High Protein and Low Carb Diet Tips

Hundreds of new diets are introduced every year, but a common staple for athletes and dieters is a high protein and low carb diet. Below are some helpful tips to make this meal plan more effective.

How High Protein Diets Work

The high protein and low carb diet is not new, and initially gained popularity several decades ago. The diet has gained renewed popularity over the last decade and is now the preferred meal plan for many professional athletes.

The diet is designed to preserve muscle mass with a high supply of protein, while reducing body fat by restricting carbohydrates. This combination helps athletes build new muscle, and forces the body to burn through excess body fat because of the reduced number of carbohydrates consumed through food.

Some dieters will try to speed up the fat burning process by completely eliminating carbohydrates, and adopting a "no carb" meal plan. While this approach does increase the rate of fat loss, it also introduces other health concerns including a sense of constant fatigue.

How Many Carbs To Eat

An optimal high protein and low carb diet will match the food you eat with your body type and intended behavior. If you're planning on exercising every day for more than twenty minutes, it may be necessary to increase your carbohydrates to accommodate your routine. If you begin a grueling exercise regimen, like hiking, but fail to increase your carbohydrate intake you're likely to run out of energy.

You can increase the effectiveness of your low carb diet by scaling the carbs you eat throughout the day to fuel behavior. Eating your carbs early in the day, about an hour before your workouts will yield better results than eating all your carbs late in the evening right before bed.

Cons Of Low Carb Diet

The biggest drawback of low carb diets are the lack of energy, and restriction of common food. Reducing the amount of carbohydrates means limiting, and often completely eliminating, common foods like bread, cereal, rice, and pastries.

Other long term health concerns involve the amount of cholesterol you're introducing into your system through high protein consumption. Choosing heart healthy foods like fish and alternating non-animal protein like soy can help reduce long term health problems.

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