I don’t think there is enough awareness of the troubles that sugar causes in our body and how it is impacting our society as a whole. There have been some shocking research done on the impacts of sugar! We underestimate the impact of how what we put in our mouth impacts what is doing on in our body.
To help raise awareness on these challenges and how it is impacting us, an amazing line up of speakers has been brought together for the Kick Sugar Summit!
If you are aware of the “who’s who” in the low carb world, you will be impressed with the caliber of speakers being brought out for this FREE online event.
Day 1 – June 10, 2019
Dr. Robert Lustig – Professor Emeritus University California San Francisco
Dr. Vera Tarman – Author of Food Junkies: Recovery from Food Addiction
Dr. Brian Lenzkes – Voted One of the “Top Doctors” in San Diego for 11 Years
Gin Stevens – Author of Delay, Don’t Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle
Dr. Robert Cywes – Bariatric Surgeon
Doug Reynolds – Founder of LowCarb USA
Dr. Chris Palmer – MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School
Dr. Bret Scher – MD, Cardiologist, Stanford Graduate
Day 2 – June 11, 2019
Gary Taubes – Author of Why We Get Fat and The Case Against Sugar
Wolfram Alderson – CEO Hypoglycemia Support
Dr. Nasha Winters – Author of Metabolic Approach to Cancer
Dr. David Diamond – MD, PhD, Neuroscientist
Craig Emmerich – Author of Keto: The Complete Guide to Success
Dr. Lewis Cantley – The Cantley Lab
Belinda Fettke – The Driving Force Behind the Current Dietary Guidelines
Bitten Jonsson – Leading Sugar Educator
Day 3 – June 12, 2019
Prof. Tim Noakes – Professor Emeritus University of Capetown
Dr. Mark Cucuzella – MD, FAAFP, Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine
Dr. Jake Cushner – MD, Medical Director of McNair Interests
Dave Feldman – The Cholesterol Code
Jackie Eberstein – RN, Former Director of Medical Education at The Atkins Center
Dr. Gary Fettke – Orthopedic Surgeon Low Carb Crusader
Dr. Shawn Baker – Orthopedic Surgeon Author of The Carnivore Diet
Julia Ross – Author of The Mood Cure, The Craving Cure
Dr. Kristie Sullivan – Author of Keto Gatherings & Keto Living Day By Day
Day 4 – June 13, 2019
Thomas DeLauer – Nutrition and Business Performance Coach
Lynn Terry – TravelingLowCarb.com, Keto Expert – on Keto for 8 years
Lisette Cifaldi – Founder & CEO of Eating Sanity
Dr. Antonio Martinez II – Attorney and Patient/Health Advocate
Dr. Keith Berkowitz – MD, Founder & Director of the Center for Balanced Health
Alison Gannett – Cooking for Cancer Keto Coach
Dr. Ben Bocchicchio – “Slow Maximum Resistance Training” AKA ‘S.Ma.R.T™’
Dr. Josh Turknett – MD, Author of the Migraine Miracle
Brandon Straker – Coach & Personal Trainer – Reset U Fitness
Day 5 – June 14, 2019
Pete Evans – Author, Chef & Producer of The Magic Pill Documentary – Netflix
Dr. Aseem Malhotra – Internationally Renowned Cardiologist
Andy Petranek – Co-Founder of the Whole Life Challenge
Ann Childers – Psychiatric Physician
Dr. Joan Ifland – PhD, MBA, Food Addiction Professional
Dr. Hassina Kajee – MD, Board of Directors of The Noakes Foundation
Jayne Bullen – MBA, Managing Director of the Noakes Foundation Nutrition Network
Peter Ballerstedt – PhD, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky
Rita Venter – Banting 7 Day Meal Plans
If you are looking to learn the science behind how sugar impacts us and how the low carb and keto world makes it so much easier, and enjoyable, to be sugar-free, register today at the Kick Sugar Summit Registration Page.
