About Hodgson Mill

The Pitfall of High-Protein or All-Protein Diet

Bring on the pasta, there is good reason for a healthy dose of carbs in your everyday diet.

Many Americans suffer from what doctors medically call halitosis, or bad breath.  While there are many causes, your diet may be one of them, aside from the more obvious ones like eating onions and garlic, or smoking and drinking.  High protein and low carbohydrate body systems may actually pose a problem. 

According to Jeannie Moloo, a registered dietician and spokesman for the American Dietetic Association, high-protein, low-carb (or no-carb) diet plans cause your body to burn stored fats for fuel instead of carbohydrates and can lead to a condition called ketosis.  “As fat burns, ketones (breakdown products of fat metabolism) build up in the body, and some are released through breath.  Unfortunately, ketones don’t smell particularly good.”

So what to do?  The only way to help the ketosis caused by low-carb diets is to eat some carbs.  Moloo recommends fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Whole grain products, such as those produced by Hodgson Mill, stay with you for a long time, so even a little can go a long way in controlling ketosis because the body has sufficient carbohydrate to burn.  An effective diet indeed includes all the components of carbohydrates, proteins and fats that work together to keep the body functioning at its optimum best.

It is best to talk to your dentist as well as your doctor about halitosis.  Serious diseases like diabetes, GERD and others may also bring on bad breath, and requires specific diagnosis and treatment. 

Source:  Marin Gazzaniga for MSN Health and Fitness.

Note:  All websites stated herein are for information only and do not necessarily constitute unequivocal endorsement by Hodgson Mill, Inc.