High Carb vs High Protein?

[rawdanig]

So it seems that a lot of people are against high protein raw vegan lifestyles well should i say don't recommend it and i'm trying to figure out why? I've read many times again there's no benefit over one over the other especially when it comes to weight loss because each plays a specific role. High carbs(fruits /vegs) low protein will help you lose weight and burn fat(with more cardio) but depending on what veggies ur eating it might not help you gain lean muscle mass easily(but since kelp and greens are high in protein you could still work on gaining lean muscle mass). Whereas high protein low carbs also will help you lose weight but only if your doing resistance training exercises(lifting weights, lunges push ups and some low intensity cardio) because muscles will need the protein to repair the broken tissue and make it stronger therefore the fats associated with protein will get burned up by the muscles and your body for energy rather than being stored.

I can attest that both methods and eating lifestyles are correct as i've done both and seen rapid results with both(obviously not the raw lifestyle but high carb vs high protein)

And i know gorillas our lovely cousins eat lots of fruits and veggies and seeds and barely other animal proteins and they are big and strong but they're consuming pounds and pounds of it a day and i highly doubt we are consuming 40lbs worth of fruits and veggies in one day to meet out protein requirement lol Also check out this article about gorillas on high carb and high protein diets and how it relates to humans http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10734075

I guess in the end to me the best lifestyle is to do what works best for you to reach your goals and maintaining them but i feel people might pick one and not do it correctly and get a negative connotation about it. What's your thoughts your experiences? Something i'm wrong about? Cause i know i'm no expert this is all info based on what i've read in the years of my health and weightloss journey :)

[Revvell]

You seem to be overthinking all this. I eat what I want, when I want as long as it's sustainable. I play with objects and move, as I said in your other post, because I enjoy it. I'm not focused on weight elimination but fitness and health. The rest will come.

[MysticTree]

I agree with Revvell on this. It doesn't have to be one thing or the other it just has to be.

I do need to lose weight - according to the doctor - but I am eating raw because it makes me feel amazing. Any weight loss will keep the docs happy but it is enough for me that I feel fabulous :)

[dime]

Let's forget the weight loss/rapid results part for a moment.

Higher than the amount of protein you need for what protein is primarily used by the body will be
1. less optimal: if you eat 1000gr of protein in a day, you will not get 1000gr of muscle that day no matter what you do. The body will use let's say about 50gr. The rest will be converted to carbs/fat
2. less healthy: you're unnecessarily acidifying the body for example. I'm sure there are more problems resulting from high protein consumption

If you don't mind these compromises, then yes, high protein will work.

[rawdanig]

I feel that eating what you want when you want is the best thing also. But when i read some of the post on here from other people asking about what to do and things like that it seems some are a little strict that proteins are the enemy and will make you fat and i just don't think it's true.

And if anyone is eating 1000gr of protein a day then yes there's something wrong with you. I'm not talking about extremes here lol Im talking about just in general. A lot of people seem like there's just one way and that's it when there's truly no right or wrong way.

Eat to live not live to eat. IT'S JUST FOOD :) remember your ancestors would go days without eating and they did just fine and there was no complicated science in their minds when they did eat they just ate..that's my philosophy lol

[MysticTree]

In general I don't worry too much about what everyone else has as hard and fast rules. There are people everywhere that live by extremes but if you just do what you do then their comments can't impinge on your way. Their way may be extreme in your (or my) eyes but it's just their way.

[Revvell]

Many are coming from old programs. They bring their old habits into new ways of living; new lifestyles and try to make them like their old ones because they are familiar with them. If they worked, they wouldn't be looking for other ways.

[dime]

And if anyone is eating 1000gr of protein a day then yes there's something wrong with you. I'm not talking about extremes here lol Im talking about just in general. A lot of people seem like there's just one way and that's it when there's truly no right or wrong way.


I just used that arbitrary amount to illustrate my point :) And you said high protein, what's high protein for you? High carb would be smth like 70-80% of the calories coming from carbs, is high protein similarly that much?

[rawdanig]

To me high protein is 40-70% and as a women i know idealistically i should get 60gr of protein a day(supposedly). Idk how much protein i am getting since eating raw there's no labels lol but i just try and eat what feels right at that moment and i guess the whole point of the post was to see if others felt that way too or are they strict on this one cut way of only fruits and veggies or even better 80 bananas a day :)

[Steven]

To me high protein is 40-70% and as a women i know idealistically i should get 60gr of protein a day(supposedly). Idk how much protein i am getting since eating raw there's no labels lol but i just try and eat what feels right at that moment and i guess the whole point of the post was to see if others felt that way too or are they strict on this one cut way of only fruits and veggies or even better 80 bananas a day :)
You can track your food in a program like Cronometer to see if youre getting enough calories, carbs, protein, etc.

[dime]

To me high protein is 40-70% and as a women i know idealistically i should get 60gr of protein a day(supposedly). Idk how much protein i am getting since eating raw there's no labels lol but i just try and eat what feels right at that moment and i guess the whole point of the post was to see if others felt that way too or are they strict on this one cut way of only fruits and veggies or even better 80 bananas a day :)

That's all fine. But it's a fact that 40-70% protein is less healthy than 10-15% protein.

[Non]

Ok.

I have to come in and say that I agree with the OP.

I myself have been doing the "high protein" raw diet for some time and it's really good.

Just following Gabriel Cousens Rainbow Greens Diet is the "high protein" raw diet.