What is the big deal behind sugar anyway? The Diet Doctor has released a very good article on How Sugar Damages the Brain. It is not just about weight gain. Sugar causes inflammation, high blood pressure, creates insulin resistance, and…many more damaging effects on the body. This is important information that everyone should know. I hope you will take the time to check it out!
Kicking sugar is one thing that most people experience immediate health benefits from and feel noticeably better. Good luck in your own personal health journey!
Photo care of https://www.papermoonphotography.com/
Many people give the keto lifestyle a try
because they want to lose weight. Since you cut out the majority of carbs in
your diet, your body quickly learns how to use fat for energy, making it much
easier to let go of body fat, especially belly fat. However, what do you do
once you have reached your goal weight? This is often the most difficult part
of weight loss. Should you start eating carbs again? Or should you stay on keto
forever?
This is actually an important question to
ask yourself even before you reach your goal weight. Always begin with the end
in mind so it is an easy transition and you don’t even have to think about it
when the time comes. Let’s look at the pros and cons of leaving or staying on
keto, so you can decide how to maintain weight loss after the keto diet.
Leaving Keto
The Pros
Some people prefer to leave the keto
lifestyle behind once they reach their goal weight. Maybe they miss their
favorite carbs. Maybe they are not sure if this is a good choice for them long
term. To do this, it is very important to slowly add back in carbs while
decreasing your fat intake. Always begin adding in a healthy variety of more
starchy vegetables and fruits first. If you jump right into adding grains and
sugars, you will find yourself feeling awful and packing the pounds back on
before you even know it. You’ll want to keep eating the healthy fats you ate
while on keto, just not as many. Many people find success by transitioning to a
low carb, whole food lifestyle similar to the Paleo diet. Eating paleo is not
as restrictive as keto but still focuses on eating whole foods and eschewing
foods like simple carbs and legumes.
The Cons
Eating a larger number of carbs will stop
the production of ketones and you will not have the same energy or fat burning
ability that you had while on keto. Also keep in mind that adding in carbs may
increase your cravings for them. And eating too many carbs, especially
unhealthy ones, will lead to weight gain. This could potentially put you back
on the yo-yo diet train and undo all the great work you have already done!
Ketones provide a cleaner fuel than glucose, prevents inflammation in the body,
and levels out your insulin levels. By not burning ketones as fuel, you are missing
some potential disease prevention benefits you would otherwise be benefiting
from if you stayed in ketosis.
Staying on Keto
The Pros
You may decide that you would rather stick
with the keto diet. Many people find that they feel so much better when they
are fueled with ketones instead of glucose that they couldn’t fathom going
back. While on this diet journey I hope you have taken the time to learn all
the impressive health benefits that ketones and ketosis have to offer. There
hasn’t been a ton of research about staying on the keto diet long term but so
far, the results are promising. Keto can help keep your blood sugar, blood
pressure, and cholesterol levels low. It also gives you energy and a clear
mind. Because you are burning fat and no longer having to deal with the insulin
roller coaster of cravings that carbs creates, it is much easier to maintain
your weight loss if you stay in keto. Keep your carbs low, eat only a moderate
amount to protein and eat healthy fats with each meal until you feel satiated.
The Cons
There aren’t really many documented cons to
staying on keto, other than some people find it difficult to sustain because
their previous carb addictions still prevail. Some people feel that they want
to stay on keto because of how they feel, but they choose not to because they
are missing out on high carb foods that they miss. This is only an issue if you
haven’t discovered cyclical ketosis or fasting. Both of these techniques are
very easy to do when your body is fat adapted.
With cyclical ketosis, for one meal 1-2
times a week, you can replace the calories from fat with the calories from
carbs. The next day, you go back into your keto practice and, if you have taken
the time to ensure you are fat adapted first, your body will flip back into
ketosis. There are several different approaches to cyclical ketosis that make
this way of eating much more sustainable for those that miss the high carbs
every now and then. This really allows you to have the best of both worlds!
