Ammonia Smell During Exercise On Ketogenic Diet – Q&a
Question: My question relates to the pungent smell of ammonia in my sweat during a hard work out, seems to start about 45 minutes in and gets stronger from then. This started very soon after the diet. I have recently started a high protein slow carb diet,am drinking between 3 and 4 litres of water a day (currently 180lbs with 21% body fat)have plenty of energy and feel alert and well. From your work I gather this could be the result of ketosis and burning protein and fat for energy? Two questions please: 1. Is this OK? 2. Is there anyway to eliminate the smell? Answer: This is a fairly common report on very low-carbohydrate/ketogenic diet (defined, once again, as any diet containing less than 100 grams of carbohydrate per day), a report of a fairly strong ammonia smell in the sweat during exercise. As I discuss in detail in my first book The Ketogenic Diet this ammonia is produced due to the ultimate breakdown of ATP to ADP to AMP and ammonia. This appears to occur more readily when muscle glycogen is depleted (as occurs with the combination of of a very low-carbohydrate intake along with training) and may be part of the increased protein requirements that have been known to occur with endurance training (this is discussed in detail in The Protein Book). I would mention that it appears that this ‘protein breakdown’ is not actually coming from the breakdown of skeletal muscle itself; rather it’s from the breakdown of BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) within the free amino acid pool. So is this ok? So long as dietary protein intake is sufficient, I don’t see this as being any real problem. The effect is slight in terms of the absolute amount of protein being broken down (in terms of grams) and so long as protein intake is sufficient, there shouldn’t be any detri Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Diet And Menopause
Menopause can be very difficult on a number of levels. Although each woman's experience is different, many find that they gain fat, lose muscle tone, and struggle with hot flashes, insomnia, and mood swings during this time. In this article, I'll discuss how a low-carb or keto diet combined with other lifestyle strategies may help you manage some of the physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of menopause. What is the Menopause Transition? Although a woman technically reaches menopause when she has gone 12 months without a menstrual period, symptoms related to perimenopause – the time where hormonal changes begin - can start much earlier. In addition, they may last for several years after this point, and new symptoms may develop within the first few years after menopause. The average age of onset for perimenopause is 46, and it typically lasts about 7 years. However, a woman may start perimenopause anytime between her mid-30s and mid-50s, and the transition can last from 4 to 14 years (1). The day after a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual period, she is considered postmenopausal. During and after the menopause transition, as many as 34 symptoms may occur. The most common ones include: Hot flashes and night sweats Weight gain, especially around the middle Insomnia Vaginal dryness Mood swings Fatigue Poor memory, ie, “brain fog” Interestingly, while some women find that their symptoms are more severe during perimenopause, others report that their symptoms intensify after they are postmenopausal. Hormone Fluctuations and Insulin Resistance During Menopause During a woman's reproductive years, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) causes the release of an egg from one of her ovaries approximately every 28 days and stimulates ovarian production of estrogen. Af Continue reading >>
Permabulk. Meat Sweats Courtesy Of Meat Pies, Homemade Hot Sauces, And A Very Baller Stewroid
"I don't want to place too much importance on hot sauce, but I don't think I'm overstepping my bounds when I say hot sauce is to food what salvation is to humanity. Bland people like bland food, and the merit of your character will ultimately be determined by your preference for spicy foods" (Maddox). Many of you might recall that incredibly astute Maddox quote from its previous use in my Stewroids series, and if you're still reading this, I'm certain you must agree. Tragically, however, circumstances force upon us, be they long car rides during which we'd rather not accidentally crap wet, firey lava out of our asses to punctuate a slight cough, some unfortunate shared meal with parties less desirous of interesting and exciting foods, or just somewhat bland food that needs to be kicked up a notch, and hot sauces are required to ensure that we maintain homeostasis with the fire of a thousand tortured souls residing in our collective belly to drive the engine of progress through the aether. That's right- LIFE AS WE KNOW IT WOULD STOP PROGRESSING IF SPICY FOODS WERE ELIMINATED, as man's drive to succeed would match the disaster that had befallen his dinner table. Literally the only useful thing the Spanish and Portuguese have ever done is deliver chili peppers from the New World to the world market, and that changed every single cuisine it touched. Imagine Indian food without chili peppers. Hard, right? It's like imagining Szechwan cuisine without chili peppers, and I cannot even conceive of such a thing, yet neither of those cultures' foods resembled what they eat now as a result of the introduction of the chili pepper. Respect the chili pepper... or fail to do so at the imminent peril of your sex life, lifting, and overall life quality. Think I'm telling tall tales? Rese Continue reading >>
