Are High Protein Diets Really Designed For Women?

Paleo Salad :

If you have more than a passing interest in weight loss, you're likely to have considered - or tried - a high protein diet. Although high protein diets have been around since the Atkins Diet in the 1970s, they've come back into vogue since Kate Middleton (now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) was said to have lost weight on the Dukan diet. For the fitness-minded among you, you're probably also familiar with the Paleo Diet, which tends to go hand in hand with CrossFit training. Finally, Tim Ferris started a new movement with his 'Slow Carb Diet'.

Are High Protein Diets Really Designed For Women?

The close cousin of high protein diets is the 'sugar is evil' movement. The argument is that sugar is the cause of the huge rise in obesity, and the low-fat diets of yesteryear had it all wrong.

I'm not entering into the protein/sugar debate here, apart from to say that you can lose weight on a high protein diet, and reducing the sugar in your diet is beneficial for just about everybody. BUT you can also lose weight on any diet that has an iota of commonsense behind it, and the 'sugar is bad' message has been bombarding us since we were all kids, so this is hardly a revelation.

The real problem here is that the 'high protein and sugar is evil' movement is getting so much airplay nowadays that it's difficult not to get swept up by it. It's hard not to feel guilty that you have yet to kick your sugar habit, or admit you'd really like a sandwich for lunch rather than another chicken salad.

Actually, the real, real problem about all of these high protein diets - Atkins, Dukan, Paleo and the Slow Carb Diet - is that they were all developed by men. Before you think I'm completely sexist I do think it matters, and here's three reasons why.

1. Men tend to be overweight due to a general lack of awareness and information about nutrition and healthy eating, whereas emotional eating tends to play a bigger role in women's weight problems.

2. Men tend to be better at deciding to diet and then just following the rules, especially when they're allowed a 'cheat' day (which most of these diets include). Women, on the other hand, tend to be more influenced by hormone fluctuations and their emotional attachment to food.

3. Men tend to think a diet that allows them to eat big quantities of red meat and lots of eggs is a dream come true. Conversely, women are more likely to feel deprived when all they want is chocolate but they have to eat a medium rare sirloin instead. And, when deprivation beckons, it doesn't take long before a diet is ditched completely.

The final straw, of course, is that us girls tend to chastise ourselves and believe we're a total failure when we can't stick to a diet, leading to a spiral towards low self-esteem, an escape to emotional eating, and so the cycle continues.

Admittedly, no diet really takes into account the emotional aspect of eating which is extraordinarily ironic because once you understand your Inner BMI (beliefs mindset imprint) about food and your weight, everything else takes care of itself. However, I do think a high protein diet is particularly harsh for women compared to men, and from my own experience I know that men tend to be able to stick to this diet for far longer than women.

So, if you're thinking about embarking on one of the diets I've mentioned, please remember that you're human (not just a machine that needs food), your emotions are real (not to be stuffed down and ignored), cravings are often a sign to look deeper and weight control is a lifestyle, not a life sentence.

I hope you enjoyed this article, please feel free to let me know your thoughts on my viewpoint.

“ How to pack a delicious day's lunch and snacks in minutes 100% Guaranteed ”

Read more

Main Facts About The Paleo Diet

Paleo Salad :

The most important paleo diet information you ever need to know is foods containing preservatives are vetoed. This diet of many names - hunter-gatherer, stone age, caveman, paleo centers on foods that were eaten in the Paleolithic era. In essence, the modern dieter models the caveman's diet, as closely as possible.

Main Facts About The Paleo Diet

Researchers have long sought answers to questions about typical paleolithic menus, by intensive studies of paintings found in caves, fossilized food remains, cooking artifacts and hunting implements. They have also analyzed bones and teeth of early humans. It is conservatively estimated that cavemen ate about three times more fruits and vegetables and much more meat and fish than modern people. Our ancestors ate more greens and fewer grains than we do today.

Paleo diet information was conceived, based on the theory that humans would be freer of disease, by eating in the manner our bodies were designed to eat, prior to the beginning of agriculture.

Caveman Food

It is reasonable to suspect that our cavemen ancestors lived with a constant fear of where their next meal would come from. The only sustenance available was wild animals, fish and whatever edible weeds or berries they could forage.

It's not reasonable to expect modern people to eat precisely as people did in the paleolithic era without starting the diet by first making small changes to their eating habits in order to adjust to the new regimen.

When possible, eating wild meat, such as deer, alligator or bear is suggested. The second best alternative is to seek "free range" meat. When cattle, buffalo or chickens are allowed to roam and eat from nature's bounty, their richer meat contains valuable omega 3 fatty acids.

Using soup stock starter made from bones is a good choice. Stock is high in protein and minerals. Salads are on the acceptable food list also.

Tuna, salmon, trout and shellfish should be eaten frequently. Fruits such as avocado, bananas, figs or plums may be consumed in abundance. Vegetables are highly encouraged, as are nuts, with exception to peanuts, which are categorized legumes. Some recommended oils are olive, coconut and flaxseed.

Modern Foods to Eliminate

Up to this point, the steak-and-potato eater is happy. However, potatoes aren't allowed on the plan. In fact, all starchy foods are a definite "no-no."

Dairy foods in the form of butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk and so on are forbidden. Grains must be eliminated - no cereals, oats, rice or barley - including white flour. Forget that comfort food, all-day beans, as all legumes must be eliminated. Chocolate lovers please note that the only permissible sweet is honey.

Water is the liquid mainstay. Coconut water may be consumed sparingly. No sodas, no diet or carbonated drinks allowed. Fresh herbs may be used as seasoning agents, but no salt is allowed.

Paleo Diet Information

The above overview should help you make an informed decision about whether or not the paleolithic way fits your needs and lifestyle. Proponents of the plan believe it a good lifetime way of eating to sustain healthy weight and fight disease.

The focus is on foods, which are considered comparative quality, to those consumed by the caveman. It is believed that our bodies do not correctly absorb whole grains, legumes or dairy.

Experienced people on the diet have observed such mild symptoms of headaches and fatigue in the beginning, but contend they resolve quickly in a couple of days.

“ How to pack a delicious day's lunch and snacks in minutes 100% Guaranteed ”

Read more