You Won’t Believe How Bad This Popular Diet Is For Your Health

The new paleo diet is the most popular trend in health right now. It’s true that starch and carbs play a huge part in someone’s weight gain, but is meat, fat, and eggs really the solution to a healthy lifestyle?

Researchers are saying probably not.

The Myth of the High Protein Diet

Eating too much animal protein and fat has always been a bad thing. However, this hasn’t stopped Americans from consuming 67% more added fat and 41% more meat than in the 50’s. It is certainly no lie that since then Americans have become unhealthier and fatter.

It’s widely accepted that these high protein diets are healthy if you combine them with either a low fat or a low carb diet. This, however, isn’t the case.

The Risky Balance

Eating too much animal protein puts you at risk for an early death from many causes. Studies show an increase in cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer with high animal protein intake.

In 2014, one study proved those under the age 65 who heavily consumed animal proteins (20% or more daily calories from animal protein) had a 75% increase in premature death. There was also a 400% increase those deaths were a cause of cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

Low carb isn’t the route either.

While using low carb paleo diets, it’s common to replace lean proteins with starchy grains. But these diets actually promote heart disease caused by blocked arteries due to an increase in insulin levels, free fatty acids, and a decreased production of endothelial progenitor cells – the type of cell that keeps arteries clean.

Risk of coronary heart disease and cancer are also increased with the production of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) found in egg yolks and red meat. We all know egg whites are healthier and this is because of their lack of TMAO and cholesterol.

Chronic inflammation from an insulin-like growth hormone as well as a tumor-forming sugar found in animal proteins and red meats is also a heavy risk people take with paleo and high protein diets.

The Right Solution to High Protein Diets

Research by the University of California and Preventive Medicine Research Institute has shown a benefit to whole-foods, plant-based diets.

When paired with stress management and moderate exercise, these diets proved to reverse chronic diseases, including severe coronary heart disease. After 5 years, test subjects suffered fewer cardiac events and improved blood flow to the heart by 300%. Their chance of chest pain decreased by 91% after just a few weeks.

Whole-foods, plant-based diets are naturally low in animal protein, cutting out the harmful fats and refined carbohydrates, while vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and natural soy products are the name of the game in this diet.

In addition, replacing bad fats, such as trans fats or saturated fats, with the good fats of fish oil or flax seeds will help you live a longer, healthier life.

So perhaps it’s time to ditch the animal protein. You won’t only save the livestock, you’ll be saving yourself.

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/opinion/the-myth-of-high-protein-diets.html?_r=0

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