Is the Keto Diet Right For You?

Keto stands for Ketogenic which is the formation of Ketones to use for energy/fuel in the body.  The Keto Diet is a way of eating that restricts carbohydrates (sugar, breads, pastries, and other grains) so that the body starts using fat for energy.

The body can “burn” or utilize either sugar (glucose) or ketones for energy. Ketones are made by the liver and are formed when sugar-glucose is not readily available either because of fasting or a carb-restricted diet.

Fat burning has some significant advantages. The metabolism of sugars and starches produces more inflammatory compounds than the metabolism of fats. So, people who have inflammation and pain may benefit from switching their dietary choices from high-sugar to low sugar/high fat.

Reducing sugar and starch from the diet, forgoing candies, pastries, breads, and pasta, is generally a positive and healthy change. The high incidence of obesity in the Western world is primarily from eating too many of these highly processed foods that taste good, are addictive, but have low nutrient value and too many calories.

It is not just that these foods provide excessive calories and make us fat. The most serious diseases that confront us today are from disrupted metabolism. Dis-metabolism is what gives wide swings in the sugar/insulin balance that maintains brain and nervous system function, and is vital for every other organ and system in the body. Ever suffer from a blood sugar crash? That is a breach of the delicate blood sugar balance.

The Ketogenic Diet has been shown to help several medical conditions. These include epilepsy, which is excessive electrical brain activity causing seizures, polycystic ovary syndrome, characterized by multiple cysts in the ovaries causing hormone imbalances, some cancer tumors, which may feed off sugar, Diabetes, Autism, and obesity. Blood pressure and cholesterol may improve on a high fat/low carb approach. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-conditions-benefit-ketogenic-diet#section1

Fat distribution on the body is a sign of disrupted metabolism. Abdominal fat deposits and fat that invades skeletal muscle and the liver are considered general health risks for Diabetes Type II and Cardiovascular/Heart disease. Cognitive decline in the form of Parkinson’s, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s are also thought to be risks of our high sugar and starch diets.

There is also growing evidence that heart disease is actually a disease of inflammation, not a disease of cholesterol in the arteries. The blood vessels may become more brittle on a high carb diet. This is called atherosclerosis. Reducing carbs is of great benefit to the cardiovascular system. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124430.ht

So, is the Keto Diet right for you? If you suffer from any of the above conditions, the Keto approach may help. Keto Diet enthusiasts point out that people eating our American diet consisting of massive amounts of sugars and starches (from bread, pasta, and pastries) are destroying their bodies’ blood sugar balance.  Sugar and starches stimulate insulin to secrete into the blood. Insulin is the hormone messenger that opens the cell wall so that glucose is transported through the cell membrane into the cells. Eventually, the cells start to resist the insulin message, and that is the start of Diabetes Type II, or insulin resistance.

People do often lose weight and feel better because healthy fats are less inflammatory than sugary and starchy foods.

But the answer is not a one-size-fits-all. According to animal studies, it may depend on what kind of diet the individual was raised on. High sugar and high-fat diets in the formative years both may yield a lack of flexibility in how fat and sugar are later metabolized.

Beware if you have any symptoms of liver/gall bladder congestion such as bloating, gas, gall bladder cramping or pain, pale-colored stool, or difficulties with digesting fats, and get help before you launch.

In my experience with patients, I have seen that individuals who have gall bladder issues, such as stones or congestion from thickened or decreased liver bile, suffer when they switch to a high-fat diet. I have seen people who only had mild gall bladder symptoms turn on a firestorm with a sudden increase in dietary fat.

One of bile’s functions is to promote the emulsification of dietary fat, allowing it to be broken down and mixed with other fluids so it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. This can be imagined as similar to the way dish soap breaks down oil and fat on dishes so that the fat can be washed away.

The addition of Lecithin or bile salts supplementation may improve and assist bile formation.

Supporting the liver and gall bladder with natural remedies or cleanses may be enough. Or you may want to opt for a higher protein/moderate fat regime like Paleo or Mediterranean diets.

