Protein diet: what is it and why (not) try it?

If you want to shed excess pounds and decide to look for help with this problem on the Internet, you will no doubt come across many different kinds of diets, each of which you will learn is a completely revolutionary and guaranteed way to lose weight. Most likely, however, the different types of diets will differ only in the details and will be basically the same. Most modern diets are based on the principle of high protein intake and carbohydrate restriction. Most commonly, this type of diet is called a protein diet, but you will also come across many other names.

Why is the protein diet so popular? It combines a high intake of protein, which serves as the basic building blockand a reduction in carbohydrate intake, which in practice results in a significant decrease in daily caloric intake. But is the protein diet really as effective as it pretends to be? What are its most common types? And is it worth trying? Or would a completely different type of diet be suitable for you? Find the answers to all these questions in today's article.

What is a protein diet?

First of all, you need to be clear about what a protein diet actually looks like. Of course, the different types may differ in sub-aspects, but the basis is always almost identical. The main component of the diet is a high protein intake, which brings with it several positive effects on weight loss. The first is the protection of muscle fibres from catabolism, which could otherwise easily occur in the case of a calorie deficit. This makes it possible to get rid of excess fat while preserving muscle mass. The second positive is the feeling of satiety that a protein-rich diet induces, which makes it easier to avoid unnecessary overeating. The final benefit is that a higher ratio of protein in the diet must logically mean a lower ratio of carbohydrates to fat. This means that you need to avoid unnecessarily sweetened or excessively fatty foods when choosing your foodm and replace them with healthier options, which will of course have a positive effect on your calorie intake.

What are the types of protein diets?

As mentioned in the introduction, there are really many types of protein diets. They differ mainly in what specific foods you can eat in themst, or what should be the relative ratio between the intake of each macronutrient. It should be noted that while some types of diets have been used for a long time and there are quite a few studies that addressing them, others are far from it, and their actual effects are questionable to say the least. At the same time, it should be remembered that for most people who are not particularly experienced in healthy eatingThe differences between some types of protein diets are so minimal that they have no real effect on them in practice.

The Ketogenic Diet

The keto diet is currently one of the most well-known types of protein diets. Its specificity is that during it the body enters a state of ketosis, in which it draws energy primarily from fat stores. In order to reach a state of ketosis, daily carbohydrate intake must be within 50 grams (although this limit is largely individual). For more detailed information, read the article Ketosis: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know.

A great advantage of the keto diet is the fact that there are many companies that sell special diet packages containing all the foods you need during the diet. This will make it much easier to prepare all your meals, which can be somewhat problematic due to the limited amount of ingredients. We have compared the different diet packages for you in our ranking of the best keto diets.

The low-carbohydrate diet

As the name suggests, the low-carb diet is based on a low carbohydrate diet. Unlike the keto diet, their specific amount is not precisely defined. However, since a diet with a carbohydrate intake of less than 50 grams per day is considered to be a keto diet, runningDuring a low-carbohydrate diet, it is possible to take in a little more because there is no need to reach ketosis. Therefore, the basis of the diet will again consist primarily of protein and fat. For the purposes of this diet, it is therefore also possible to use different diet packages designedYou can supplement these with some 'normal' foods.

Atkinson diet

A specific type of protein diet is also called the Atkinson diet, named after Dr. Robert Atkinson, who invented it. In its this type of diet does not bring anything new compared to other types of protein diets, yet it still ranks among the more well-known types of diets. This is true even though this particular diet is quite controversial because Dr. Atkins promoted essentially unlimited saturated fat intake, which is definitely not ideal from a health perspective. Nowadays, this name is usually used to refer to the classic keto diet, or low-carbohydrate diet, which, thanks to its name, tries to be more credible. In reality, it is no different from the previous types of diets.

The Dukan diet

Like the Atkinson diet, the Dukan diet got its name from the man who popularised it. Dr. Pierre Dukan based his diet on very low carbohydrate intake, which puts the body into a state of ketosis. Probably, therefore, it is not even necessary to say that it is de facto a common keto diet, which only tries to sound more professional. But to be completely fair, it should be added that the Dukan diet consists of several phasesphases, based on how close you are to your desired weight. The foods that are allowed in the diet vary depending on the phase you are currently in.

We could go on for a long time in listing the different types of protein diets. However, it is quite obvious that in most cases they do not represent anything new and repeat the same thing over and over again. For better marketing, they just use different names and try to present themselves as new guaranteed weight loss guides. Realistically, however, we could divide the protein diet into two types: the keto diet and the low-carbohydrate diet, during which there is no transition to ketosis. These types of diets then differ only in whether or not the body goes into ketosis during them.

Foods for a protein diet at home

Most protein diets are based on very similar foods. Meat of all kinds, fish and seafood, eggs, dairy products, nuts, different types of oils, avocados or vegetables form the basis. On the other hand, care should be taken with fruit, which is typically rich in carbohydrates, bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. How strictly you need to cut these foods out of your diet depends on what type of diet you are following. While on a keto diet you'll probably have to say goodbye to side dishes as well, on a low-carb diet it won't be so hot. In both cases, however, you need to avoid sweetened beverages and sweets in general.

If you don't know how to make your diet specific, you can try one of the packages mentioned above to the keto diet, which you can possibly enrich with "normal" foods with a higher carbohydrate content (if you are not following the keto diet). Another option is to use a boxed diet, which, while not containing foods designed for a specific type of protein diet, but is based on healthy foods that typically contain more protein and fewer carbohydrates. If you're interested in this option, don't overlook our review of the Healthy Eating Boxed Diet.

Does the protein diet make sense?

In conclusion, the question of whether a protein diet is worth trying is, of course, a good one. A diet based on higher protein intake and carbohydrate restriction cancan undoubtedly contribute to fat loss while preserving muscle mass. It doesn't have to be an extreme like the keto diet, but for many people a classic low-carb diet will suffice. We've written a lot about the keto diet itself in the past (see, for example, the article The Ketogenic Diet and Its effect on strength) and although it is a much more drastic intervention in the diet, it can suit many people. High protein intake is simply essential for strength athletes, so it's no surprise thatthat protein-based nutrition plans are very popular in strength sports. As for some specific types of protein diets (Atkinson or Dukan diets), these are in the vast majority of cases, they are marketing ploys that do not really represent anything new.

Conclusion

Protein diet is a term encompassing multiple types of diets, which is always based on a high protein intake and limited carbohydrate or fat intake. Most of these diets are almost identical and differ only in the sheer marginalia. In general, strength athletes can benefit from a protein diet, as the high protein intake coupled with caloric restrictionintake from carbohydrates and fats leads to fat burning without the body also losing muscle mass in greater quantities. A great help in designing a diet like this can be either a specialor a boxed diet based on healthy, high-protein foods.

For today's article, that's all from us, but if you have any questions, feel free to contact us in the comments.