Low-Carb Diets: Can you have your steak and eat it too?

Low-Carb Diets: Can you have your steak and eat it too?

Anna Delany



The low-carb craze may have passed, but people are still trying to work out just how much fat they can fit on their plates, how many greasy burgers, thick steaks, and cheesy omelets they can fill up on – without gaining weight. To anyone who wants to lose weight, a high-protein or low-carb diet sounds like a miracle answer to the same old conflict of wanting to get thin without giving up the grease. But can you really have your cake (or steak) and eat it too?*
Opinions on this question are divided, but scientists and health experts generally agree that these diets are more of a great sell for their creators than a true help for their followers. It’s not a difficult task to convince people that eating more of what they like to eat is good for them! But as more and more research shows, these fad diets do more harm than help in the long run, and can lead to serious illness if followed for more than just a short time.*




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What they tell you: the theory of low-carb diets

The general premise of high-protein/low carb diets is that by cutting carbs and increasing protein, you can lose weight fast. Their key selling point is that you can eat large quantities of meat, fish, eggs, cheese and dairy products if you cut out grains and carbohydrate-dense foods.

Promoters of the diets explain that you lose weight because your body switches from carbohydrate metabolism to fat metabolism; in other words, when you cut out carbohydrates as a source of energy, your body burns its stores of fat instead. This process of burning stored fat for energy is called ketosis. High-protein diets sell themselves by advertising ketosis inducement as a way to lose weight without cutting down on fat intake.


What they don't tell you: the reality of low-carb diets

Low carb diets are not the new and revolutionary diet solution they’re often made out to be. The first low-carb dieter was a London undertaker by the name of William Banting who lost 36 pounds in 28 weeks by consuming less bread, pastry, and beer - and that was in 1863.

Low-carb diets are also not as safe and successful as people think. Although cutting carbs and OD-ing on protein may initially help to induce fast weight loss, excessive protein has been proven to have very serious consequences for health and well being. For example:

Low energy. A more accurate description of ketosis is that the body is forced to burn fat because it is deprived of its essential natural carbohydrate energy. This energy from fat is “last resort” energy and does not provide the body and mind with the fuel they need, which is why people on high-protein diets feel easily tired and can suffer exhaustion.

Ketone damage. Ketosis also produces ketone bodies. When too much protein is consumed these ketones build up in the body, causing damage to the liver and kidneys. For some people, ketone levels can become so dangerously high that they result in death if not treated immediately.
Increased uric acid levels and water loss. When protein is broken down and metabolized, it also raises the levels of uric acid in the blood. The more protein you consume, the more of this toxic by-product the body has to deal with. The body pumps a lot of water through the kidneys and urinary tract to try and flush it out. This water loss not only gives a false indication of weight loss, it is also detrimental to the body in many other ways.
Acidosis. Excess protein also causes a condition called acidosis, which can lead to osteoporosis and kidney damage. High-protein foods are acidic, whereas vegetable foods are alkaline, so an overload of protein sets up a serious acid/alkaline imbalance. The body tries to resolve this imbalance by buffering with calcium. As calcium reserves are used for this instead of for building bones, the risk of bone deficiency and osteoporosis increases. During this process the body’s ability to reabsorb calcium is also reduced, causing calcium to be deposited in the kidneys, which can then lead to kidney stones.
As well as serious health problems, a high-protein diet is also accompanied by several unwanted bonuses that are not part of the advertised weight loss package. Bad body odor and breath are just a couple of the problems reported by followers of high-protein diets: if you eat like a carnivore you will smell like one! (The ketone bodies produced by ketosis give off a foul odor). Other common discomforts of a carnivorous diet include constipation, dehydration, dizziness, headaches, mental fatigue, sleep problems and nausea: those are a few bitter pills to swallow with your protein.

What the experts say about low-carb diets



Most health experts agree that low carb and high-protein diets are unsuitable for most people, especially in the long term. The American Heart Association (AHA) states that "high-protein diets have no proven effectiveness in long-term weight reduction and pose potential health threats for those who adhere to them for more than a short time".The AHA further emphasizes that a high-protein/low carb diet can be especially risky for patients with diabetes because it can speed the progression of diabetic renal disease.
AHA and other expert studies also show that the average American already eats double the amount of protein than is recommended. People on high-protein diets put away even more than that, consuming up to 34% of their total calories from protein and up to 53% from fat, much of which is saturated fat (the "bad" fat) from meat and dairy products. In contrast, the AHA urges most adults to limit fat intake to no more than 30% of total daily calories, less than 10% of which should be saturated fat.
There is also no proof that these diets work for most people in the long run. In fact, evidence suggests that the rapid weight loss people experience is frequently followed by rapid weight gain.
What is proven about the diets are the negative long term health effects, which far outweigh any short term weight loss benefits.*


The healthy alternative



Studies have consistently shown that successful weight loss occurs most often when people follow a nutritionally sound diet and increase physical activity. It’s as simple as that! It may seem less exciting than the latest fad diet that the media coughs up, but it will prove healthier and more effective in the long run. A good support-based maintenance program with nutritional information, community encouragement, exercise guidelines, health tools and other programs can help to achieve weight-loss goals.*
With low carb/high-protein diets it seems best not to bite off more than you can chew; they're not healthy, helpful, or safe. To lose weight effectively, you're better to count calories, watch portion size, stay health-conscious, and exercise sensibly and regularly.