There are other risks to be aware of. If the high dietary fat can be metabolized correctly because the bile and enzymes are present, the biggest risk of the Keto Diet is nutrient deficiencies. Minerals and vitamins are not present in large quantities in fats, except for Vitamins A, D, and F. Animal tissue and organs and plant foods are the dietary sources of vitamins and minerals. Supplementation cannot be provided sufficiently over a long period of time but can serve to assist short term. https://perfectketo.com/keto-micronutrients

The Keto Diet is high fat/moderate protein. Protein breaks down to amino acids and peptides, which are used for every process in the body. Sufficient protein is important on Keto regimens to maintain muscle mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat so eating protein is part of building and maintaining a strong, lean body. Calculating fat/protein ratios to be successful at Keto for weight loss and general health depends on your current body mass and activity level. Protein is measured in grams, and are listed here https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/All-You-Need-to-Know-About-Protein-on-a-Low-Carb-Ketogenic-Diet

People who follow Keto need to be aware of their protein/fat ratio. Too much protein can slow ketogenesis (the formation of ketones for cell fuel). The body uses glucose first, protein second, and fats last. Restricting carbs without sufficient protein may cause a breakdown of muscle tissue. And don’t forget that the heart is a muscle! There are formulas for determining the correct ratio of protein to fat. Click here for help calculating the ratio. https://perfectketo.com/keto-macro-calculator/

We can learn a lot about human dietary needs from studying native diets for people who lived off the land and had to survive on what Nature provided in their local habitats. The Inuit and Eskimos of the far North ate few vegetables due to the short growing season but escaped all modern diseases. The muscle and organ meats of fish and animals provided their vitamins and minerals.

According to Harold Draper, a biochemist and expert in Eskimo nutrition, there are no essential foods—only essential nutrients. And humans can get those nutrients from diverse and eye-opening sources. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-inuit-paradox

Check out Dietdoctor.com for recipes and videos about high fat/low carb diets.

Regardless, corralling your sweet tooth, and passing up the sweets and snacks, is the only way to travel the road to health. There is a reason sugar and junk food is so hard to give up. The lack of nutrients triggers biochemical reactions so that the body starts to crave more and more Frankenstein foods. So darn unfair but there it is.

The key is to be wise about your own body. If you are struggling to lose weight the Keto Diet may help. Assess your nutrients and be sure you don’t become deficient. I do not recommend the Keto Diet as a life-long regimen, unless you are handling a medical condition like epilepsy or cancer. Ancestral nutrition teaches us that human diets have rarely been so restrictive, and then only when the environment demanded it.

Humans are basically Omnivores, which means that we eat protein from plants and animals, fat from plants and animals, grains, vegetables, and fruits. This diversity has allowed humans to thrive from the desserts to the Arctic.

It is only in very recent history that we became Snackivores and Sugar Addicts. We would be wise to fall in love with real food again. All we have to lose is obesity, heart disease, cancer, and senility. Hmmmm.

How To Tell if Your Food is Real

Well, of course, your food is real if it is not packaged processed chemicals. Fruits and vegetables are hard to fake. Finding good organic sources might be a bit tougher, but at least you can’t (yet)make cardboard look like a banana.

But how about your fish and meat? How can you be sure that the expensive fish you are eating is really the type you ordered? According to Larry Olmsted, author of, “Real Food, Fake Food”, there are many scams being run on those willing to pay top dollar for highest quality food.

Olmsted claims that there is rarely real lobster in Lobster Bisque. Langostino is substituted, which is a type of crayfish, but not a type of lobster. And he says that there is almost no genuine red snapper, salmon or tuna used in Sushi restaurants.

Although beef labeled “grass-fed” may come from cows raised on grass, much of the time the cows are “finished” on grain to fatten them and increase weight before slaughter. (Note to anyone wanting to lose weight that it is grain that is used to fatten up farm animals.)

So, just when you are trying to do the smart thing nutritionally, and you are willing to pay top dollar, you find out that the gourmet food industry is also corrupt. You need to be educated and aware to weed out the pretenders.

Don’t go to the cheapest sushi restaurants. Real fish is expensive. Talk to the staff and see if they know the menu. Use your eyes and nose. How does the fish look and smell? Are there a lot of sauces and rolls using mayo and cream cheese and other non-traditional ingredients to cover up the fish itself? For more tips on good sushi go to www.thrilllist.com/eat/nation/bad-sushi-crappy-sushi-joints.

For real fish you can buy online from Vital Choice www.vitalchoice.com and Copper River Seafoods for salmon, cod and halibut www.copperriverseafoods.com. Never buy farmed fish, but only wild-caught.  Tilapia is always farmed and salmon is often farmed. These fish are raised in pens, not allowed to swim free. They are fed soy and chicken waste, as well as pesticides and chemicals. http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/10/8-foods-even-the-experts-wont-eat.html

Most shrimp sold in the U.S. is from other countries, and is unregulated. Beware of farmed shrimp, like that sold at Costco. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/4-things-never-to-buy-at-costco/  Trader Joe’s may be a better choice due to their pledge to supply only sustainable seafood.