Gwynnie Did Get Something Right! Paltrow's High-fat Keto Diet Can Extend Your Lifespan By 10 Years And Ward Off Alzheimer's, Two Studies Conclude
The controversial high-fat, low-carb keto diet can add 10 years to your lifespan, research has shown. Two new studies have concluded that the lifestyle - favored by self-modeled health expert Gwyneth Paltrow and others such as Mick Jagger and Kim Kardashian - can even ward off Alzheimer's and cancer. The studies tested mice who were fed the keto diet and found that they were more resistant to life-threatening diseases, and were more likely to live to old age in good health. Researchers are now trying to create a supplement that will provide humans with the benefits of the diet without making them adhere to it. Scroll down for video People who follow a ketogenic diet replace carbohydrates, such as white bread, pasta and grains, with high-fat foods, such as cream and butter. Adverse effects of the diet include impaired growth, which can be caused by a nutrient deficiency, as well as an increased risk of getting kidney stones. Research has shown that low-carb meals produce a chemical called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). BHB is a ketone, which is a chemical compound that is a byproduct of the process of fat breaking down in the liver. Ketones serve as alternative metabolic fuels for the brain and heart. BHB is produced when someone adheres to a low-carb, high-fat diet. This happens because when they turn off access to gluclose - a primary fuel derived from eating carbohydrates - the body taps into its own fat stores for energy. This process is called ketosis. For one of the two new studies, researchers from the University of California Davis fed mice a ketogenic diet, which was 90 percent fat. They started the mice on the diet when they had turned one, which is middle age for them. Study researcher Jon Ramsey said: 'We designed the diet not to focus on weight loss but to look Continue reading >>
What We’ve Learned About Smoked Pork Butt (pork Shoulder)
*UPDATE* We now have a video for this recipe! Scroll down to the bottom to view. Pork butt (also known as pork shoulder, Boston butt, and Boston Roast) was one of the very first things we cooked when we bought our first smoker several years ago. It was and still remains one of our very favorites to cook, despite the intense commitment to time (not to mention $$$) it takes to prep and cook the darn thing. Surprisingly, the only time we’ve actually shared a recipe for smoked pork butt was ages ago. We’ve learned a lot since then! A LOT. Since that first post we’ve probably cooked over 200 different pork butts (for our own personal consumption as well as a number of event’s we’ve cooked at for Ember and Vine). So today we thought we’d share some of the biggest lessons we’ve learned in the years since our first pork butt. Our key was experimentation, and that is what we want to encourage here. So now I’m handing it over to Sean, since he’s the most desperaly passionate about this cut of meat…. So, Sean, take it away. By Sean Martin There are a few cuts of meat that tend to challenge any pitmaster. Brisket certainly is one, but the other I hear a lot about is pork shoulder, or pork butt. Over the years, I have cut my teeth on many hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of this meat and I have to tell you that if you spend some time understanding the process, you can nail it on your very first try. Here are a few things we have learned when cooking a pork shoulder. With any cut of meat, you have to understand where it comes from. In technology speak, it’s often “garbage in, garbage out”. The same applies to barbecue. And with pork this is especially the case. Let me explain. With beef, it is generally accepted that marbling is a key to flavor. So you h Continue reading >>
Ten Reasons You Are Not Losing Fat On A Low-carb Diet
“” —Passmore & Swindells, two British dietitians writing in the British Journal of Nutrition in 1963 Whether you agree with the above quote or think it’s hilarious nonsense, there’s no doubt that reduced carb diets are useful for losing body fat. A lot of people find that cutting carbs in favor of a higher protein, higher fat diet is the simplest way to get lean fast. However, people often make mistakes when going low-carb, especially if they are training hard in an effort to accelerate the fat loss process. With these 10 simple tips, you can make going low-carb a lot easier and get better fat loss results. Mistake #1: Not Restricting Carbohydrates Enough Low-carb, high-protein diets are effective for fat loss. This is a scientific fact. But, low-carb is a vague term. Simply cutting the average American man’s carb intake of 310 grams a day in half could be considered low-carb, but if you are overweight and your goal is fat loss, you most likely need to go a lot lower than 155 grams. A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests the 50 to 150 g/day range is too high for losing body fat in overweight, sedentary populations. A useful definition of a low-carb fat loss diet is less than 50 grams of carbs a day, which will lead to the production of ketones. When the body is producing ketones it is no longer relying on glucose (sugar from carbs) for its fuel source, which is a state that provides significant metabolic benefits and easier fat loss. Fix It: For best results, get those 50 grams of carbs from vegetables and select fruits, such as berries, or other low-carb fruit. Eliminate all grains—whole and processed. Mistake #2: You are Lean, Active & Restricting Carbs Too Much The AJCN definition of a low-carb diet as less than 50 grams a day w Continue reading >>
