Some of these diets include specific food combining rules where for instance fruit can only be eaten on an
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empty stomach, while carbs cannot be consumed together with fats or protein (one has to wait for 3 hours
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between these food groups). On the other hand, carbs may be combined with vegetables, or protein and fats
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may also be combined with vegetables.
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Of course, a normal digestive tract is well equipped to handle carbs, fat, and protein in the same meal, so
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instead of observing difficult-to-follow food-eating guidelines, those who believe that they have lost the ability
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to digest, or metabolize a mixed meal, an easier solution would be to simply supplement a digestive aid.
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There are also diets based on readings from the famed psychic Edgar Cayce, who believed that diets should
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be comprised of 80% alkaline-producing foods (fruits, vegetables, dairy), and of 20% acid-producing foods
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(potatoes, bread, sugar, meat), and there are more peculiar diets, such as the Christian-based Weigh Down
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diet, which permits one to eat any type of junk food as long as one does not overeat, while Peter D'Adamo's
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"Eat right 4 your Type / Blood Type Diet" is based on the assumption that people fare better (including with
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weight management) when tailoring their diet to their specific blood type.
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Many of these (fad) diets unfortunately don't encourage a long-term common sense approach to eating,
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such as focusing on a balanced and moderate intake of several basic food groups. Following a best-selling
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Diet Book, many people generally don't consider the health implications for anyone following specific dietary
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recommendations that may result in quick weight loss (without establishing individual safety), or they neglect
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the long-term health effects of Yo-Yo dieting, including a risk of developing Gallstones as a result of too quick
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or large weight loss, in contrast to losing weight gradually, which generally reduces the risk for obesity-related
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gallstones.
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A common practice with weight loss shakes and special dietary formulations is to add extra Potassium for
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its diuretic properties. While it is one of the most important and effective nutrients to aid weight loss and to
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support kidney functions, individuals with chronic inflammatory bladder problems or genitourinary conditions
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have to use potassium-enhanced products with caution.
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Many high protein / low carb-promoting diets however do result in potassium (and zinc) loss due to greater
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sodium and phosphorus retention when followed for a long time, so the addition of extra potassium (and extra
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zinc at times) is frequently necessary, with their requirements being ideally evaluated by a health professional.
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Carb / Fat / Protein Ratios
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Most diets are successful in the short run because they restrict one particular food group (usually carbs
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or fats), without making up the calorie loss by increasing the intake of another food group. This way, they
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effectively reduce total calorie consumption (the real cause for weight loss), and credit a change in the
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Carb / Fat / Protein ratio as the advertised cause for the weight loss. When adding up the total daily calories,
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many of these programs are in fact close to a starvation diet.
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Some Diet Gurus go so far and use "scientific" reasons to explain the success of their particular 'Low Carb'
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diets by blaming a high carbohydrate intake for promoting insulin resistance and a rise in triglycerides. When
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reviewing those claims, they fail to mention Simple, Refined, and Complex Carbs, and the contrasting
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effects of simle carbs on VLDL triglycerides (heart disease / stroke, blood sugar management), the immune
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system (WBC, phagocytosis / inflammation, leukemia), and their extra nutritional requirements (manganese,
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w3 EFAs, chromium, biotin, Vitamin C, germanium).
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Obviously, it seems to have escaped their research that in contrast to consuming Simple Carbs, the extra
fiber, nutrients, and different metabolic attributes of Complex Carbs make a tremendous difference in the
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success rate to lose weight. (see also Acu-Cell "Sugar & Glycemic Index").
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For weight control purposes, the body does not care whether a larger percentage of daily calories come from
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complex carbs, or from protein, provided caloric intake matches energy expenditure. The advantage of a high
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protein diet is clearly that - unlike fat or carbohydrates - protein is not as readily converted to fat. There is also
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its superior satiety, particularly for those who do not have the resources to nutritionally fine-tune their body,
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which might otherwise achieve a similar satiety with high complex carb diets, as with high protein ones.
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Do High Protein Diets cause kidney damage or osteoporosis?
