Cookbook:High Protein Diet

A High Protein Diet is often recommended by bodybuilders and nutritionists to help efforts to build muscle and lose fat. It should not be confused with low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins Diet, which are not calorie-controlled and which often contain large amounts of fat.

High Protein diets typically obtain 30%–60% of their calories from protein, 15%–30% from fat and the remainder from carbohydrates. They tend to rely heavily on seafood and lean meat, which makes them difficult or impossible for vegetarians.

Benefits

Protein is essential for building muscle.
Unlike carbohydrates, protein provides long-lasting energy without an insulin surge (which promotes fat storage).
Protein tends to suppress the appetite.
Protein takes quite a bit of energy to digest, which boosts the body's metabolism.
Lean protein-rich foods are much less calorie-dense than carbohydrate-rich foods. For example, the ham in a common sandwich may have 343 kJ per 100g, whereas the bread has 1011 kJ per 100g. Like vegetables, they help to bulk out a meal.

Sample diet

Overview
Category:	Special Diets
Servings:	1
Calories:	1250 (per day)
Time:	10 min (total)
Difficulty:

The daily food intake that is detailed below contains 1250 kCal in total, and would therefore be suitable for someone with 45 kg of lean bodyweight—such as a 60 kg female with 25% bodyfat—who wants to lose weight at a rate of ¼–½ kg a week (the maximum safe rate). Individuals with a greater lean bodyweight should increase their food intake proportionately, as should lean individuals who are attempting to gain weight. 50% of the calories come from protein, 25% from carbohydrates and 25% from fat.

Anyone attempting to reproduce this diet should try to find products that match the nutritional profiles shown below. The protein, carbohydrate and fat content is given as their percentage by weight, which is the same as grams per 100g (as marked on nutritional labels). This is not the same as the percentage of calories.

A multivitamin supplement should be taken to ensure that adequate levels of each essential vitamin and mineral are maintained.

Sundried tomato tuna with baby beetroot is a quick, tasty and nutritious high-protein meal, that can be eaten hot or cold.

Breakfast	serving size	weight	protein	carbs	fat	kJ/100g	net energy
High Protein Cereal	¾ cup	22g	22.1%	68.2%	2.2%	1641	88 kCal
Fat-free Milk	large glass	250g	5.7%	5.6%	0.1%	195	117 kCal

Some of the milk can be put towards cups of coffee or tea throughout the day. If required, artificial sweeteners should be used instead of sugar. Milk is an important weapon against osteoporosis, not just because of its calcium content, but because it also contains enzymes that promote bone growth.

Lunch	serving size	weight	protein	carbs	fat	kJ/100g	net energy
Soya/Linseed Bread	3 slices	111g	15.5%	29.8%	7.0%	1011	268 kCal
Low-fat Ham		50g	14.7%	2.0%	1.7%	343	41 kCal
Lean Sliced Roast Beef		50g	23.8%	0.3%	1.7%	474	57 kCal
Sliced Turkey Breast		50g	23.9%	1.9%	0.8%	446	53 kCal

In order to achieve the recommended six meals a day, one sandwich should be eaten mid-morning, one at lunchtime and one mid-afternoon. Soya/linseed bread has very low Glycemic Index (36), which also helps to ensure a steady release of energy during the day. Lettuce or sliced tomato may be added to make the sandwiches more interesting.

Dinner	serving size	weight	protein	carbs	fat	kJ/100g	net energy
Red Salmon	1 large tin	210g	16.8%	0.0%	10.1%	683	343 kCal
Fresh or Frozen Vegetables	1 cup	85g	2.7%	3.4%	0.2%	110	22 kCal

Red salmon is a very good source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids (2.7%). Other fish or seafood may be substituted if salmon is unavailable. The meal can be microwaved, or stir-fried without oil in a nonstick pan. "Zero-calorie" condiments such as herbs, spices and soy sauce may be added.

Pre/post-workout	serving size	weight	protein	carbs	fat	kJ/100g	net energy
Protein Bar	½ large bar	45g	44.4%	21.0%	10.9%	1480	159 kCal

The protein bar may be more suitable as a pre-workout or post-workout meal, depending upon when the workout occurs. It can be useful pre-workout if the workout would otherwise occur more than two hours after the last meal. Alternatively, it can be consumed immediately following the workout, because both protein uptake and protein usage are increased at this time.

Nightcap	serving size	weight	protein	carbs	fat	kJ/100g	net energy
Milk-Powder Diet Shake	1 heaped tbs	16g	32.0%	43.4%	0.9%	1334	51 kCal
Whey Protein Shake	1 heaped tbs	16g	73.0%	6.5%	3.9%	1420	54 kCal
Psyllium Dietary Fiber	1 heaped tsp	5g	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0	0 kCal

The protein shake should be taken shortly before going to bed to maintain protein availability during the night, when HGH (Human Growth Hormone) levels are at their peak. The milk-powder based diet shake adds slow-release casein to the mix of proteins, and offsets the sometimes poor taste of whey-based shakes. The added dietary fiber aids digestion.

High Protein Recipes

Most meat recipes are suitable for a High Protein diet, for example:

Visible fat should be cut from the meat, and (in the case of poultry) the skin should be removed. Generally, lean meats such as beef or turkey are preferred to pork or duck.

Soya protein powder can be mixed with flour to increase the protein content of pancakes, muffins and other baked goods.

References

Eades, Michael and Mary (1997). Protein Power. Bantam. (ISBN 0553574752)