The Basic Ketogenic Diet - mmmm. Note: Please note that if you are interested in a Ketogenic Diet used to treat Epilepsy or Pediatric Epilepsy, please start at Johns Hopkins who are the pioneers in this field. The wikipedia page for the Ketogenic Diet diet also has information on the diet as it relates to treating epilepsy. The diet below is simply for rapid and effective weight loss and uses a 1 to 1 fat to protein ratio rather than the 4 to 1 fat to combined protein and carbs ratio of the Ketogenic Diet pioneered by Johns Hopkins used to treat epilepsy. Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor self proclaimed nutrition expert so please consult your doctor before starting any diet or taking any action that affects your health and wellbeing. After finishing Gary Taubes latest book, which seems to have rapidly become the cornerstone of a new approach to nutrition, I’ve become very interested in the Ketogenic diet. The speed of weight loss I’ve seen is incredible and my energy level has remained high. The science behind a ketogenic diet is solidly backed up by Taubes research published in “Good Calories, Bad Calories” and “Why we get fat“. But the reality is that the low glycemic index diet (Low GI Diet) is effective because it is close to, but not quite, a ketogenic diet. Other diets like the South Beach Diet are also only effective because of the reduction in carbs and consequently insulin levels. The science behind this diet looks solid and it is part of the massive shift in nutrition research we’ve seen in the last few years. Prominent sport physiology experts like Tim Noakes have come around to this way of thinking and Tim in particular has said that everything he wrote about “Carboloading” in Lore of Running is wrong. If you find anything technically wrong in this article please correct me as loudly as you’d like in the comments and please cite your source. First a summary of the science behind the Ketogenic Diet. Keep in mind I’m summarizing hundreds of pages of explanation and supporting data into a few paragraphs: When you eat carbs your blood glucose level is raised and your pancreas secretes insulin. This insulin puts your muscle and fat cells into “storage mode”. Your fat cells store away the glucose as triglycerides. Insulin also prevents your fat cells from breaking down those triglycerides back into fatty acids and releasing them into your blood stream for use as energy. This is important: Insulin both causes fat absorption and prevents fat from being used as energy. If you were to eat sugary snacks throughout the day you are keeping your insulin level high which constantly keeps your fat cells in a state of absorption and prevents the release of fat and its use as energy. Eating fat and protein does very little to raise your insulin level. So the bottom line here is, if you want your body to burn fat – meaning if you want your fat cells to break down triglycerides into fatty acids, release them into your blood stream and actually use them as energy – you need to keep your insulin level as low and absolutely avoid spikes in insulin. A note on calories: Counting calories or increasing exercise output, according to the research of Taubes and many others, is a bad way to try to lose weight because what usually happens is instead of your body burning fat to make up for the deficit in calories, it simply decreases the amount of energy it expends. So you end up lethargic and still fat. There is a lot more to this, but the science above is the rationale behind all Low GI, Low Carb and Ketogenic diets. It is why you lose weight on these diets while consuming the same number of calories. Low Carb and Low GI diets work because they cut out carbs that cause spikes in insulin, which you now know will cause fat absorption and prevent fat burn. The Ketogenic diet takes this one step further. It keeps your insulin level low which puts your body into fat- release- fat- burn mode, but also significantly increases the fat content in your diet and teaches your body to use fat as energy. Your body (your liver in particular) will enter a state of Ketosis and will break down fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies which will be used as energy. During the diet you can measure how much fat your body is burning by monitoring your output of acetoacetate using Ketostix. When you enter a Ketogenic state, you will see a Ketone output of 5 to 2. L (According to “Why we get fat” by Taubes and my experience). The Ketostix I have also measure blood glucose which is useful to test for Ketoacidosis which you are not at risk for unless you are diabetic. Note that Ketostix are used by diabetics to test whether they are entering a state known as Diabetic Ketoacidosis which is very dangerous. In this case they will see very high ketone levels accompanied by blood sugar levels of greater than 2. L. You should be seeing blood sugar levels of zero (according to your Ketostix) during your diet. Please note that the diet outlined below is not the “Cyclical Ketogenic Diet” used by bodybuilders. It is a basic Ketogenic diet which I’ve found to be the most effective fat burning diet available. I’ve modified this diet from the classic Ketogenic diet used to treat epilepsy which recommends a 4 to 1 ratio of protein to fat. I’ve found that I can reach a state of Ketosis with a 1 to 1 ratio of fat to protein provided I keep the carbs very low. Without further ado, the basic Ketogenic diet: What you’ll need. The Diet. Note, you can eat as much of the foods below as you like, but I’ve found that I quickly feel full eating this diet. Don’t overeat and more importantly, don’t under- eat and make sure you’re getting the calories you need to function. If you want to take a deep dive, Dr. Gonzalez masterfully dismantles the ketogenic diet for cancer in the lengthy article below. This is not a scientific rebuttal. I am happy I found your blog. I just received an email from Dr. Mercola about the Ketogenic diet and how it may