Dangers of High Protein and High Fat Diets.
I've fortunately, never experimented with the keto diet. Since my Health Coaching studies with HMI Wellness, I'm glad I didn't!
So many people rave about what keto has done for them. And sure, there may be some results, mostly because they often cut out the crap that they were eating. But they are sadly mistaken thinking that carbs are the culprit.
Unlike what is being promoted by weight loss “gurus” — eating a high protein diet and/or a high fat diet is dangerous to one’s health for many reasons.
How?
To begin with, the body breaks down and utilises carbohydrates more effectively than fats and proteins. It is best equipped to deal with the vast majority of calories coming from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are needed for many important functions of the body, including: energy (as glucose) for all the tissues and cells in the body, central nervous system functioning, kidney function, brain function, muscle function (including the heart), and intestinal health and elimination (as fibre). Not to mention that carbs are muscle sparing, and ignite metabolism, keeping hormones in check. Whilst carbohydrates can be stored in the liver and muscles for use later on, it’s storage abilities are not endless, which is why “top-ups” of carbohydrates are needed throughout the day.
Not getting enough carbohydrates forces your body to dip into your liver glycogen stores, to be broken down into glucose and released into the bloodstream. Next from the liver stores, the body goes for the muscle glycogen stores. When tapping into the muscle stores, the body is doing so at the expense of the muscle itself, leading to muscle wasting. This leads to ageing, weakening muscle tone, and creating sagging skin. Not eating enough carbohydrates also contributes to brain fog, moodiness and fatigue. At this point, the body goes into ketosis, in which it uses fats as its primary source of energy. However, this is not a natural state for the body to be in, and any weight loss is primarily coming from water and lean tissues. Additionally, being in a state of ketosis makes the blood abnormally acidic, setting the stage for diseases to form such as cancer. It is also very damaging to the heart, leads to depletion of potassium, can lead to heart attack, and even death. So keeping this in mind, one can already start to see why it is not wise to skimp on carbohydrates in favour of proteins and fats.
Whilst fats/lipids are essential for normal growth, having a diet high in fat puts a lot of stress on the body. The four different types of fats (saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, trans-fats) can negatively impact the body in various ways, including: preventing cell membranes from working properly which leads to clogged arteries, can create abnormal cell membrane structure which leads to impaired insulin response, decreased fluidity in the cell membrane which leads to loss of water, nutrients and electrolytes, and communication with other cells, can be chemically unstable and prone to oxidation, can promote platelet aggregation and inflammation, and create imbalances between HDL and LDL triglycerides, increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and arthritis.
In addition to the above, fat takes a long time to digest and it remains in the bloodstream for a significant amount of time. Excess fat floating in the bloodstream leads to impaired insulin function. The reason being; the fat acting as a gum-like substance on the insulin, blocking the insulin’s ability to connect to and transport glucose to cells for energy. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin, creating an imbalance. This issue is also linked to other ailments such as cancer, heart disease, candida, hypo/hyperglycemia, arthritis, and depression to name a few. Too much fat in one’s diet, in general, is contributing to many of the population’s preventable diseases.
High protein diets are raved about, but mislead the general public, over-inflating their importance and failing to mention the repercussions on one’s health long term, as a result of excessive protein consumption. Whilst proteins play an important role in providing building blocks for the body’s tissues (among other roles), the body has to work hard to digest protein to extract these building blocks (amino acids). Not to mention that excess protein is eventually stored as fat anyway - a fact that not many protein-obsessed people are aware of.
Excessive protein consumption compromises kidney and liver health. After the proteins are broken down into amino acids in the stomach, they enter the bloodstream and are converted into functional molecules via the liver. The liver converts the nitrogen into ammonia and then to urea for excretion via the kidneys. This in itself, is an extra step that the body takes to process protein, compared to fats and carbohydrates. Unlike fats, protein cannot be stored immediately, and must be broken down by the liver and kidneys - more work for them to do.
If knowing that there is an added load onto our liver and kidneys in the processing of excess protein wasn’t enough, it is worth mentioning that the excess protein will be converted into glycogen or fat cells, or worse, combined with calcium, increasing the risk of painful kidney stones.
Furthermore, proteins create an acidic environment in the body overall, especially animal proteins which have sulphur-containing amino acids. This activates osteoclasts, which leads to bone loss, as the calcium is depleted out of the bones to act as buffers in response to the acidity. This shifts in the acid-base equilibrium in the body towards an acidic state, which as mentioned previously, sets the stage for disease and cancer. The released calcium can settle in your kidneys, developing kidney stones, and also in arteries, contributing to heart disease.
This is why I have provided my Strong With Amya ladies with a plant-based meal plan. Because getting to the body of your dreams is more than just looks, it’s about having a body that gives you the energy you want to do everything you love in life, to spend quality time with your loved ones without being side-lined, AND to feel freaking amazing as often as you can.
Love,
Amya