High protein diets have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. The rationale behind high protein diets is that carbohydrates cause swings in blood sugar that can encourage your body to create body fat. Complex carbs such as rice and pasta are especially emphasized as easy ways to eat lots of calories that your body will then convert into fat. The high protein emphasis of this diet focuses on the consumption of protein and attempts to minimize carbohydrate intake.

What do you eat on a typical high protein day?

A typical protein diet breakfast involves bacon and eggs. You are not allowed to have toast or juice. For lunch you could have a double cheeseburger (no bun) and a small salad. At dinner, simply eat as much of the meat of your choice as it takes to fill you up. You may compliment this meal with more salad if you wish. Basically any foods with sugar, starchy vegetables, and grains and fruits are not allowed.

Protein Diets and the loss of weight due to loss of water weight

A diet high in protein can reduce large swings in blood sugar levels. Also, a protein diet can lead to faster than average weight loss. However, this is largely due to loss of water weight . Having healthy amounts of carbohydrate in your body's tissues encourages your body to store water, which is healthy and necessary. If you drastically reduce the amount of carbohydrate in your body, then you retain less water. The catch is that when you start eating carbs again (as almost everyone does), you gain the water weight back.

Issues with the High Protein Diet

Another key point to consider is that excess calories, from whatever source (protein, fat, or carbhohydrate), will be turned converted into fat by your body. Your body doesn't care what the source of the excess calories is, it just knows that it has more calories available than it needs to burn, so it stores the excess calories as body fat. Carbs are not evil.

Another problem with this diet is that it can lead to the over consumption of cholesterol. All that meat and cheese, which is allowed by the diet, can be very unhealthy. Also, this diet can lead to kidney problems due to the low carb intake, and, since carbs are a source of energy, not eating them can potentially make you weak.

	As anyone with a heartbeat can attest, protein focused diets have been all the rage now for a decade. Atkins is arguably the most popular "pro-protein" diet. I am a big fan of the Healthy Soy Diet as it gives you the benefits of protein without all the fat. In my opinion soy might be the most underrated "healthy food". More on these diets below...

Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet goes against much of the establish advice of the previously held ideals in the health community in its acceptance of high fat and meat intake. Recent studies seem to show that followers lose weight at a greater rate than more traditional plans without serious effects on health. However, most people may have a very difficult time with they must fundamentally change the way they eat on a long-term basis, eliminating potatoes, pasta and sweets from their diets on a permanent basis.

Healthy Soy Diet

This diet takes advantage of the soy bean, which, in the last few years, has gotten a lot of positive press. Soy is a protein-packed food that, depending on what you want, can replace meat or dairy. By substituting soy for some of your animal-based meals, it is said that you can reduce your risk for heart disease.