8 Ways To Blast Through Low-carb Flu And Dive Into Ketosis
Have you just started a low-carb diet? Do you find yourself feeling exhausted and overcome by tiredness? Perhaps you are thinking that going low-carb wasn’t a good idea after all… You might already know that these symptoms are not uncommon, especially if you are doing low-carb for the first time. Also known as “low carb flu” or “Atkins flu”, this phase is completely normal – although by no means pleasant. This condition occurs when you cut your carb intake sharply, to about 20-30g a day, in order to induce ketosis. What is low-carb flu? Your body is used to running on carbs. It’s been operating this way for decades. Cutting carbs in favour of fat is a huge change for your metabolism. Your body needs some time to adjust to this change. This period of adjustment can sometimes cause flu-like symptoms. Fatigue is the most common one, but you could also get muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness and mental fog. Some of these symptoms are markers of sugar withdrawal. Sugar addiction is real and common, so trying to break away can be difficult. Low-carb flu is not actual flu Please note that “low carb flu” does not include fever or respiratory cold-like symptoms such as coughing or sneezing. If you are experiencing any of these, it means that you might have actually caught an infection! So it would be a good idea to postpone starting your diet until you are all clear. How can you fight tiredness and other symptoms of low-carb flu? First of all, remember that it won’t last forever. Low-carb flu usually lasts around 3-5 days (although could be 1-2 weeks for some unlucky people with high metabolic resistance). Here are some simple tips on making this transition easier. 1) Eat more fat Fat is the key to this whole issue. You must eat lots of it – a lot more th Continue reading >>
Here's Why You Get The Meat Sweats
First comes the salivating, induced by a single sniff of roasting meat. Then comes that juicy first bite, the joy spreading as the fatty goodness ignites your tastebuds. It’s all you can do to swallow before you shovel more more beefy bliss into your gullet. Ounces of top-cut sirloin or whole hog later, you’re in carnivore heaven—for about 60 seconds. That’s when the sweats set in. Suddenly you’re flushed, your skin is moist, and you’re perspiring like you’re in a workout warmup—even though your only expenditure has been due to delectable carnivorous gluttony. Congratulations: You have the meat sweats. Surprisingly, that’s not the scientific name for it, because there is in fact no research to directly explain the phenomenon of the meat sweats. (At least none that we could find.) But there is something called the thermic effect of feeding, wherein your body temperature rises after you down a ridiculous amount of food—particularly protein. Play Video Play Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% Remaining Time -0:00 This is a modal window. Foreground --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Opaque Background --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Default Monospace Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Sans-Serif Casual Script Small Caps Defaults Done “In simple terms, [the thermic effect of feeding] is the amount of heat it takes your body to break down protein,” explains Natalie Rizzo, R.D., a New York-based nutritionist. When you eat food, your body Continue reading >>
Ketosis Symptoms & Low Carb Flu Explained
What does Ketosis mean exactly, and what are Ketosis symptoms? There are a lot of questions about the Low Carb Flu, also known as “Induction Flu” (based on the Atkins Induction Phase). If you’ve just started eating low carb and you feel miserable, you’re experiencing the low carb flu. Ketosis symptoms include: Headaches, bad breath or a metallic taste in your mouth, irritability (like PMS on steroids! lol), leg cramps, insomnia, nausea, etc. It basically feels like you’ve been hit with a nasty flu. Symptoms vary from person to person. The good news is, it means you’re doing it right! The even better news is… it only lasts a few days. What Is Ketosis? It is a state in which your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs/sugar. A keto state means you are fueling your body on healthy fats instead of carbohydrates. So that saying that “You need carbs for energy!” is untrue. But you DO need either carbohydrates OR healthy fats for energy, which is why you can’t (or shouldn’t) eat “low carb, low fat”. See Low Carb, High Fat Diet Explained Your body and your brain actually operate much better on healthy fats. A ketogenic diet is known to reduce seizures, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, control diabetes and chronic pain issues (fibromyalgia, arthritis, etc) and remedy many other common health issues. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fuelling brain function. However, if there is very little carbohydrate in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pas Continue reading >>
Keto Flu: Symptoms And Relief
