Overview of a High Protein Diet

In this article, you will learn more about high protein diets and research studies that support their health benefits.

What is a High Protein Diet?

A high protein diet is typically defined as a diet where 25-30% of caloric intake comes from protein. The additional protein consumed is usually balanced with a reduced intake of carbohydrates and fats.

The CSIRO Total Well Being Diet is one of the most evidence-based and highly resourced higher protein diets. It is an energy-controlled diet that recommends eating 300 g of animal protein (lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs) along with three serves of bread or cereal per day. To give this some context a more conventional diet, based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines, of the same total energy intake would comprise only 60-100 g of animal protein per day, with more bread or cereal served.¹⁷

_{Source: https://www.totalwellbeingdiet.com/au/the-diet/our-diet/about-the-diet/}

Research Studies on High Protein Diets

‘CSIRO type’ diets (high protein and low carbohydrate diets) have been reported to yield greater weight loss^{18, 19} and greater loss of abdominal fat compared to conventional diets, although this has predominantly been shown in the short term.¹⁸ High protein diets may also limit the amount of lean muscle mass lost in addition to fat loss²⁰ However a systematic review of 94 weight loss studies found that weight loss was not independently associated with reduced carbohydrate intake²¹ and most studies have shown that restricted total energy intake rather than macronutrient composition is the key determinant of total weight loss^{1, 20}. Thus programs should be tailored to the dietary preferences of the individual patient.

Resources for Patients and Health Professionals Offering Support

There are a range of great resources on the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Website that can support patients and practitioners to adopt this type of dietary approach. It is a good one to bookmark. Explore the website