Protein Power: Another View

Written back in the 1990s by married couple MDs Michael and Mary Dan Eades, "Protein Power" was a NY Times bestseller that featured cover praise from no less than "The Zone" author Dr. Barry Sears, who called Protein Power "The Nutritional Primer of the Nineties." Low carb/high protein diets were, of course, all the rage back then and based solely on its name you may wonder: is this Atkins Diet in different packaging? Essentially, yes.

Like all high protein, low carbohydrate diets, Protein Power was created around the the theory that controlling insulin levels is the key to weight control. It is scientific fact that carb intake causes the body to produce the hormone insulin, and that excessive levels of insulin inhibit the body's ability to break down fat. On the flip side, limited consumption of carbs keeps insulin levels low, which triggers the body to produce the yin to insulin's yang - a hormone called glucagon which zaps the body's stored fat for energy.

Carbs are severely restricted from the get-go on Protein Power, so your early days on this diet will likely put your body in ketosis - a term likely familiar if you're familiar with Atkins - which the medical community considers a metabolic disorder. In ketosis your body is burning fat and producing a build-up of chemicals called ketones, which are by-products of the burned fat. Ketones are then excreted through the urine, and a hallmark of ketone excretion is the excessive amounts of sodium and water they take with them. And this accounts for most of the "weight loss" that low carb dieters tout - water weight. Note that in ketosis many people experience fatigue and low energy levels, and it is VERY important to keep yourself hydrated beyond the level to which you're accustomed.

Your daily protein quotient is determined via a series of measurements you take to assess body fat, lean body mass and your physical activity level. Your protein options are fish, poultry, red meat, low fat cheese, eggs and tofu. You're allotted anywhere from 30 to 55 grams of carbs per day, depending upon your goals and health condition. The low carb foods recommended include leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, celery, cucumber, mushrooms and avocado. You're also instructed to take in 25 grams of fiber and a smattering of healthy fats from oils and nuts, and wash it all down with at least 8 glasses of water a day. A beer or a glass of wine with dinner is permitted, but you must remember to count their carbs against your limit. To fill in any nutritional gaps, the authors recommend vitamin and mineral supplements, and a potassium supplement of at least 90 milligrams. Unsurprisingly, a bevy of capsule and powder supplements of just these types are available for sale on the authors' website....

The authors of Protein Power do put some emphasis on exercise, though they favor resistance training and weight-lifting over aerobic exercise. They argue that resistance training is more beneficial because it stimulates the release of growth hormone, and growth hormone shifts your metabolism to use stored fat for energy. While this is good and true, we (and many, many credentialed experts) argue that the increased calorie burn caused by aerobic exercise is equally important. If you burn more than you take in, you are already ahead of the game.

Will you lose weight on Protein Power? In the short term, yes. It relies on serious calorie restriction and serious limitation of variety - two things, if you can stick with them, which will result in shed pounds. Bear in mind, though, that this will be difficult (if not impossible) to sustain for the long term, and you will likely often be deficient in important nutrients. The book includes sample menus, recipes, ordering suggestions for restaurants, scientific explanations and a great deal of historical information about low carb diets and their influence since the mid 1800s. All well and good until you ask yourself the most important question: has this type of plan worked for you or anyone you know for the long term?