Many people (not everyone!) who start a low carb diet experience what’s called the “keto flu” or the “induction flu” in the first few days while the body is adapting to burning ketones instead of glucose. What is keto flu? The basic symptoms are: headaches nausea upset stomach Lack of mental clarity (brain fog) sleepiness fatigue It’s called the “keto flu” for a reason: you feel sick. I’ve gone through it, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Fortunately, it only lasted four days (2 of them were pretty bad) but then suddenly I woke up feeling much better, less hungry and my energy level was high and consistent throughout the day! While at one point (or three or four) I thought to myself: “what the serious F am I doing? I’m going to die!” but I plowed through it, and when it was over I didn’t regret a thing because what I gained mentally and physically was 100% worth it. Keto and autoimmune disorders I have an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Fibromyalgia to top it off. So, I’m no stranger to brain fog and fatigue, but the fatigue and brain fog that comes with keto flu is a little different, and feel much more like having the regular flu. How long will the keto flu last? It depends. Some people don’t experience any symptoms at all, but some suffer anywhere from a day to a week. In rare cases up to 15 days. Everybody’s bodies are different, and some people handle switching over better than others. You might consider starting keto on the weekend or sometime when you’re able to get good rest deal with the symptoms. For those of you that are going through the keto flu, don’t give up! I know you feel like it’s never going to get better but stick with it and you´ll be so happy you did! I’m telling you, waking up r Continue reading >>
What Is A Keto Vegan/plant-based Diet?
Disclaimer: I am not a Dr. nor do I play one on the internet. Always consult with your doctor before experimenting with your diet (seriously, see a functional medicine Dr. and get data from blood tests, urine tests, etc.). Please feel free to comment if you’re aware of anything that should be updated; I always appreciate knowing the science and I’ll update the content promptly. My goal is to help readers get more scientifically educated and improve their health and their lives with as much joy as possible. The purpose of this blog is to educate you on a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet. What Is Ketosis? Definition: “Ketogenesis” means “generating ketones,” which your body does naturally to generate energy from fat when carbohydrate sources are sufficiently low (e.g., after intense exercise, long periods of fasting, etc.). “Ketogenic diets” are thus a way of switching your body over into a fat-burning state. The Ketogenic or KETO diet is gaining popularity. Many people wonder if it is possible to adopt a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet. I’m here to tell you YES! It is! What Is A Ketogenic (KETO) Diet? When we increase our healthy fats and lower our carbohydrates (grains, most fruit, sweeteners, and starchy vegetables) and add in a moderate amount of protein (15 grams per meal), the human brain becomes more efficient. We have more mental cognition, clarity, we lose weight, and have a more balanced energy level. I’ve been practicing a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet without knowing it for 20 years. I started eating this way when I found out I had systemic candida. I was then introduced into the world of cleansing. My candida remedy was to eliminate most carbohydrates and adopt a vegan, high fat, low carb diet. It was successful! I have experimented with this way of Continue reading >>
Ketosis Symptoms
Other people report the same thing occasionally on forums. The standard medical textbook on clinical use of ketogenic diets doesn't mention it, which suggests that it's not very common. There doesn't seem to be a single mention of this in the biomedical literature, which also suggests that it's not very common. But it does happen. You're not the only one. It's possible that you were close to the threshhold for night sweats for other reasons before you began your ketogenic diet and ketosis nudged you over. If you are taking any medications, you might want to consider the possibility that they are interacting with ketones in your blood. Two things occur to me which might help and can't hurt. First, make sure you're getting adequate amounts of all micronutrients. You can help make this happen by including certain foods (like liver) in your diet but the only practical way to accomplish it completely is with supplements. Perfect Health Diet by Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet contains excellent advice about micronutrients. Second, whenever you experience unpleasant symptoms from ketosis, you can reduce or eliminate symptoms within a few minutes by eating a tiny amount of sugar. This is what people on medical ketogenic diets do. It's a way of fine tuning the degree of ketosis. Children on medical ketogenic diets are usually told to drink 30 ml of orange juice for this purpose. That's about 2.5 grams of sugar. I eat a stalk of celery instead. Believe it or not, the tiny amount of sugar in a stalk of celery (about 1.5 g) is enough to affect me noticeably within about 20 minutes. If it doesn't work, I eat another stalk. I'm on a medical ketogenic diet so my blood ketone levels are probably higher than yours and I may be more sensitive to sugar than you. Therefore you may need more su Continue reading >>
Crohn's Disease Successfully Treated With The Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet
