High Protein and High Carb Diets

A low-carb diet involves eating high amounts of protein and little to no carbs. Although this might be a quick way to lose weight, it is a hard diet to stick with and its long-term effects on the body are still suspect. There is another approach to eating that involves both high amounts of protein and high amounts of carbs.

Meats

One of the main sources of protein comes from animals such as chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, deer, bison and seafood. Fish is also high in protein, and some people consider it meat. Most high-protein diets would feature some form of animal protein. These meats can be kept lower in calories by baking, broiling or grilling them. When the diet goes high protein and high carbs, then there is also the addition of some baked potatoes, yams, rice, quinoa, cous cous or pasta on the side.

Supplements

There are a lot of people who eat multiple meals a day for weight loss, weight gain or muscle preservation. Bodybuilders are a good example of this classification. Being that protein is the building block of muscle, they often eat a high-protein diet to increase their daily intake. They also eat a high amount of carbs as well to keep their bodies well-fueled for workouts. One common meal that they eat is a mass-gaining shake. These are made with high amounts of carbs and protein, and they often exceed 700 calories. Some ingredients that might be seen in one of these shakes are whole milk, nut butters, yogurt, berries, bananas, honey and protein powder.

Eggs

Eggs are high in protein and they have almost zero grams of carbs. People who are doing strictly high-protein diets often times eat hard-boiled eggs or make omelets with cheese and bacon. But a high-protein and high-carb meal option would be eggs with whole wheat toast, oatmeal or potatoes. If fat is an issue, the whites of the eggs can be used by themselves, although this slightly lowers the protein content.

Dairy

Other than the milk that is used in smoothies, dairy products have other uses in high-protein and high-carb diets. Yogurt, for example, is a dairy product that is also high in carbohydrates. Even a cup of plain, fat-free yogurt has about 19g of carbs in it. Cottage cheese, on the other hand, is high in protein and low in carbs. A way to get a high-protein and high-carb meal is to combine the two of these. If you are looking for a high-protein meal, then a 4-oz. serving of cottage cheese comes in at about 15g of protein per serving with 5g of carbs.

Strictly High Carb

There are some people who choose to take the path of the high-carb diet. Vegetarians, for example, do not eat meat which takes away a lot of their protein options. They eat foods like rice, beans, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains and tofu to pick up the slack.

High-carb, low-fat diets are generally used for people with heart disease. Over the years as obesity rates skyrocketed, this type of diet has had the finger of blame pointed at it. But in actuality, the problem is not the carbs. It is eating too many calories and not burning them off.