I just started (again) on the South Beach diet. At first, it's like Atkins (no carbs for two weeks), but soon adds most fruit and veggies, whole grain products (carbs), etc. It strikes me as the best diet as it fairly quickly allows a wide range of foods - it's based on the glycemic index (whatever that is) and seems pretty healthy. My problem starts with the time-saving ease of eating the "bad" stuff - open a bag (or other package) and shovel the contents in (I did read years ago that even the sound of the bag [chips, etc.] contributes to the "enjoyable" experience).
I had done Atkins, which worked well but was way too restrictive for me - all protein all the time.
(If one reads the book, I suggest skipping the testimonials which interrupt the flow of reading.)
And "testimonials" (unless they are by your closest friends) are very bad evidence. The South Beach diet sounds very good to me, but I think a generalized mediterrean diet: whole grains, lots of veggies and fruits, and fish but little meats and milk products and some nuts--I through in a lots of dried fruits and, my vice, crystallized ginger--are the way to go.
And if you are not, alcoholic, a moderate amount of red wine with your main meal.
By the way, the time saved eating processed and fast foods should be weighed against the time lost in hospitals and dead.
flushd wrote:
Slappy,
I think there is a difference between a high protein diet and a diet that has excessive protein.
It's when the protein is excessive that liver and kidneys get stressed to ****. Do you agree?
Plus, you'll just get plain fat. Too many calories is too many calories!
Do you agree?.
I don't agree or disagree, because I don't know how much healthy kidneys are or are not "stressed" by high protein diets. All I know is I've never heard of a study that concluded this diet will harm healthy kidneys.
I don't know what you mean by "excessive," but obviously if you're taking in a ridiculous amount of protein, that means a ton of calories, which means weight gain.
Slappy,
I ain't no expert. But bodybuilders of 'old' tried and tested pretty much every crazy diet a person can imagine already.
All I'm saying is the ones who poured excessive (more than their body could use, more than they needed by far) ended up with kidney problems.
I guess that is complicated by the fact that they may have been pouring a lot of other junk into their bodies that aren't spoken about too.
Guess soon enough we will see the long term effects in otherwise healthy, regular type folk since high-protein is all the rage.
I actually eat high protein. I think it is great. But a healthy, high protein diet is different than Atkins!
At least in practice most of the time.
Slappy Doo Hoo wrote:And I'm sick of hearing people state a high protein diet is going to impair kidney function. As far as I know, not one study has concluded a high protein diet will screw up the kidneys in a HEALTHY person....someone that already has kidney problems, yes. We should be drinking a lot of water as it is.
part of the problem is that few people talk to their doctors before they start diets - they don't know in advance that their kidneys aren't in great shape or that they have some other borderline medical condition that won't be well-served by a particular diet.
and water - well, that's another one to be careful with - unless you've had a full, recent, physical. Bodies clearly need fluids - but 'a lot of water' needs to be carefully defined for each body.
Flushd, you would "guess" they poured other junk into their bodies?
Yea, I'd guess so too. Testosterone injections, Human Growth Hormone, among other steroids, and drugs that assist in the recovery process. Steroids do a number on the organs. That's like saying, "drug-abusing bodybuilders have eaten chocolate. They have liver problems because of chocolate."
