Is It Necessary To Go Into Ketosis To Reap Benefits Of Low Carb Diets?
No. You don't have to stay in ketosis all day long. Diets like (look it up): Bulletproof Primal Blueprint (Paleo) Are based on borderline keto aka fat adapted. Where you prime your body to burn fat as a fuel in around 20 days of conditioning. In both you consume some carbohydrate, around 50g -100g which is too much to be in ketosis. And usually in the evening. So you wake up and develop ketosis in the early hours of the day, but enjoy some carb in the evening before sleeping. Hope it helps you out. Continue reading >>
What Are The Health Benefits Of Fasting?
For the sake 7% of the world’s population that denies the presence of any deities this article might convince them to fast. For the rest of the population, a spiritual aspect associated with fast is enough for them to continue this ritual of ‘Fasting’. According to the Medical News Today, numerous studies have suggested that intermittent fasting - abstaining or reducing food and drink intake periodically - can be good for us, making it one of the most popular diet trends worldwide. Here are some of the reasons to include fast in your dieting schedule: Fasting helps to lose weight As the body absorbs fat which it reserves for the situation like this. Lower level of insulin combined with increase in growth hormone and sending of norepinephrine by the nervous system to fat cells results in the fat to dissolve in absorbable energy. Thus it results in weight loss. Reduces Insulin Resistance Insulin resistance means the resistance of cells to the function of insulin of converting glucose in energy rather than storing it as a fat. To put it simply fasting improves the insulin sensitivity, maintaining the normal function of insulin intact and reducing sugar level in blood thus saving us from Type-2 Diabetes. Improves the Metabolism Toxic and Waste accumulated over a period of time due to eating is cleansed due to fasting. While the digestion system is resting during fast, the metabolism is energized to perform better. Normally fasting also improves digestive system helping us for better bowel movements. And who doesn’t wants to have a great start of the day? Beneficial to heart Cholesterol levels in body, blood pressure, Triglyceride and Inflammation are all risk factors for heart and by fasting, all can be controlled and indirectly that keeps us away from heart disease Continue reading >>
Conditions Shown To Benefit From A Ketogenic Diet
Obesity and heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer have something significant in common — they’re all rooted in insulin and leptin resistance By eating a high-quality fat, low-carbohydrate diet, you achieve nutritional ketosis; a metabolic state in which your body burns fat rather than glucose as its primary fuel. Maintaining nutritional ketosis may have health benefits in diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, MS, autism, migraines, traumatic brain injuries, polycystic ovary syndrome and much more By Dr. Mercola Obesity and top killers such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer have something significant in common — they're all rooted in insulin and leptin resistance. In other words, the underlying problem is metabolic dysfunction that develops as a result of consuming too many net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) and/or protein. Sugars found in processed foods and grains are the primary culprits, and the standard American diet is chockfull of both. Once you develop insulin and leptin resistance, it triggers biochemical cascades that not only make your body hold on to fat, but produce inflammation and cellular damage as well. Hence, whether you're struggling with weight and/or chronic health issues, the treatment protocols are the same. This is good news, as it significantly simplifies your approach to improving your health. You won't need a different set of strategies to address each condition. In short, by optimizing your metabolic and mitochondrial function, you set yourself squarely on the path to better health. So how do you correct these metabolic imbalances? Your diet is key. The timing of your meals can also play an important role. Nutritional Ketosis May Be Key for Optimal Health By e Continue reading >>
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The Beginners Guide To Ketosis: Investigating Low-carb, High-fat Eating
The only hard and fast rule of health is that health is personal and what works well for one person may not work for someone else. Aside from that rule, there are “frameworks” that seem to benefit large groups of people. One more level down from that are alternative strategies that benefit smaller groups. Ketosis is likely one of those alternative strategies that works well for certain, smaller groups of people. So, right off the bat I want you to understand that Ketosis might not be for everyone. I’m going to lay out the case for potential benefits of Ketosis. If it sounds interesting and beneficial to you, then consider trying it. (see our free cheat sheet to help you). What is Ketosis Ketosis occurs when liver glycogen gets depleted and the body burns fatty acids for fuel. The primary driver of this state is a very low carbohydrate intake. Often, it also requires a low protein, higher fat intake. You can also achieve a state of ketosis