Different Diet Types

More protein might be what you need

Want a diet program offering a higher protein percentage than the USDA Food Pyramid? Then you've come to the right place. The following popular plans -- like the Atkins Diet, Zone and Ann Louise Gittleman's Two-Week Fat Flush -- all do just that.

Generally speaking, their pros and cons stack up like this:

Pros

High satiety factor
Broad selection of good-tasting foods, typically
Weight loss -- burns body fat, not carbs
Improved blood profiles, potentially
Improved skin, hair & nails, since toxins are flushed

Cons

Too low in carbs
Low in calcium
Higher protein diets may strain the liver
Some are more complicated than others
Some restrict vegetables & fruit
Simply click on one of the links below to read more about how a particular plan works, the science behind it, safety issues and even the diet s pros and cons. There are also links at the end of each section to buy the book.

Much success!

The Atkins Diet
Since carbohydrates are the body's primary energy source, a high-carb diet means the body hardly uses its backup fuel system: body fat. That's why the Atkins diet (a ketogenic diet) restricts processed or refined carbohydrates -- such as high-sugar foods, bread, pasta, cereal, juices and high-sugar/starchy fruits and vegetables -- and allows unlimited amounts of protein.

Ann Louise Gittleman's Two-Week Fat Flush Diet
The American lifestyle is riddled with constant interruptions to our body's detoxification process. Highly refined foods, nitrates, hormones and preservatives along with environmental xenohormones, caffeine, alcohol, the Pill, overuse of antibiotics, over-the-counter drugs, smog, secondhand smoke and even the metabolic residue from food all get in the way. Which is why Gittleman has been a longtime believer in detoxification as the missing link to health and vitality.

The Zone
The Zone diet is a life-long strategy to maintain hormonal balance, based on a 40/30/30 ratio of carbohydrates/protein/fat. According to "Zone logic," the hormone insulin makes and keeps us fat. A meal's protein-to-carbohydrate balance can dramatically influence insulin production as well as define how well a dieter can control insulin in the Zone for the following four to five hours.