What if I could tell you that it’s possible to Naturally Lower Stress, Increase Brain Power, Bring Back Your Youthfulness, Supercharge Your Productivity and Get in the Best Shape of Your Life?
And this is from adapting one method in your lifestyle…
I bet you have heard of the term Ketogenic Diet. Yes its the typical high protein low carbohydrate diets with higher fats through the day… but do you know that majority of people who try to incorporate the keto diet actually have substantially less fats than they should or have a binge of carbohydrates when there body is trying to adapt to bring fat instead of sugar.
You may have ready my article ‘Are you a sugar burner or a Fat Burner’ where I explained a little more about the two differences.
Introducing a Keto Plan into your lifestyle is no easy task to do but if done correctly you will be sure to see some amazing results. The most important part is training your body to start converting fat into ketones so they can be used as fuel.
Even if you can’t stay on the keto diet forever it can be a nice habit to go back to more often than not.
So what could go wrong with the keto diet? Lets say you have the correct balance of macronutrients (Protein, Fats, Carbohydrates) in order, but aren’t getting in enough micronutrients causing some slight vitamin/mineral deficiencies or possibly not getting in enough fibre and water.
These are two common mistakes when the keto diet is introduced into someone’s lifestyle, so it’s very important to have the right balance when on the keto style diet.
Lets go though a few of the topics for you to get the most out the keto lifestyle.
YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR GUT
As I mentioned above one of the common mistakes people make on the keto diet is not getting in enough fibre causing a common side effect, Constipation. When your body is adjusting to the keto lifestyle your body will take some time to adapt so you want to make sure that you find natural ways to avoid constipation (fibre supplements can really help)
This is important to keep bowel movements regular in order to remove the excess waste, When youdo become constipated excess microbes build up in the body producing stresses and have a negative effect on blood sugar.
Getting enough fibre will help things move along. An easy way to keep up the fibre intake is to steam some low glycemic vegetables and drizzle a little olive oil on top along with some fermented foods such as Sauerkraut, full fat greek yoghurt, pickles (not with sugar added)
Tip… Make sure everything is moving through your body efficiently otherwise it can block your detoxification pathways.
EAT ENOUGH FATS
People generally will steer away from eating too much Fat but what if I told you that you must get at least get 60% of your daily calories from Fats.
If your not sure about this method of eating then I can understand why you would be worried since the general belief with diets are keep your fats low as fats are the enemy.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. With the keto lifestyle you are incorporating the low carb lifestyle along with higher fats but… the choices will not be processed fats or trans fats. Some good fats to choose from include: avocado, fish oil, olive oil, nuts, coconut oil, grass fed pure butter, macadamia oil as a few examples.
So lets say for an example if you’re trying to get in 1600 calories per day. 960 calories will come from fats. Remember 1gm of fat is 9 calories so we are looking at 106gm per day of fats.
If your not eating enough each day, your body is in a state of stress. This is what leads to problems down the track such as adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues.
The keto diet is not supposed to be restrictive at all. Its purpose is to neutralise blood sugar and bring your body into ketosis releasing fat as your main energy.
DHA IS A MUST
Importance of DHA. DHA is a fatty acid that comes from seafood and some marine algae. DHA is crucial to mitochondrial health. Mitochondria are the tiny organelles inside every cell that are responsible for turning fat, sugar and protein into energy that can be used by the body.
Fact: They are responsible for up to 90% of the energy that a cell needs to survive.
Without DHA your mitochondria just does NOT work like it should.
Make sure you are getting enough in through the day.
Apart from a contracted fish oil supplement you can get DHA from:
EAT YOUR PROTEIN
Monitor your protein intake. Don’t just think you can have as much protein as you like without adding any body fat and clogging up your digestive tract.
Too much protein can actually keep you from going into ketosis.
Why? Protein breaks down to amino acids in the body. If there is too much being consumed, your body can break the amino’s down to glucose switching your body from fat burning mode to glycogen burning mode and can create an insulin spike.