cure cancer. Let me start out by saying, I am a cancer. A ketogenic diet has amazing health benefits but it is also quite restricting. Discover 22 foods to eat on a ketogenic diet that taste great! Paleo Diet: How They Differ: They are two of the most popular diets today—and not just for their weight loss benefits. Both the ketogenic and. This is NOT about cutting calories, it’s about releasing fat reserves and teaching your body to burn them. Drink lots of water during the diet (but don’t go crazy). I find this helps increase my metal clarity and energy. Taubes and others recommend not starting an exercise program at the beginning of this diet because during the acclimatization period you will not have enough energy and it usually results in people quitting the diet. Maria Emmerich, co-author of The Ketogenic Cookbook, offers insight into what the ketogenic diet is. Learn how keto helped her lose weight and thrive.During the diet, measure your rate of fat burn by measuring your acetoacetate output with your Ketostix. Do this every time you visit the loo. You should see 5 to 2. L, and I’ve noticed it’s particularly high after a very fatty meal. Blood glucose (if your ketostix show this on a separate color tab) should be zero at all times. If it is not zero and above 2. L you may want to consult your doctor. One of the most effective tricks during a diet is routine. Eat the same meals over and over or plan your meals ahead for the whole week. I’ve found it effective to pre- make dishes on Sunday and have them ready for the week. That makes it incredibly easy to stick to the diet because I avoid thinking which means I avoid creativity and creativity requires decision making which leads to hard choices. Just avoid the hard choices and have it all planned and some of it ready to grab and go. The Leafy Green Salad recipe: This is a recipe for a basic very low carb salad with lots of flavor. It’s great to add to any high- protein, high- fat meal. Spinach, lettuce and/or mustard greens. Red peppers. Tomatoes. Optional raw onions. Optional green beans raw. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing with salt and pepper. Use lemon and lime very sparingly if you add it. The vinegar actually reduces the glycemic index of this salad (and other foods). Below I have outlined three days with a total of 9 meals that you can mix and match as you like. It focuses on high consumption of healthy fats. At the end I include a list of Ketogenic- safe ingredients you can add or subtract as you like. Remember the key is to have a high fat, high- protein and no- carb or very low carb diet. That means absolutely no sugar. Day 1. Breakfast: 2 eggs done any way with yolks. Sausage containing no carbs or sugar. Bacon. Lunch: Chicken with as much skin and oily gooey bits as possible. Steamed spinach or broccoli. Supper: Steak with cheese. Leafy green salad. Before bed 1 glass of wine with a slice of cheese. Day 2. Breakfast: 2 egg omlette with friend mushrooms, cheese and chopped parsley. Lunch: A whole duck breast if you can get it or chicken again with as much fatty skin as possible. Leafy green salad. Supper: Hamburger made with high fat mince without the bun. The mince can contain the usual paprika, chopped onions and garlic if you like, but absolutely no syrup or sugar. Add Cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and any other leafy low- carb greens you like. Before bed 1 glass of wine with a slice of cheese. Day 3. 2 eggs done any way with bacon and usual no- carb sausage. Steak with cheese. Leafy green salad. He graduated from Peter Symonds College in the UK with A Levels in. With all the new people finding, switching, and transitioning into a low carb diet, I figured it was about time I put together an FAQ on all the common questions that. Salmon (or other fish) fried and served with Bok Choy and your leafy green salad. You can mix and match the meals above and get a good Ketogenic burn going where you will notice rapid weight loss. Eat as much as you want ingredient ideas: Beef,Steak,Hamburger,Prime Rib,Filet Mignon,Roast Beef,Chicken,Duck (awesome if you can get it because it is very high fat),Any Fish, Tuna, Salmon, Trout, Halibut,Lamb,Pork,Bacon,Ham,Eggs,Shrimp,Crab,Lobster,Butter,Oils (Olive Oil, Flaxseed oil, etc.),Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce,Spinach,Lettuce,Mustard Greens,Celery,Cheeses,Oysters,Abalone. Add for variety but in moderation: Read the ingredients (if applicable) and make darn sure they contain no sugar: Avocadoes. Mustard (with no sugar or carbs),Tea no sugar with milk. Coffee black no sugar. Heavy Cream. Broccoli,Cabbage,Bok Choy,Kale,Asparagus,Mushrooms,Cucumbers,Olives,Celery,Green Beans,Brussel Sprouts,Peppers (Red, Green, Jalapeno, Habanero),Onions,Nuts preferably almonds,You absolutely must avoid all sugar on this diet because it is the highest GI carbohydrate that will very quickly spike your insulin and destroy any Ketogenic effect. Other foods to avoid roughly in order of damage they will do to the diet: All sugar. All Bread. Did I mention avoid sugar? All traditional carbs like rice, pasta, wheat, potatoes, even the low GI ones like beans and lentils. The Ketogenic Diet Part 1: What is Keto? You wouldn’t put diesel in a gasoline engine and expect it to run well, but that is exactly what Americans are doing every day. We fuel our bodies with processed, pre- packaged foods that evolutionary science has proven makes our bodies stop running efficiently. I was guilty of this for much of my life. My Journey to the Ketogenic Diet. I remember sitting in the library at age 1. I tried on my friend’s jacket. All of a sudden, I heard a boy sing, “fat girl in a little coat.” That was the catalyst for change. At that time in my life, I restricted fat and exercised constantly. This left me fat (ironically) and frustrated, and I decided to focus on dialing in nutrition and practice all the information I was about to preach to the world once I graduated. After decades