It's just, higher protein in relation to the carbs. It does require higher fat. Gabriel Cousens recommends a diet of 40% fat intake for people with diabetes to heal their diabetes, and only getting carbs from greens and vegetables.

However, on the Rainbow Greens diet phase 1 you can add in small amounts of some low glycemic fruits (berries, etc.) in salads. In the later phases you can start adding more fruit and fruit that's higher in the glycemic index. According to your lifestyle you can choose either of the phases for your "maintenance diet".

However it's the phase 1 of the program that is the 'higher protein' one, and specficially the one that is high greens. High greens meaning that greens is the base for all meals. There you can add veggies and/or fruits, and also raw nuts/seeds. The max fat intake of calories is 40%, but it requires less fruits, and exercise. You would have to see what is best for you, lower fat or higher fat. The more fruits IMO the less fat. I think anything less than 15% fat is not too healthy.

I do it like this: I fill up on a green salad with veggies, maybe some low GI fruits, and some nuts/seeds. I have the seaweeds, I have to microsprouts, and the beansprouts, etc. Hippocrates Institute says the 3 most important raw foods are the sprouts, and the blue green algae, and other algae. To me that really translates to any kind of sprouts including baby greens, seaweeds and algae.

Omega fatty acid ratio is very crucial to succeeding in this diet also. A ratio of 1:1 to 4:1 omega 6 to 3s. This regulates the hormone balance in the body and also ensures production of EPA/DHA when your body needs it, so you wont need to take EPA/DHA products. Though consuming seaweed and coconut products is probably optimal for this as seaweed contains enzymes which contribute to the EPA/DHA production in seaweed, wakame in specific promotes DHA production in the liver. Coconut oil raises HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL cholesterol. A lot of vegans and in specific raw vegans are low in HDL.

There are people who do this diet and are built like gorillas...

Actually what they're doing is making the protein rich foods the center of their diet.

The other important piece is that it mimicks or is similar the Zone type diet, which requires that a person be essentially low glycemic, and having their fatty acid intake ratio optimal while making protein the center of the diet. Also remember that raw protein is 50% more effective. Which means it is totally possible to do it on the raw diet. Forget about the 40/30/30 caloric ratio, just keeping these points in mind will do it.

It makes your body burn fats for energy during exercise (not the same as ketosis though) while the brain is ensured more carbs because it leaves more of the carbs you take in to go straight to the brain.

[rawdanig]

Thanks so much for your post Non!! Glad to hear this lifestyle is working out for you. I just got done reading an article about the truth of proteins and where you can get them as a raw vegan and of course its from dark leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, and nuts which are all foods i'm more attracted to especially my greens and veggies! I also crave nuts/seeds and less of sweet stuff like fruits..i must be weird lol. But i do think people are forgetting that this protein is plant based and therefore is easier for the body to digest and is full of other benefits and wont make you fat or have the same detrimental health benefits as animal protein. Now an excess in anything will make you fat but when eating raw i know that it's almost impossible to go in excess especially on proteins since they fill you up quickly. And yes 10-15% of a diet "should" be proteins but that equates to about 50-60g and many athletes do fine on 37g so when talking percent i guess that needs to translate to grams cause everyone has a different equation in their head lol.

[sport]

I've read many times again there's no benefit over one over the other especially when it comes to weight loss because each plays a specific role.
this is all info based on what i've read in the years of my health and weightloss journey :)
There is more to health than weight. I was never overweight in my life so my diet focus is not on one aspect but on the overall picture.
If you have been years on a weightloss journey then you can not be doing it right. Something is wrong.
I have not always followed the same diet in my 6 years of raw. You change as you progress.

[Raw Angel Mom]

I feel you should google and find the website for thrivein30 by Brendon Brazier. He is a tri-Athlon raw vegan and very knowledgeable about food. The talk about protein, starch etc...

If you follow the youtub of Dan Macdonald, he inspires people to focus on fruit/vegetable/leafy greens. If you do a search in his video, i believe that he talks about starch as well and protein.

Hope you find the answer of your question!

[Raynne413]

If you have been years on a weightloss journey then you can not be doing it right. Something is wrong.


That's not necessarily true. I was at 300 lbs when I started to lose weight, and it took me 6 years to lose 180 of that. Unfortunately, in the process, I developed an eating disorder, but if you have a lot to lose, it CAN take years. It's been proven that for most people, the way to lose the weight and keep it off, is to do it slowly.

[rawdanig]

If you have been years on a weightloss journey then you can not be doing it right. Something is wrong.
I have not always followed the same diet in my 6 years of raw. You change as you progress.

Lol well it's only been 4 years of a weightloss journey and if you must know i've lost 50lbs in the time frame. This was before raw, before veganism, before the super healthy lifestyle i have now. I was a 16 year old in highschool following the crap the magazines said trying to lose weight and it worked and then id get distracted and would platuea and when i was able to refocus i'd lose more weight so yea it's taken some years lol but it's a journey for a reason. I know weightloss doesn't happen overnight and i'm glad that my journey has ended here and i can have the healthy lifestyle i've always wanted...not everyone finds that in the short amount of time that i did. I'm blessed for how far i've come and i'm happy that you have been doing this long enough that it's been working for you! :)

[sport]

I know weightloss doesn't happen overnight and i'm glad that my journey has ended here and i can have the healthy lifestyle i've always wanted...not everyone finds that in the short amount of time that i did. I'm blessed for how far i've come and i'm happy that you have been doing this long enough that it's been working for you! :)
Yes you are lucky to have come to this way of life so young. I was in my fifties so have a lot of ground to make up.