When it comes to diet topics, many actually fail at weight loss diets due to the simple fact that they are not consuming the right type of food. Most of us realize that the truth to effectively losing weight lies in eating the right way as well as exercising regularly. Over the years, health experts have a new type of weight loss diet, the high-protein, low-carb diet. These diets have received plenty of attention in recent years due to its effectiveness in helping people lose weight without the use of weight loss supplements. What these diets actually do is cut down the body’s reliance on carbohydrates to provide energy (calories), and instead count on proteins as the major energy source for the body. The elimination of carbohydrates (not fully though) translates into the reduction of saturated fat consumed, and this helps lower chances of heart diseases and assists in weight loss purposes.

A good example of this high-protein, low-carb is the Atkins diet. Also well-known as the Atkins Nutritional Approach, this diet program was created by Dr. Robert Atkins back in the 1970s. In what was an initial program created to solve his own weight issues, Dr. Atkins realized that the program was an astounding success, and popularized the diet program through a portfolio of books. This program drastically reduced the intake of carbs and exponentially increased the body’s protein intake through food products such as fish, chicken, eggs, dairy products, beans as well as nuts and seeds. The nuts and seeds recommended include almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

The lack of carbohydrates would not be felt as your food intake will be satisfied with high-protein food that would force the body to burn fat for energy requirements instead of carbohydrates. This metabolic state is aptly-named ketosis, as it burns the ketones (materialized from breakdown of stored fat) in the body. In return, you feel less hungry, and your food intake will drastically reduce as well.

Nevertheless, one who wants to undertake this high-protein, low-carb diet has to be aware of the fact that this ketosis state can cause unwanted health complications. Examples of these complications include kidney problems (due to too much of protein), osteoporosis, kidney stones, and even cancer. Cancer may appear due to the fact that avoiding carbohydrate-rich food products also means you do not consume the additional nutrients such as anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins in those food products. When you are in ketosis, you may also experience loss of appetite, nausea as well as dizziness.

To avoid these complications, it is advisable to consume a small portion of carbohydrates every day, say approximately 100 to 200 grams each day. This would assist to reduce the bad effects of ketosis. To conclude, a high-protein, low-carb diet would definitely help you to lose weight, but take extreme care not to overdo it, or you would face dangerous health hazards.