Peanut Butter and Pizza - An Alternative to the High Protein Diet
By: Randy Mclean

Did the title to this article catch your interest? I thought it would! As of late we are always hearing talk of two main approaches to dieting, namely the high carbohydrate diet and the high protein diet. But what about fat? And what role can it play while we are losing weight?

Contrary to popular myths our bodies need fat. Now don't get me wrong. As I have mentioned in other articles too much of anything is bad but we can, and do, lean to one macronutrient over another. As well as breaking down the vitamins A, D, E, and K (fat soluble vitamins) we also need fat for energy purposes. At the same time it would be wise to consume carbs and proteins as well. Any diet where either carbs, proteins or fats are significantly raised or lowered is not a healthy one. Our bodies need all of these in order to work properly. We can tend to lean more strongly towards one or another but we shouldn't forsake the rest. Each have their own functions as well as positives and negatives.

This diet would benefit those who have weak will power or who don't have the time or patience to prepare too many meals. It is good if you are only used to eating 3 times a day. This diet is also beneficial for eating out whether in restaurants, at relatives, or at parties and socials.

One characteristic of fat is that it makes you full longer therefore making you feel more satisfied. You will not have to eat as many times (in terms of real food) to keep your metabolism going and you will still feel okay. You can either use homemade 'shakes' or use food supplements in order to keep the number of times you take in calories constant. Taking in calories a minimum of four times daily will keep your metabolism going and the body will be less likely to store the food you take in as fat.

Obviously there is a catch...you know the saying, if anything is too good to be true it probably is. The catch is that these meals still have to be figured into your daily caloric intake or else eventually the inevitable will happen. But the good news is that this variation gives you the illusion of a greater food intake. The more you study fitness and nutrition the more you can manipulate variables or natural laws in your favour.

As an example, say you want to eat only 3 times a day but you want to take in calories 5 times a day in total. So your first meal would be real food, say a few peanut butter sandwhiches. Okay, so you have eaten that and two hours roll around so it's time for another meal. You can either eat or have some kind of replacement as I mentioned earlier. An example of a quick replacement would be a protein bar (chocolate flavour, yum!) or possibly a homemade shake. How would you make this shake? Just take 8 ounces of skim milk, add 4 heaping tablespoons of skim milk powder to thicken it and finally a bit of chocolate syrup for flavour! This drink provides approximately 200 calories which is not much but enough to keep your metabolism going. And this also leaves room for greater food consumption!

In summary this diet is great for those with higher cholesterol levels and don't want to take the risks of eating a higher protein diet. You mostly have to watch your dairy products, things like butter, ice cream etc. Basically when it comes down to it food is food. No matter how it is broken down and/or used by the body if you eat too much...well, you know!

About the Author

Randy Mclean has a diploma in Fitness and Nutrition from Education Direct, a YMCA individual conditioning certificate and is the author of Instinct - Master Your Mind And Your Body! For free tips and tricks visit www.weightlossguidance.com

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