Farmer’s Markets are good choices for poultry, meat and fish. Knowing the small local vendors and developing a relationship may provide peace of mind and value for your dollar. Burbank Farmer’s Market now sells beef from Autonomy Farms that is either grass or grain “finished”, with the grass-finished at a slightly higher price. This means that the cows are fed grass up until the time they are slaughtered. The steak from Autonomy Farms is some of the best I have ever eaten anywhere. They also offer ground beef with ground beef heart added. Native American Indians fed deer or buffalo heart to the warriors and hunters only so they could stay strong enough to feed and defend the whole tribe. The inferior muscle meat was given to the women and children. Autonomy Farms also offers chicken and lamb, as well as homemade sausage with ground kidney added. These organ meats are super nutrition.

So, now we have a new definition of real food as food that is all it is promoted to be. And even if you are willing to pay a premium for higher quality, you still have to be an educated, savvy consumer. Since nutrition is the major avenue for building and maintaining a sound, healthy body, eating well is the only option for our loved ones and ourselves. The other benefit to eating the “realest” food is that it is the most flavorful. Ground beef mixed with heart is an exotic tease for your taste buds, and just might bring out the hidden warrior you need to be for your own tribe.

Are You Eating Gluten-free Bread?

With all the concerns about wheat these days, many people are turning to gluten-free bread. Gluten is one of the proteins in wheat. It helps make bread dough elastic, and gives bread a light soft texture, instead of the heavy, chewier texture of whole grain breads.

What is it about bread that is so hard to give up? Toasted, snuggling up to sandwich ingredients, or slathered with butter, bread is a comfort food for many of us.

Modern commercial wheat has been genetically modified, laced with pesticides and stripped of nutrients. Even people who are not allergic to gluten, or to wheat, are turning to other flour choices for bread and crackers.

It is also possible to have sensitivity to other grains, or to grains in general. If eating grains in the form of bread, pasta, or crackers causes bloating, gas, constipation, indigestion, or changes in your stool, consider that your body may not do well on grains. Buckwheat, wild rice, and quinoa are not grains, and are good substitutes. One cup of quinoa contains 222 calories, 39 grams carb, 8 grams protein and 3 grams fat. It also has some vitamins and minerals, making it a healthy food. But the carb content means you should limit serving size. It is a better choice than rice for carbs and protein. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2

In order to mimic the light soft texture of standard American bread, manufacturers have turned to ingredients like tapioca starch and potato starch. Tapioca is a root and was often used to make a pudding in the past. It is the high starch content of gluten-free breads which can sabotage blood sugar and cause weight gain. Starch is metabolized like sugar, so can spike and drop blood sugar just like cake. Udi’s Gluten-free Bread has tapioca and potato starch as the first ingredients. For 140 calories (2 slices) you get 22 grams of carbohydrate. My personal favorite is Food for Life Gluten-free Bread. The first ingredient is rice flour, and it has safflower oil instead of canola oil. Two slices are 110 calories.

There are other healthy choices, especially if you bake at home. Gluten-free flours from Bob’s Red Mill or Pamela’s, coconut flour and nut flours have less starch and higher protein generally. They will not mimic soft white bread, but they can be used for cookies, baked goods and crackers. Here is an easy recipe to try. http://theprettybee.com/2013/10/easy-gluten-free-cracker-recipe.html

If you are trying to lose weight, the best thing is to break the bread habit completely, and that can take some time. It really calls for some creative solutions to drop out the sandwich and toast habit. Bread and flour products are very filling, so your body may try to tell you that you are hungry, even if you have had plenty of calories. Add some more healthy fat to your diet, and that will help satisfy your appetite. You can also eat veggies in bulk, maybe with some healthy dip, like guacamole or hummus. Sliced jicama, celery, and cucumber can be used as dippers or carriers for things normally eaten with bread, such as tuna salad or nut butters.

How to know how much bread, pasta and starchy carbs you can eat? If you can eat starches without gaining inches or weight, your activity level and metabolism can handle the starch. If you are at all over-weight, you are eating beyond your body’s metabolic needs. Even if you are eating “whole grain” wheat and bread, you may be getting too much starch that turns to sugar. Ezekiel bread is still too high in carb content for many, if not most. Our activity levels just do not support high grain diets these days. The nutrition benefits are not balanced by any weight-gain that signifies a sugar metabolism problem.

If you are concerned about your gluten tolerance, come in for a blood spot test that will identify your true food sensitivities. You may be surprised by the foods that your body can’t tolerate that you may not have suspected.

For a detox or blood sugar program that helps break the bread/starch habit, come see us or call the office. 818-562-1400.

It has been said that man does not live by bread alone, and you can prove it to yourself by breaking the bread habit.