Tofu 7 4 2 61
Lean beef 17201254
One egg 1310 0,7 143
Full cream milk (1/2c) 3 35 61
Cheese low fat 24 72173


What about vegetable protein sources should be considered. Stay with me, don't dismiss all this as the rantings of a vegetarian. I'm not, but it's wise for us to understand the value of plant protein for your low fat high protein diet. And just for good health. And just, because with a little effort they taste so good.

There's also a problem with the Group I vegetable protein - legumes don't contain all the amino acids, and in particular are deficient in two "essential amino acids" - methionine and tryptophan. Vegans in particular have to be very careful to balance their diet to find vegetarian protein that contains these vital nutrients. They do this by including certain grains, and a delicious food called sesame tahini ...

Let's look at these figures a little more carefully. First and foremost, you have to be a little bit intelligent...

  • Green beans are fantastic if you are on a low fat high protein diet, but
  • Terrible if you are looking for high protein low carbohydrate foods!

Do you, or don't you include fresh green beans from the garden in your diet? You do! Why? What about all those carbs? I hear you say. Green beans must be so fattening! Just look at the calories! 343!

Here you need to understand a little about Glycemic Index, a very important subject. One that we all have an intuition for (sugar is bad, apples are good), but lots of gaps in the detail.

Glycemic Index (GI) and a Carbohydrate Count Chart.

Green beans have a VERY low GI of 15 which means that it's a complex carbohydrate that is absorbed very slowly into your blood stream, sustains you for long hours, and doesn't give you an insulin rush.

To find links to topics in bold like carbohydrate count charge use the site search function in the navigation bar above.

What about the HUMMUS?

Hummus is made from chickpeas. It's number 2 on the list of superfoods for lowering cholesterol. Do you know number one?!!! You should do!

But look at all that fat! And the protein ain't so high. Hummus is one of the healthiest foods on the planet, I make two large tubs per week, it's dead easy and takes only five minutes. AUTHENTIC HUMMUS RECIPE ...

If you look at that recipe, you'll see that hummus is made with two very healthy fats: olive oil and sesame seeds. These are the kinds of fats that you absolutely must have in your diet. Cut them out at your peril, your nerves will die. Literally.

So, whilst hummus may not fit exactly with your low fat high protein diet, when it comes to being healthy, and keeping the fat off, and getting your cholesterol down, it's a "super food". I have a couple large spoonfuls EVERY DAY.

Lean beef and eggs

Even lean beef and eggs are high in fat and certainly don't fit with your high protein low fat foods, but just wait... take a look at the carbs; near to zero you may be thinking. Terrific! All these diets are extremely confusing, many are positively dangerous, and in any case none of them work; surveying large groups finds that after one year 95% and put all the weight back on, and more. Grasp the meaning of glycemic index, and you'll lose weight permanently. 

But too much animal protein... MALIGNANT DISEASE! In moderation, once a day max.

  • Type "glycemic index calculator" into the Site Search tab in the main menu for more information.

Fatty fish

Here lies another dilemma. Are you going to avoid fish like mackerel and salmon just because it's high in fat, when every single authority in every area of health, be it orthopaedics and your knees, be it your cardiologist and your healthy heart, your neurologist and the avoidance of Parkinsons and Alzheimers, your chiropractor... all of them are saying you MUST have fish at least twice a week, preferably even more?

Absolutely not. Don't be enslaved by this or that diet! Your goal is to be healthier, not just to lose weight. And that means your high protein low fat foods diet must include fish oil, full of Omega-3 fatty acids. Ignore them at your peril. Our famous salmon and broccoli recipe is worth a thought.

Summary

Keep your mind on the big picture: I simply have to lose weight, I must keep it off, and I want to do it in a way that's not too painful. That means staying well away from the shakes. And it means more exercise, take a walk every day, preferably in the sun for the vitamin D.

And I must do it NOW, before my knee looks like this.

A hole in the knee cartilage causing pain and disability.

No snacking means you need to eat foods that will stay with you. Always start with our healthy breakfast menu then you won't be starving by ten o'clock.

And it must include some fat.

Colas and chocolate cake, alas, are absolutely out of the question, beer too if you are seriously over weight, but a glass of red wine is very healthy.

In short, your

  • high vegetable and 
  • fish, fowl and legume protein in the main, and 
  • lower fat, yet enjoy the healthy fats like olive oil and avocado
  • and much less high GI starches like white rice and white bread and cookies is the way to go.

Good luck, DO IT! and please before your knees look like this... this lady has PAIN, and you will too if your BMI is over 30. And that means HIGH PROTEIN LOW FAT FOODS ...

Pecan nuts daily

Researchers have found that folk who eat 3-9 pecan nuts daily - relatively high protein, and really quite high fat, but the good fat - actually lose weight. Perhaps it's the fibre, perhaps some unknown factor, but pecans are extremely healthy, the large ones easy to shell, and even better high in omega-3 fatty acids, the anti inflammatory food.

Oh, one more thing. You must shell them yourself. Easy.

Fibre

Increasing the fibre in the diet, whether it fits our high protein low fat foods model or not, is strongly associated with weight loss.

Try for example growing lettuce; it's so easy and quick, and you'll have fresh salad fibre every day. It takes me fifteen minutes to prepare the ground and sow a row of seeds.

Banting Diet

A recently rediscovered and now popular way of losing weight, known variously as the Paleo or Banting diet is based on high fat and low carbohydrate diets.

It has its merits, mainly that on a high fat, low carbohydrate diet, you won't feel hungry all through the day.

Based on low total carbohydrate, irrespective of whether the calories come from an apple or a chocolate cake, like all diets it has its down side. We look rather to low starch foods with a high glycemic index; thus an apple, or sweet potato, or chickpeas are just fine.

Unexpectedly raw honey too for example has a low glycemic index.

However the high fat goes with high animal protein in the traditional Banting diet, and that can't be healthy.

Look to a modified Banting diet based on high fat mainly from olive oil for example, and only a severe restriction of high GI carbohydrate. And include legumes which have relatively high protein, and low GI starch.

Chiropractic help

Chiropractic help is concerned about these issues because patients walk into our clinics with cancers that have metastasized to the ribs, pelvis and spine. I was shocked when working in the Netherlands recently to have two new patients on the first day who had had double mastectomies.

Beware of these high protein low fat foods diets; you may lose weight but the cost may be very high.


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