The Ketogenic Lifestyle.

We have discussed the benefits of someone following a keto diet. But this plan isn't for everyone. We need to take into consideration each individual's genetic make-up, health conditions, metabolic breakdown and clearly identify the cases in which following the keto diet is not recommended. Some specific examples of cases in which an individual should avoid following a Ketogenic diet include: someone with an eating disorder, Crohn's disease, individuals with current vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a young athlete that needs glucose to provide muscles with energy, a hyper-responder to dietary cholesterol, meaning, for certain individuals, there is an increase in LDL cholesterol with dietary changes. This topic is in need of further research. Other examples include pregnancy or if you are breastfeeding, anyone with kidney or liver complications, medical conditions that warrant physician supervision and specific adherence to medications or diet. It is incredibly important to take a look at variations in genes and gene expression when possible to find out if this is the right plan for you. If you have a diagnosis of Type I or Type II diabetes, have had your gall bladder removed, are susceptible to kidney stones, have IBS, Crohn's disease, or other gut health concerns, always check with your physician before making any significant changes to your diet. We also need to identify that low-carb diets make it easy to neglect key nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium that we get through food fresh, high-carb, nutrient-dense foods like beans and lentils, bananas, and oats or other whole grains. There is also research looking into the effects of folowing very low carb/keto diets and how that may contribute or cause negative changes to the gut micorbiome. When we decrease our variety of food choices, such as carbohydrates that contain insoluble fibers, we have less microbiota accessible carbohydrates which can change the gut microbiome and contribute to inflammatory disease states. We need to make sure we are feeding our good bacteria and the best way to do that is to provide our bodies with significant variety in our diets including resistant starch and prebiotic fibers and insoluble fibers as tolerated. whole food carbohydrates do NOT affect the body the same way as process carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are not bad foods. We need to take a look at the type and amount of carbohydrates being consumed and not group them all into the same "bad" category. When someone is considering the keto diet, it is important to keep these ideas in mind: Carbohydrates are restricted in order to increase ketones, getting plenty of protein, following a plan with moderate amounts: 1.2-2.0g/kg BW; paying attention to Electrolyte balance, making sure you are consuming appropriate amounts of Na, K, Mg, Zn which are critical to well-being. Taking in sources of pre and probiotics that will keep the gut functioning. To maintain any weight loss when following a keto diet, it is important to pay attention to the quality of that fat in the diet, which is more important than the quantity of fat consumed It is also ok to consume some saturated fats as our bodies become very efficient at utilizing and breaking down fat, and consuming dietary cholesterol such as eggs and grass fed dairy isn't necessarily a health risk. Mindfulness practices and paying attention to hunger and satiety is a great indicator of balanced energy intake. Learn how to trust your body's intuitive eating responses.

In today's program we are going to share the science behind the keto diet and address the nuances and considerations as to whether or not this is the right plan for you. Before we get into what the keto diet is lets make sure we understand the background of ketosis and how our body uses energy. Metabolism is a group of chemical reactions that take place within the body’s cells for the use of energy. It is essentially the body’s process of converting food into energy to be utilized in our muscles, nerves, cells, breathing, digestion and circulation of the blood. Our bodies typically use glucose as energy, which comes from carbohydrate. This comes from things like fruits, veggies and grains. The body either uses the glucose (simple sugar), or glycogen, the stored form of glucose in the liver as our main source of energy. Glucose travels into the cells by way of insulin the bodies storage hormone, so it can be used for energy production there. When we decrease the amount of carbohydrate in our diet our insulin levels reduce and the amount of available energy via glucose is also reduced. So the body needs to turn to a different source of energy, triggering an increased delivery of fatty acids to be used through the liver for fuel. These fatty acids are called triglycerides which are trapped within your fat cells, until called upon for energy. This is why nutritional plans like the adkins diet have become so popular for weight loss as they trigger the body's use of fat for energy. Some of those fatty acids get turned into ketones, or organic acid compounds. Ketosis is the metabolic state where the bodies glucose levels become so low that it switches over to fat stores releasing ketones. A Ketogenic diet is essentially a metabolic switch from using glucose as the body’s main energy source to burning body fat and ketones. It is a high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate food plan which consists of: 60-75% fat, 15-30% protein, 5-10% carbohydrates. As the body adapts or becomes more comfortable using fat and ketones we become more efficient at employing these fuel sources for our energy needs. Basically we become more efficient at oxidizing fat. This has its advantages from a metabolic standpoint. Some of the advantages include a reduction in inflammatory markers assoicated with metabolic disease. Some of the basic biomarkers include lowered triglycerides and LDL levels, a decrease in insulin resistance resulting in improved blood sugar regulation, and an upregulation in hormone sensitivity reducing stress on the body.