by not eating altogether. The creation of ketones is a byproduct of this metabolic state. Ketones are a source of fuel, just as glucose is a source of fuel. Ketones tend to have some added benefits, though. What role does Ketosis play in human health? Ketosis allows our bodies to function in the absence of carbohydrates, both physically and mentally. Instead of burning carbohydrates, or converting protein to glucose, the body burns ketones. This is pretty much a survival mechanism. It allows your body to function in a state of caloric deprivation. This is why ketosis often gets bad press (as it’s linked to “starvation”). Being a survival mechanism doesn’t make it invalid as a strategy, though. There can still be potential benefits to be had. Let’s cover a few of them… Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Loss Being in ketosis Continue reading >>
Benefits Of Ketogenic Diets
Dear Sir: In this age of the obesity epidemic, some careful work reported in the May issue of the Journal by Johnston et al (1) provides more information to help solve the problem. With strict controls in a 6-wk trial, they directly compared 2 diets: a ketogenic very-low carbohydrate (KLC) diet and a nonketogenic low-carbohydrate (NLC) diet. They concluded that the KLC and NLC diets were equally effective in reducing body weight and insulin resistance, but the KLC diet was associated with several adverse metabolic and emotional effects. Thus, the use of ketogenic diets for weight loss is not warranted. This conclusion is amplified by the article's title and by its final sentence: “Patients should know that there is no apparent metabolic advantage associated with ketosis during dieting.” As shown in Table 1 of the article by Johnston et al, the 2 diets were equal in energy content (1500 kcal/d). The major nutrients provided daily by the KLC and NLC diets, respectively, were as follows: 33 and 157 g carbohydrate, 125 and 117 g protein, 100 and 50 g total fat, 35 and 13 g saturated fat, 34 and 16 g monounsaturated fat, 14 and 7 g polyunsaturated fat, 15 and 30 g fiber, and 620 and 230 mg cholesterol. Could some of the adverse metabolic effects reported in this study support the long-expressed concerns about the high-fat Atkins diet? Specifically, should the conclusion of Johnston et al have been that a ketogenic diet that is high in saturated fat and cholesterol is not warranted for weight loss? It can be shown that a blanket rejection of ketogenic diets for weight loss is not warranted. It is safe to assume that no species could have survived millions of years if its members could not tolerate occasional brief periods of natural starvation, which itself is ketogenic. Continue reading >>
10 Unexpected Health Benefits Of Nutritional Ketosis Besides Weight Loss
It’s been a spectacular journey over this past year, testing the concept of nutritional ketosis on myself. What started out as a simple n=1 experiment to learn if a very high-fat, moderate protein, very low-carbohydrate nutritional approach could make a impact on my weight and health once a traditional Atkins or Paleo-style diet wasn’t working for me anymore, has now become much more than that. Although I’ve shed close to 80 pounds and counting since starting this in May 2012, the weight loss is just the beginning of the benefits. Here are 10 unexpected health benefits I have experienced as a result of being in nutritional ketosis: 1. Appetite and craving annihilation Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I really like to eat. After all, I didn’t get to weigh over 400 pounds because I had fantastic control over my intake of food. Absolutely not! I’ve always had this insatiable hunger that never gave me a calm sense of satisfaction and control even on a straight low-carb diet (GASP!). It wasn’t until I consumed ENOUGH food, mostly from dietary fats (it’s probably even more than you think), keeping my absolute amount of protein to the level that is right for me (between 80-100g daily) and and kept carb intake within my own personal carb tolerance level (~30g daily) that I found freedom from the bondage of my never ending hunger for the first time in my life. There are some powerful prescription drugs on the market right now that don’t come close to the satisfaction and appetite suppression you will feel by properly nourishing your body this way. 2. Spontaneous fasting What?! Did you seriously say fasting? As in, not eating ANY food at all for a period of time—ON PURPOSE? Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Isn’t fasting the second-most vulga Continue reading >>
Beyond Weight Loss: A Review Of The Therapeutic Uses Of Very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) Diets
