Scientists say that our food can be divided into three major categories of macronutrients - carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Drs. Michael and Mary Eade's contention is that while proteins and fats may be considered requirements for the body as energy source, carbohydrates are not a definite requirement.

Essentially, the Protein Power diet is designed on the same basis as the Paleolithic diet, i.e. the diet that prehistoric man followed. Researchers claim, and studies have also shown, that carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, were not on the menu of Paleolithic man.

The concept of cultivation was absent then, and the food in those times consisted of animal meat (which is a good source of protein), and whatever vegetables that grew in the area.

The proponents of the Protein Power diet claim that not much has changed since, as far as our nutritional requirements are concerned; that our bodies are still tuned to that kind of a diet, and do not need the excess carbohydrates that have somehow come to be a part of our food today.

A scientific explanation

This is how it works scientifically. The carbohydrates that we consume are essentially disaccharides, trisaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Once inside our body, these are broken down into sugar molecules, which exist in the form of glucose. To oxidize this glucose and convert it into storable fat, the body releases a hormone called insulin.

Insulin is no doubt a multipurpose hormone, but one of its primary functions is the conversion of the glucose into fat, which is then stored as fatty tissue. So, the consumption of excessive carbohydrates over a period of time results in two things.

Too many carbohydrates lead to weight gain

The first result of consuming excessive carbohydrate over a period of time is an increase in body mass as more and more fat is stored as tissue. This means that increased consumption of carbohydrates results in excessive body weight.

The second effect of consuming carbohydrates over a period of time is slightly more complicated and dangerous, in that it poses more health risks than just increased fat deposition.

In the second instance, our body cells become immune to the function of insulin, which means that more insulin is required over a period of time to burn the same amount of glucose. For example, if 1 measure of insulin was enough at one point of time to burn 1 measure of glucose, with increased immunization to insulin over a period of time, the body would need 2 measures of insulin to burn 1 measure of glucose, and this number would progressively increase.

Over time, this can have long term health effects - once the body develops total immunization to insulin (insulin immunization), it means that the glucose is floating around unoxidized in our bodies, thereby increasing the risk of potential lethal diseases like type II diabetes, obesity, arterial hardening due to depositions on the arterial walls.

Protein Power Diet Plan >>