of being told by marketing geniuses that “fat- free” was the way to lose weight, eating real fat was scary for me. Once I started adding fat to my diet, I slept deeper, felt calmer and better in that first week than I ever had. Now, I understand the biochemical reasons why restricting fat is not the answer to optimum health. I had been taught that good- tasting foods made you fat. It was almost too much to imagine that you could thrive and have healthy body composition while enjoying butter, avocados, grass- fed cheeses and meats, and even sugar- free cheesecake. But it has been over five years of keto; five years of my body feeling amazing and never feeling deprived. I traded in a lifetime of over- exercising and restriction for nutrient- dense, fat- filled diet and lost weight in the process. My weight loss was a hard goal to achieve, but once I found the right foods and ditched the fake foods, the weight loss I had struggled with became easy. I learned the secrets of the hormones insulin and leptin, that by evolving toward a very low- glycemic, high- fat (not just high- protein) diet, I had re- sensitized my biochemistry to these essential hormones, which turn off severe food cravings. Best of all, my diet makeover required a lot less self- deprivation than what I was suffering from when I wasn’t losing weight. The nutrient- rich, relatively high- fat dietary approach I have developed for myself, exotic, little- known replacements for typical high- glycemic starchy foods and sugar are what finally gave me total peace with food, something I never imagined possible. What is the Ketogenic Diet? Put simply: the ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate diet that has amazing health benefits. Though developed in 1. Dr. Wilder at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to treat patients with seizures, it was forgotten about for close to 7. Then, in 1. 99. 4, an episode of Dateline NBC documented Hollywood film director Jim Abrahams son Charlie and their treatment of Charlie’s seizures. Charlie didn’t respond to seizure medications so Jim, a frustrated father, went looking for other answers. The Abrahams family then started the Charlie Foundation to raise awareness of the ketogenic diet as an option for manage intractable epilepsy. Since then, the diet has received increasing attention in the media for its profoundly beneficial impact on body- composition, cognition, hormone regulation, inflammation reduction and so much more. By following the ketogenic lifestyle, you will understand how to eat to balance your hormones, sleep better and feel better. Keto- aligned foods will keep you satisfied as help you reach your body composition goals. You will even get to enjoy desserts again without stress; after all, we also need to enjoy the richness of life. In the coming years, you can count on hearing more discussion around the dramatic impact that a ketogenic diet holds. The Eating Academy (a research group lead by Gary Taubes and Dr. Peter Attia) is researching the effects of true ketogenic diets – I write true ketogenic diets because in the past, low- carb diet studies really weren’t “low- carb” and were often times not well formulated. They might have been lower in carbohydrates than the RDA recommended 3. The diets used in these studies also contained too much protein, and far too little fat. Furthermore, many of the studies lasted two weeks or less, which is not nearly enough time for the subjects to achieve ketosis. Some people can achieve ketosis in that timeframe, but many can not. It varies from person to person. What the Ketogenic is NOTThe ketogenic diet is not a high protein diet. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s true. When you eat too much, a process called gluconeogenesis occurs, which turns protein into sugars. So, basically, over- consuming protein is similar to eating lots of carbs. The ketogenic diet is not simply a sugar elimination diet. It is a low- carb diet, and that is an important distinction. On that note, clarify what a “low- carb” diet is. Everyone knows that sugar is bad for us, but most people have misconceptions about which foods turn into sugar. Foods that turn into sugar include the following: Grains like wheat, oats, rice, and quinoa. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn. Fruits such as banana, mango, pineapple. Though I’ve been strict about my ketogenic diet, I have been historically more lenient with my nutrition clients. I thought, “of course they can eat spaghetti squash; they were eating white pasta, so changing to the squash is an improvement.” But in many cases, this did not clear up their insulin issues. My clients’ metabolisms were too damaged to handle that amount of starch, no matter what the source. Sure, our ancestors could eat root vegetables and more starch than the clients I see today, but our ancestors did not have the same damaged metabolisms that modern day humans have. After all our years of consuming “food” filled with fructose, food dye, MSG, pesticides, and all the other chemicals found in foods today, we need a stricter approach because our cells are so damaged. Sure, there are people who can eat a whole foods diet filled with sweet potatoes and fruit and not be overweight, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are healthy. I have had a handful of clients who were 1. We are all, in an evolutionary sense, predisposed to becoming diabetic, which means we should all be restricting carbohydrates to some degree. That all said, keto is much simpler in theory than it is in execution! Over the next few installments in this series, we’ll dive deeper into the nuts and bolts of insulin resistance, and take a look at how you can transition to a ketogenic lifestyle. The Ketogenic Diet Part 2: Sugar, Insulin, and Inflammation. The Ketogenic Diet Part 3: How to Become Fat Adapted. The Ketogenic Diet Part 4: Avoiding Common Side Effects of Ketosis.
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