Go to: Introduction During recent years, an increasing amount of evidence has accumulated in the literature, suggesting that very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) could have a therapeutic role in numerous diseases. The use of VLCKD in treating epilepsy has been well established for many decades and these diets have become even more widely known, as they became popular in the 1970s for weight loss—especially as the ‘Atkins Diet'.1 More recently, the therapeutic use of ketogenic diets in other diseases has been studied with positive results—it is an important direction for research because, clearly, if nutritional intervention can reduce reliance on pharmaceutical treatments it would bring significant benefits from an economic as well as a social point of view given the current US $750 billion annual cost of pharmaceuticals.2 Ketogenic diets are characterized by a reduction in carbohydrates (usually to less than 50 g/day) and a relative increase in the proportions of protein and fat.3 The knowledge regarding the metabolic effects of classic ketogenic diets originates from the pioneering work of Cahill and colleagues in the 1960s,4 but the realization of the importance of these diets from a clinical point of view can be traced back to the early 1920s when they began to be successfully used in the treatment of epilepsy.5 There even appears to be a reference to its use in the Bible in the story of the cured epileptic (New Testament, Matthew 17:14–21). Alongside the huge amount of data about the influence of correct nutrition on health status and disease prevention (encapsulated in various nutritional guidelines delivered by public health committees worldwide), there is also ample evidence to support the notion that a low-carbohydrate diet can lead to an impro Continue reading >>
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24 Benefits Of The Ketogenic Diet
You may have heard the term ‘ketosis’, ‘keto’ or ‘ketogenic diet’ thrown about in various health, weight-loss and sports performance blogs. The ‘keto diet’ is growing in popularity – especially in the circles I just mentioned. If you haven’t heard of these terms, or you’re still confused as to what exactly ‘ketosis’ is then have a listen to this podcast - -and make sure you tune in to the online keto summit that is happening right now at www.ketosummit.com Otherwise in a nutshell ketosis can be defined as a “metabolic state that happens when you consume a very low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet (or fast for extended periods) that causes your body to switch from using glucose as it’s primary source of fuel, to running off ketones. Ketones themselves are produced when the body burns fat, and they’re primarily used as an alternative fuel source when glucose isn’t available.” (Keto Clarity) In other words, you switch from being a sugar burner to being a fat burner. But I should point out that simply going on a low carb diet is often not enough to reach nutritional ketosis. Why would one want to do this? Well there are a lot of reasons, and I’m going to share 24 of them below. Note: If you already understand all the benefits of ketosis and want to delve into the nitty gritty of the how, why and what be sure to check out my article 'Everything You Ought To Know About Ketosis' and be sure to download my FREE one page Ketosis Cheat Sheet guide by clicking HERE. 1. Weight Loss Low carb, high fat diets have been used for centuries by doctors when working with obese patients. William Banting published the widely popular booklet titled ‘Letter on Corpulence Addressed to the Public’ in 1863. In this booklet he explained how he had sli Continue reading >>
Keto Basics
If you follow the ebb and flow of the dietary industry, then you have probably heard of the term “ketosis,” “ketones,” or “the ketogenic diet.” You generally hear reference to them when we talk about low-carb, higher fat diets. In a society where low-fat/no-fat is pretty much the accepted standard, this whole low-carb/high-fat concept can seem a little… out there. Especially when there is so much confusion about what ketones are and what they do. THEN, I start talking about the possibility of supplementing with ketones – and people get even more confused. So let’s unpack all of this, learn a little more about ketones, and why taking a supplement might actually be a good thing. Let’s start with the basics. What ARE ketones and what is ketosis? When we think of the body’s natural fuel source, we think of glucose, or sugar. We know that our body needs to use sugar as a fuel, but what many people don’t realize is that fats can be an equally, and even superior, fuel source to the body. The process of ketosis refers to the body’s ability to use fats as its primary source of energy, over glucose. When the body burns fat, it produces three bi-products of fat breakdown, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), acetoacetate (ACA) and acetone. These bi-products are called Ketones. This is a naturally occurring process and it’s what allows our bodies to survive during times of food restriction. When an individual begins to follow a low carbohydrate diet, the body has to look for another fuel source, and it turns to fatty acids and fat stores to provide that much needed energy. The liver breaks down the fat, and releases ketones into the blood to be used by the brain and other organs to produce energy. The interesting thing about ketones is that BHB may be a more effici Continue reading >>
In Depth Look At Ketogenic Diets And Ketosis
