[YOUR HEALTH] Ugly side of vegetarian diets, others

You must have heard of it before, the Atkins diet, or Atkins Nutritional Approach, which focuses on controlling the levels of insulin in the body through diet.

Basically, if you are on this diet, you are supposed to eat as little carbohydrates as much as possible and try only foods that contain proteins.

The belief is that excess carbohydrate is eventually converted to fat which the body stores, but protein is usually not stored for long in the body, hence it is easier to lose weight by losing calories.

Another logic behind this diet is that protein-based foods make one feel fuller for longer thereby stabilising one’s blood sugar levels.

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There is the famous, palietholic diet, where one is not supposed to eat grains; that means no rice, millet, cereals or anything that is remotely made from grains.

The Paleo Diet of today is mainly centered on meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts in their natural state. As much as 65 per cent of all calories should come from animal sources and the remaining 35 per cent should come from plant-based food.

The popular diet now is probably the vegetarian and the vegan diet. Many believe that Veganism is more of a way of life and a philosophy than a diet. A vegan does not eat anything that is animal based, including eggs, fish, pork, hotdogs, corned beef, dairy, and honey.

Vegans do not generally adopt veganism just for health reasons, but also for environmental, ethical and compassionate reasons.

Let us not forget the “ total starvation diet”, that many do for the purpose of losing weight drastically, not majorly for health reasons but for other aesthetic purposes.

They just want to get rid of that fat in any way they can, and if they starve themselves to death in the process, so be it, so far they achieve their goal.

As much as these diets may help you lose weight or not gain weight, they have their ugly side which could lead to more complications including kidney disease, cancer and severe damages to internal organs.

According to physicians and nutritionists, not all the effects of dieting are positive.

Nutritionist,  Dr.  Yomi Agaja says diets that preach high protein contents in our meals, have the most dangerous effects.

Agaja says that fad diets, such as the Atkins Diet and the vegetarian diets which emphasise high protein content, such that dieters now avoid carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes and rice pose certain risks including kidney failure.

He states, “It’s well known that patients with kidney problems suffer from eating a high protein diet. Such a diet can put strain on your kidneys.

“Your kidneys are responsible for filtering a number of substances, including protein, from your blood. So a high protein diet can put strain on your kidneys; those with reduced kidney function should avoid such a diet.”

If that does not scare you from embarking on that diet, Some studies among some dieters of more than four years  show that high protein diets may contribute to the development of some cancers.

The research which involved over 30,000 participants from various parts of the world shows that people who eat low protein diets have been shown to have low blood levels of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). High protein diets increase blood levels of IGF-1, which some researchers say contribute to certain forms of cancer.

Agaja says that the danger of excluding some groups or class of foods from one’s diet whether carbohydrates, proteins, plant and animal based food, is that, one would be depriving the body of essential and non-essential nutrients that the body desperately needs to function.

“It could lead to serious nutritional deficiencies. Your body needs carbohydrates to make energy. When you deprive your body of carbohydrates, it’s forced to burn body and dietary fat and protein to make energy instead. When your body begins to burn large amounts of body fat, ketones can accumulate in the body. When dangerous levels of ketones accumulate in the body, the dieter could succumb to a diabetic coma, which could be deadly without immediate treatment.”

Experts say the challenge with exclusive and extreme dieting is that  it usually cannot be sustained in the long term, as people eventually resume eating regular meals, at the end of the day gaining more calories  that they were able to shed.

They advise that is better to adjust one’s diet gradually for greater and long term results.

Agaja adds, “Nobody is saying you should be reckless with what you put in your mouth, but extreme dieting, especially the type where you intentionally abstain from some foods that are supposed to provide essential nutrients and  minerals , is very detrimental to one’s health.

“The trick is actually not in what you avoid in your meals, it is in what you are not avoiding when you actually decide to mercifully give your body the food it deserves.”

The nutritionist advises that instead of cutting thousands of calories on a daily basis, one should find ways to cut a few hundred calories each day in combination with daily exercise.

However, for you to exercise, you need carbohydrates, proteins and all classes of food in reasonable portions for energy and strength. Don’t starve yourself.

-Punch

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