Episode 39: High-Protein, Low-Carb Diet Review

The high-protein, low-carb diet is perhaps one of the most well known and recognizable diets in the world. Practically every experienced dieter has been on a high-protein, low-carb diet at some point in their life and many different diet programs are simply variations on this philosophy of eating. The High-Protein, Low-Carb Diet Gets a Name Although the high-protein, low-carb diet has been around for decades, Dr. Atkins, author of The Atkins Diet series of books, was the one to make this style of eating mainstream. In fact, most people who are following this philosophy of eating will often call their high-protein, low-carb diet an "Atkins Diet". In this podcast, we will use the Atkins diet as an ambassador for the high-protein, low-carb diet philosophy as we go through the phases of his program and discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly associated with this program. The Reason Why the High-Protein, Low-Carb Diet Works Insulin is a hormone produced by our pancreas that causes our body to store calories as fat. As long as insulin is elevated, fat loss is difficult, if not impossible. Although both proteins and carbohydrates can cause your insulin levels to elevate, carbohydrates cause the largest elevations in this fat storing hormone. The purpose of high-protein, low-carb diets is to control insulin production in such a way that promotes fat loss while inhibiting appetite. For a simple rule on how to determine what foods are considered a carbohydrate, see our article Carbohydrates - A Quick Guide. In this podcast, we will give a detailed critique of the high-protein, low-carb diet in order to help you dig out the golden-nuggets that you can apply to your life.