What exactly is Ketosis? The metabolic state of ketosis simply means that the quantity of ketone bodies in the blood have reached higher-than-normal levels. When the body is in a ketogenic state, this means that lipid energy metabolism is intact. The body will start breaking down your own body fat to fuel the body's normal, everyday functions. What's So Great About Being In Ketosis? Establishing this metabolic state of ketosis even for a short period of time has many outstanding benefits. Benefit 1 The main benefit of ketosis is that it increases the body's ability to utilize fats for fuel, which gets very lazy on a high-carbohydrate diet. When on high-carbohydrate diets, the body can usually expect an energy source to keep entering the body. But in the state of ketosis, the body has to become efficient at mobilizing fats as energy. Benefit 2 Ketosis has a protein-sparing effect, assuming that you are consuming adequate quantities of protein and calories—0.7 grams per pound of body weight per day—in the first place.[1] Once in ketosis, the body actually prefers ketones to glucose. Since the body has copious quantities of fat, this means there is no need to oxidize protein to generate glucose through gluconeogenesis. Benefit 3 Another benefit has to do with the low levels of insulin in the body, which causes greater lipolysis and free-glycerol release compared to a normal diet when insulin is around 80-120. Insulin has a lipolysis-blocking effect, which can inhibit the use of fatty acids as energy. Also, when insulin is brought to low levels, beneficial hormones are released in the body, such as growth hormone and other powerful growth factors. Benefit 4 Another small but very important benefit of the ketogenic diet is that when in the state of ketosis, ketones, alon Continue reading >>
Everything You Should Know About The Ketogenic Diet
Recently I had a client tell me that she and her husband were eating more than 2 pounds of bacon a week—usually three strips for breakfast and one or two with a salad for dinner. I’ve been a dietitian for almost 20 years. Few things surprise me. But I had to ask: “Why?” She told me that her husband had heard about a new diet on TV, the keto diet, and they decided to try it. Six months and countless packages of bacon later, her husband had lost 20 pounds and said he felt more energetic. I’m beginning to hear more and more people lecture me about the benefits of the ketogenic diet. “Keto burns fat fast! It turbo-charges your energy! It fights disease! You can eat all the bacon you want!” But as is so often the case with diets, underneath all the initial excitement, there’s a gut check. Here’s everything you should know about the ketogenic diet and whether or not you should try it for yourself. Ketogenesis has existed as long as humans have. If you eat a very low amount of carbohydrates, you starve your brain of glucose, its main fuel source. Your body still needs fuel to function, so your brain signals it to tap its reserve of ketones. It’s like a hybrid car that runs out of gas and reverts to pure electricity. Okay, but what are ketones? They’re compounds created by your liver from your fat stores when blood insulin is low. “Your liver produces ketones all the time, but the rate depends on carbohydrate and protein intake,” says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of human sciences at Ohio State University. Eat a normal amount of carbs and protein, and ketogenesis idles. Cut carbs and protein back, and you push to half throttle. This takes about three days to induce. A ketogenic diet requires that fat comprise 60 to 80 percent of your total calo Continue reading >>
What Are The Benefits Of Eating A Ketogenic Diet?
The Ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. When you understand the role of fat in a healthy metabolism, you can understand why the Ketogenic diet offers so many benefits when it’s done right. Fats are used in everything, and I mean every single metabolic process. Every cell in your body is a little bubble of fat – phospholipid membrane. Even the muscle cells, the blood cells, the bone cells, but especially skin cells and nerve cells. Every single cell! So with that said, let’s have a little rundown of the top ten benefits of the Ketogenic diet: Higher Energy Levels – from Dawn Til’ Dusk Most people notice an increase in their energy levels after about 1 week of eating keto. Sometimes it can take a little longer and other times it only takes a days or two. But believe me, when it happens, it’s very noticeable. No more the sugar highs and slumping lows of the afternoon. You can expect a steady stream of energy all throughout the day. On top of this you can expect greater concentration levels, less brain fog (even if you didn’t know you had it), deeper and more satisfying sleep and waking up feeling refreshed and raring to go. Hugely Improved Sleep Quality I mentioned this briefly in the last point because these two are related, and here’s why. The ketogenic diet helps to regulate your hormones. Did I mention that some of the most hormones are manufactured from fats? Yes, that’s right. They’re called Eicosanoids, and you can see from their Wiki entry that they are involved in just about everything. It was from studying them that we found out about Essential Fatty Acids – they’re essential because you need them to make Eicosanoids! Because these local hormones affect the creation of other hormones they help to regulate everyth Continue reading >>
The Benefits Of The Ketogenic Diet
