Low Carb Myths
All of these myths come from food writers, health and fitness experts. In other words, from people who ought to know better.
By Immuneweb.org
Myth #1: Lowcarb is high-protein.
Truth #1: Lowcarb is adequate protein
The protein requirements for lowcarbers are not any different from those for lowfatters or people not dieting at all. Lowcarb diets tend to pay attention to protein more than other eating plans though. If you are a meateater you are most likely getting plenty of protein already so your intake probably won't change if you go lowcarb. If you are a vegetarian, especially if you are a vegan, you might not be getting enough protein on a standard high-carb diet. If you choose vegetarian lowcarb your protein level is likely to increase to healthier levels (because you will be more mindful of it).
I aim for about 60 grams of protein a day. I defy anyone to tell me that's dangerously high. Before I went lowcarb I doubt if I was getting half of that. Not for any deliberate reason, but because I didn't pay attention.
It is true that some meateating lowcarbers take in quite a bit of protein. This helps them feel satisfied and stay on the diet (muscle meat has no carbs). But it's hardly necessary or even desirable to take in more than a couple hundred grams of protein a day. Vegetarian lowcarbers rarely overdo it on the protein.
One writer whose work on weight-training is groundbreaking (Miriam Nelson, whose books I recommend to anyone who will listen) has quite twisted views on lowcarb. She writes (in Strong Women Stay Thin): "If you cut carbohydrates drastically and add a corresponding amount of protein..." Come again? I have never ever heard of anyone doing this. Does she honestly believe that people are eating 300 or more grams of protein a day, on top of the protein they were eating pre-lowcarb? It's possible that some lowcarbers misinterpret the diets this way but certainly no competent lowcarb writer will suggest doing anything of the sort.
Unfortunately, when people want to debunk an idea, the way they often go about it is to choose the most extreme manifestation of that idea in practice and use it as "proof" that use of the idea is dangerous. Yes, some people do lowcarb wrong. It doesn't make lowcarb bad.
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