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The effects of a very high protein intake on bone loss or kidney functions is definitely a concern and cannot be
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dismissed. A practitioner who has the resources to do a thorough nutritional analysis can easily demonstrate
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an increasingly abnormal high phosphorus / low calcium ratio taking place even in many seemingly healthy
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patients after following a prolonged high protein diet. If not compensated for, this can become a significant
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cause or contributing factor for bone loss, arthritis, or even hemorrhaging stroke.
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Patients following a high-protein diet and were also taking anti-inflammatory medications such as Celebrex,
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Vioxx, Aspirin, or other NSAIDs, additionally presented with abnormally high sodium / low magnesium ratios,
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risking osteoporosis, renal, and cardiovascular disease.
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While of less concern for those with normal, healthy kidneys, many overweight individuals are already at
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a higher risk for Type II diabetes and at the same time - or as a result of it - suffer more often from reduced
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renal (kidney) functions. So unless monitored by a health professional, who would be able to compensate for
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nutritional shortcomings, the effects of prolonged do-it-yourself high-protein dieting may come back to haunt
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those who believe that following the advice of a Best-Selling Diet Book is the answer. Those advocating a
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high fat diet represent a similar mentality with little regard to long-term health risks, including Type II diabetes
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or some cancers.
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Of the patients who experienced impaired kidney functions after following a prolonged high protein diet,
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Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) was deficient in every single case, while the requirements for extra zinc,
calcium, magnesium, potassium, or other nutritional support varied considerably from one patient to the next,
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depending on other health-related factors, age, and any medications taken at the same time.
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Although a frequent association is made between high protein diets and a greater risk for bone loss (which
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is usually dismissed by those who advocate such diets), a high Carbohydrate Diet can create a similar
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nutritional environment by generally being higher in phosphates / phytic acid (grains, cereals, bread, pasta).
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The same applies to diets that contain higher amounts of oxalic acid (Swiss chard, spinach, rhubarb, beets,
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wheat germ, cocoa). So the end result - a higher risk for osteoporosis by either inhibiting calcium uptake, or
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by lowering its ratio - is the same.
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Because of long-term negative health effects attributed to "Low Carb / High Protein / High Fat" diets (such
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as Atkins), some entries into the diet craze have formulated the high protein success around healthier types
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of fats and carbs (such as the South Beach diet), which is a step in the right direction and comes closer to
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replacing temporary weight loss programs with a more permanent, healthy lifestyle.
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Some people achieve weight loss by adapting a Vegetarian Lifestyle, while others fail miserably in trying to
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do the same. The ones that succeed may do so as a result of increased potassium and zinc levels which help
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reduce water retention and moderately help their metabolism as well. The success may also depend on the
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way vegetables are prepared, whereby overcooking will spare more calories for fat storage, versus those
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who consume much of their vegetables raw, which requires greater amounts of calories for food metabolism
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and as such reduce weight gain. Regardless (and particularly when much of the food is consumed raw),
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Vegan Diets achieve the least satiety no matter how well an individual's chemistry is optimized, so they are
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suitable for only a smaller percentage of the population.
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Dietary Fiber not only plays an important role with weight management, but it also benefits those who suffer
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from insulin resistance, blood sugar, and cholesterol-related problems. Sources of Insoluble Fiber include
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wheat bran, whole-grain products, cereals, nuts, and the skins of some fruits and root vegetables. Sources of
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Soluble Fiber include Konjac glucomannan, xanthan gum, guar gum, psyllium husks, oats, flax seed, pectine,
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and most fruits without the skin.
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Since dietary sources of soluble fiber convey a feeling of fullness without the bloating some prone individuals
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experience from a higher intake of insoluble fiber, a number of fiber supplements are sold specifically for this
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appetite-suppressing effect, whereby the degree of expansion in water (viscosity) determines the overall
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effectiveness of such products for weight control purposes.
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The Time spent on eating a Meal has also some effect on satiety, since it takes about 20 minutes for the
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stomach to convey a feeling of fullness. The slower food is consumed, the more likely the average individual's
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appetite is satisfied with an average-seized meal. This should help particularly those who have a tendency
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to overeat, and thus curb their desire for extra and larger desserts.
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