Crohn's disease, an inflammatory disease of the bowel, is regarded as having no cure [1]. Standard treatment which involves steroids, immunosuppressants and biological therapy is aimed at reducing symptoms [1]. Periods of flares and remissions typically alternate, however, the overall course of the disease is progressive. A set of ecological evidence, including a discrepancy between westernized and non-westernized countries in the occurrence of the disease, raises the possibility of lifestyle and/or dietary factors in the etiology of the disease [2]. There have been several attempts to use a dietary intervention in Crohn's disease such as the specific carbohydrate diet [3] and the anti-inflammatory diet [4] as well as elimination-reintroduction diets [5] . Although clinical improvements and reduction of medicines have been reported being associated with these diets we are not aware of any diet inducing complete remission and long-term freedom of medicines at the same time. The authors of the present report are using a diet referred to as the paleolithic ketogenic diet in the treatment of chronic conditions. So far we have published cases of successful treatment of diabetes type 1 [6] [7] and type 2 [8], epilepsy [9] [10] as well as other conditions [11]. Diagnosis The 14-year-old boy presented with fatigue, low grade fever, iron deficiency anemia, lower abdominal tenderness and perianal dermatitis. He was of short stature for his age. On 30 September 2013 upper and lower endoscopy was performed. The latter showed ulcerative lesion in the terminal ileum. Biopsy was taken from multiple sites and histopathology showed severe inflammation of the terminal ileum and the Bauhin's valve. Signs of mild-to-moderate degree aspecific inflammation were seen in the colon. On laborato Continue reading >>
Metabolism And Ketosis
Dr. Eades, If the body tends to resort to gluconeogenesis for glucose during a short-term carbohydrate deficit, are those who inconsistently reduce carb intake only messing things up by not effecting full blown ketosis? If the body will still prefer glucose as main energy source unless forced otherwise for at least a few days, is it absolutely necessary to completely transform metabolism for minimal muscle loss? Also, if alcohol is broken down into ketones and acetaldehyde, technically couldn’t you continue to drink during your diet or would the resulting gluconeogenesis inhibition from alcohol lead to blood glucose problems on top of the ketotic metabolism? Would your liver ever just be overwhelmed by all that action? I’m still in high school so hypothetical, of course haha… Sorry, lots of questions but I’m always so curious. Thank you so much for taking the time to inform the public. You’re my hero! P.S. Random question…what’s the difference between beta and gamma hydroxybutyric acids? It’s crazy how simple orientation can be the difference between a ketone and date rape drug…biochem is so cool! P.P.S. You should definitely post the details of that inner mitochondrial membrane transport. I’m curious how much energy expenditure we’re talkin there.. Keep doin your thing! Your Fan, Trey No, I don’t think people are messing up if they don’t get into full-blown ketosis. For short term low-carb dieting, the body turns to glycogen. Gluconeogenesis kicks in fairly quickly, though, and uses dietary protein – assuming there is plenty – before turning to muscle tissue for glucose substrate. And you have the Cori cycle kicking in and all sorts of things to spare muscle, so I wouldn’t worry about it. And you can continue to drink while low-carbing. Continue reading >>
Easy Low Carb Egg Salad And Day One Back On Keto
So I’ll get to the recipe in a minute, but first I want to update you on what’s new over here at IBIH! After I posted the 3 Day Keto Kickstart and Menu Plan the other day blog traffic went through the roof! I got a rash of private emails and facebook messages, tons of comments on the blog, and the gist of all of them was that many of you guys are super excited about starting (or restarting) Keto (or low carb, atkins diet, etc.) like I am! The response to my query about whether or not you would be interested in more menu plans and shopping lists was an overwhelming “YES!” I immediately starting trying to figure out the best way to a) provide you with workable menu plans and shopping lists, and b) figure out a way for us to encourage each other and post our progress to stay motivated. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far… Every Saturday morning I’m going to post a new 7-day menu plan and shopping list for the following week. Hopefully for those of you that work during the week, it will give you enough time to shop and prep over the weekend. You can follow it as strictly or loosely (or not at all) as you want to – it’s just a resource to help you, not a requirement to participate. In each Saturday’s post I will also update you on my own progress, pounds lost (hopefully!) and any other interesting tidbits from the previous week. Then hopefully YOU GUYS will also post your own progress (no need to post your actual weight, just pounds lost and only IF you want to), frustrations, successes, questions, or WHATEVER from that week in the comments as well, and we can all keep track of and support each other! I’m super excited about that part of it! I’m hoping it will help keep us accountable, and also that knowing there are a bunch of us doing it together Continue reading >>