When you keep going back and forth from glycogen burning to fat burning you may bring on some symptoms such as:
Aching Muscle
Brain Fog
Your daily consumption of Protein will vary between 1g-2g per kg of lean weight. This is depending on daily activity levels.
TRACK YOUR CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE
Sounds basic right? I’m sure you are aware how easy it really is to bump your carbohydrate levels up. For example 2 thin rice cakes, 1/3 cup brown rice and 1/2 cup porridge and you’re already at 65gm carbohydrates when your target in the keto diet is 20gm.
So if you’re training your body to get into ketosis then tracking your carbs is crucial.
There are so many foods with hidden carbohydrates in them.
This might be useful for you to know what are few of the ingredients are to watch out for which are hidden sugars:
Dextrose, Sucrose, Fructose, Corn Syrup, Rice Syrup, Agave, Malt Syrup, Barley Malt, Maltose, Molasses.
Plus keep in mind the low fat dairy products, seasonings and sauces you have throughout the day as generally these will have sugar added to the ingredient list.
Keeping it simple is the key! Once you start reading the labels and seeing what seasonings are pure then start adding some in two your foods.
HAVE PATIENCE
Us humans tend to want the result overnight when we decide we want a change. I can’t stress enough that with introducing the keto lifestyle it takes time for your body to adjust to burning fat as the main fuel. Especially when its been in glycogen burning mode for years prior. Your body will simply want to stay in that mode where it is comfortable.
Stick with your new routing long enough for your body to make it work for you and the benefit will be amazing. Stick with it for at least 4 weeks before making a decision about whether to continue or not. The worst-case scenario here is simply you will go back to your old habits.
When you create a new habit try not to start it when you’re going through life stressful event such as a house move, changing jobs, or any stressful life event.
STAYING HYDRATED WHILE KEEPING YOUR ELECTROLYTES BALANCED
Keeping yourself hydrated will help support the detoxification process.
Whilst you are on the keto diet its important to keep your electrolytes balanced because when your insulin is suppressed your kidneys are flushing our sodium quicker from the body.
Keeping a diet with quality sea salt, avocados and mixed nuts will help support electrolyte levels.
Keep up with your 8 glasses a day of water rule. Starting your day with 2 glasses with an electrolyte supplement can really help your body out.
SLEEPING PATERNS
The transition to a keto lifestyle after your body has been so used to being primarily in a glycogen-burning mode for years prior is putting initial stress on the body going through change.
Poor sleep can throw off stable blood sugar levels.
Important tip: Do yourself a favour when starting the keto diet and let your body rest the it’s tired.
You will be supporting your immune system and helping your body go though the changes more effectively. Listening to your body is key here.
The KETO DIET is amazing when planned and executed well.
In the age of depleted soils, more pesticides used on produce, the processing of foods, getting in adequate nutrition is crucial for ones health.
If you are a women or have some health issues like adrenal fatigue, PCOS or thyroid dysfunction there is some more info you will need to take into consideration leading into a keto lifestyle which I’m happy to share with you if you request some more info.
When considering a keto plan here are some things to consider:
Make sure you buy High Quality Proteins and Oils
Example. Proteins to come from grass fed beef cuts (NOT Grain)
e.g. Low grade grain fed meat, gmo grain fed chicken, caged eggs are NOT the ones to buy
These foods are packed with antibiotics and gmo grain residue.
You’ll find the higher quality meats are packed with better quality fats in them too
Don’t neglect your micronutrients! This means minerals such as Zinc, Sodium, Magnesium (Magnesium being responsible for over 300 enzyme reaction in the body) and Vitamins like Vitamin A, B 12, C
Getting in enough micronutrients is going to be crucial regardless what dietary plan you follow.
When people think of KETO they tend to think High Protein, High Fat and forget about quality vegetables, which can cause a depletion of micronutrients.
If your just starting on the Keto plan and feel like you could be deficient there are a few good whole food based/ multivitamin based products out there now which may be a good idea.
I would love to know your experiences on the Keto diet and what benefits you have seen from