There is a ton of hype surrounding the ketogenic diet. Some researchers swear that it is the best diet for most people to be on, while others think it is just another fad diet. To some degree, both sides of the spectrum are right. There isn’t one perfect diet for everyone or every condition, regardless of how many people “believe” in it. The ketogenic diet is no exception to this rule. However, the ketogenic diet also has plenty of solid research backing up its benefits. In fact, it has been found to be better than most diets at helping people with: Epilepsy Type 2 Diabetes Type 1 Diabetes High Blood Pressure Alzheimer’s disease Parkinson’s disease Chronic Inflammation High Blood Sugar Levels Obesity Heart Disease Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Fatty Liver Disease Cancer Migraines Even if you are not at risk from any of these conditions, the ketogenic diet can be helpful for you too. Some of the benefits that most people experience are: Better brain function A decrease in inflammation An increase in energy Improved body composition As you can see, the ketogenic diet has a wide array of benefits, but is it any better than other diets? The Calorie Conundrum Many researchers argue that ketosis (burning ketones for fuel) and carbohydrate restrictions only play a minor role in the benefits of the ketogenic diet. Their argument is that people tend to eat fewer calories on the ketogenic diet, and this is the main reason for its benefits. It is true that people on the ketogenic diet tend to eat less because of how satiating eating a high-fat moderate-protein diet is for us. And it is also true that less calorie consumption leads to improved health and weight loss, but there is something that many researchers don’t consider. The ketogenic diet elicits many other important Continue reading >>
Keto Diet: What It Is And What Are Its Benefits
In the health world, there are always new fad diets popping up. Some of them gain so much popularity, but eventually fade out. Some of them actually work. Unfortunately, a lot of them fall flat. The keto diet is one of the successful ones. What Is the Keto Diet? So what exactly is the keto diet? It’s complete name is the ketogenic diet. It is a low carb, high-fat diet. Studies show that this diet helps you lose weight fast and improves overall health. It is a little similar to the Atkins diet and other low-carb diets. It drastically reduces your intake of carbohydrates and replaces it with fat. The reduction of carbohydrates puts your body in a metabolic state called ketosis. This makes your body incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. This also turns fat into ketones in the liver. This then supplies energy to the brain. History of the Keto Diet The keto diet was first used as treatment for childhood epilepsy in the 1920s. Dr. Russell Wilder of the Mayo Clinic came up with the idea. It was very effective and was widely used. However, because of the rise of anti-seizure medications in the 1940s, the keto diet’s popularity waned. In the past fifteen years, it has started to gain popularity once again, this time as an answer to weight loss. Types of Keto Diets There are several versions of this diet. Here are a few of them: Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD) This diet contains 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs. It is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb kind of diet. Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) This diet has periods of higher carb refeeds. For example, there are 5 ketogenic days and then 2 high-carb days. Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD) This diet lets you add carbohydrates with your workouts. High-Protein Ketogenic Diet (HKD) This is quite similar to the stan Continue reading >>
Keto Diet And Its Health Benefits
Overview A keto diet refers to a ketogenic diet, which is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carb diet. The goal is to get more calories from protein and fat than from carbs. It works by depleting your body of its store of sugar, so it will start to break down protein and fat for energy, causing ketosis (and weight loss). One extremely popular version of a keto diet is the Atkins diet. Read on to learn the benefits of the keto diet. Contents of this article: 1. Aids in weight loss It takes more work to turn fat into energy than it takes to turn carbs into energy. Because of this, a ketogenic diet can help speed up weight loss. And since the diet is high in protein, it doesn't leave you hungry like other diets do. In a meta-analysis of 13 different randomized controlled trials, 5 outcomes revealed significant weight loss from a ketogenic diet. 2. Reduces acne There are a number of different causes of acne, and one may be related to diet and blood sugar. Eating a diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates can alter gut bacteria and cause more dramatic blood sugar fluctuations, both of which can have an influence on skin health. Therefore, by decreasing carb intake, it's not a surprise that a ketogenic diet could reduce some cases of acne. 3. May help reduce risk of cancer The ketogenic diet has recently been investigated a great deal for how it may help prevent or even treat certain cancers. One study found that the ketogenic diet may be a suitable complementary treatment to chemotherapy and radiation in people with cancer. This is due to the fact that it would cause more oxidative stress in cancer cells than in normal cells. Other theories suggest that because the ketogenic diet reduces high blood sugar, it could reduce insulin complications, which may be associated Continue reading >>
