Dr. Giulia Temponi, nutrition biologist, warns about what can happen if you exclude carbohydrates from your diet, excessively increasing protein intake
They are essential macronutrients for the functioning of our body and for muscle regeneration, but sometimes with the proteins it is exaggerated, especially to the detriment of the carbohydrates. If until recently, in fact, most diets were demonized by the fat, today they are just the sugars, carbohydrates (or carbohydrates, precisely), to be seen as the number one enemy of the line. “The proteins they are fundamental in the context of a correct diet, in particular for muscle regeneration and for the maintenance of mass magra. But for some years it has been thought that cutting out carbohydrates and following one hyperprotein diet lose weight more. That’s not true ”, explains Dr. Giulia Temponi, nutritionist biologist to Gazzetta Active.
High-protein diet: the risks –
All three macronutrients play a role, emphasizes Dr. Temponi: “The proteins they serve in particular for muscle recovery and regeneration, i carbohydrates provide a fast-consuming energy source and i fat the energy reserve. This is why the right balance in each is essential diet“. Yet often there are people who follow hyperprotein diets, eating protein sources for lunch and dinner ed eliminating carbohydrates: “These are mainly women, who maybe train quite often and to lose weight they eat only proteins and few fats. The first risk, even on an aesthetic level, is to empty in the upper part of the body, in particular at the level of the face and breasts, and to accumulate weight and water retention in the lower part of the body ”, explains Dr. Temponi.
Eliminating carbohydrates from the diet: this is what happens to our body –
If we delete the carbohydrates from the diet, in fact, our body ends up asking for them anyway: “If we do not eat them in adequate quantities, when we train our body fetches the necessary fuel from the muscle, burning it. Also exclude from your own diet and carbohydrates triggers the activation of the cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, causing uncontrollable cravings for sugars that sometimes lead to binge eating or making us eat ready-to-eat packaged products that are much worse than a healthy plate of wholemeal pasta, for example. In addition, excessive stimulation of the cortisol causes insomnia and altered circadian rhythms ”, adds Temponi.
Carbohydrates and proteins, not just pasta and steak: here are the best ones –
It is essential to remember the variety of carbohydrate and protein sources. “Often carbohydrates are trivially identified with bread and pasta. But the sources of carbohydrates are many and bread and pasta are undoubtedly the least healthy: there are in fact many low glycemic index carbohydrates, integral, from black rice to red rice, from brown rice to buckwheat, from spelled to barley, from millet to quinoa, passing through oats ”, remembers Dr. Temponi. The same goes for the proteins: you have to pay attention to quality. “The best proteins are those with a high biological value: I am referring to white meats such as chicken and turkey, but also to pork loin, small blue fish, eggs and in particular egg white, rich in proteins and low in fat, and then with Parmesan and Grana Padano, sources of branched acids which also make them perfect as a post-workout snack ”, suggests the nutritionist. “And then remember that, as far as carbohydrates are concerned, even the fruit is a source of it: so if it is true that a breakfast based on fruit and rusks is unbalanced because it is too rich solely in carbohydrates, it is also true that a breakfast based on fruit, yogurt and dried fruit provides all the macronutrients of which we need, ”recalls Dr. Temponi.
The health risks of excess protein –
In addition to the risks for the line, in fact, one hyperprotein diet which excludes i carbohydrates can also involve health risks: “There is scientific evidence that an excessive intake of proteins at the expense of carbohydrates can chronically stimulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, with an increase in vasoconstrictor hormones, including cortisol, linked to the increase ininsulin resistance, from the triglyceridemia and ipercolesterolemia. Finally it should be remembered that an excess of protein has a negative effect on intestinal microbiota, causing constipation. This is why it is always good to follow a balanced diet, which includes the three macronutrients, but knowing how to choose the best sources of both carbohydrates and proteins and fats ”, concludes Temponi.
Follow us on our social channels!
Instagram – Facebook
© breaking latest news