Some people use fasting to quickly get
themselves into ketosis after eating high carb for a period of time. There is
some excellent research out there about the health benefits of fasting and
there are many types of fasts that you can use. Check out Dr Jason Fung’s book The
Obesity Code for more on how to safely fast. If fasting sounds like
starvation to you, that is not the case when you are fat adapted by being on
keto. Being in ketosis already makes the practice of fasting much easier since
you don’t have to fight the cravings and “hangriness” that go along with carb
cravings.
There really aren’t any official cons to
staying on the keto diet, especially if you like it! Just remember to make sure
your diet is full nutrient-rich cruciferous vegetables so that you are getting
all the vitamins and minerals you need. Sometimes, keto followers limit their
veggie intake in order to stay low on carbs. However, that is not a healthy way
to live! The keto diet encourages consumption of low carb veggies that are both
delicious and good for you. Don’t skip out on them. You need to ensure you are
getting the micronutrients you need to maintain health. Take supplements or
visit a keto-friendly Nutritionist if you are not sure.
Conclusion
It’s up to you to decide which approach you
want to take to weight maintenance. Some people want to add in some variety to
their diet, so they add in carbs. Others are perfectly happy eating keto and
choose to stay on it. Remember that keto is a lifestyle that helps you stay in
control of your weight, insulin levels, and cravings. If you want to just use
keto as a tool in your healthy lifestyle toolbox, that is great! If you want to
make it a forever lifestyle, that is cool too. What is important is that you
don’t slide into your previous way of eating. That is what caused the issue to
begin with! Make sure you truly have made some life changes and be confident
that you can continue to maintain all the hard work you have done.
Whatever you chose, if you have met your
target, congratulations! Weight loss or not, I hope you feel the best you ever
have. Thank is the true gift of keto.
You have
probably heard that losing weight involves eating lots of low-fat food. For a
few years there, eating fat-free was all the rage. Companies produced a mind-numbing
amount of fat-free foods that claimed to be healthy and would help you lose
weight.
And guess what? They were wrong! It turns out, eating fat does not make you fat!
Eating healthy means you need to eat fat. Dietary fat has lots of health benefits for your body and is necessary for you to live. In fact, eating a lot of fat can be great for you since fat can fuel your body (instead of glucose) and help you feel full.
Why Fat Helps You Feel Full
When you
consume fat, you are eating a calorically dense macronutrient that plays a big
role in your digestion and hormone production.
First, fat slows digestion. Your food hangs around a little longer in your body when it is full of fat. This is great news when it comes to feeling full and satisfied. You can become full more quickly and stay full for hours after you have finished eating a high-fat meal.
Fat also has an effect on the hunger hormone, ghrelin. Ghrelin tells your brain that you are hungry and you need food right away. However, fat can suppress ghrelin, which will eliminate that “I need to eat everything,” feeling you get when you follow low-fat diets.
Fat also
decreases your blood sugar and insulin production. Not only is this great news
for decreasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but it also allows
another hormone, leptin, to do its job. Leptin actually tells your body that
you are full and no longer need food. When you keep your insulin levels low,
leptin is not interfered with and functions properly.
An interesting fact: Leptin is released when you eat fat and protein, but it is not released when you eat carbohydrates. The only mechanism to tell your body to stop eating carbohydrates, is you telling yourself it is time to stop. Or, you stuffing yourself so physically full that you are physically uncomfortable and choose to stop eating. The other substance that has no hormone mechanism to stop you from consuming is alcohol. It is no wonder that they are both addictive…a topic for another blog.
In order to be sure that you can experience the benefits of leptin, make sure you eat more slowly so you are able to experience the full sensation that leptin provides before you have eaten too much.
Feeling Full = Weight Loss
So now
that we know why fat makes you full, let’s talk about how it leads to weight
loss.
We have
all tried to lose weight at some point in our lives on a high carb, restricted
calorie diet. And we have all realized we cannot live on very few calories! You
may have some success but eventually you give in because you are hungry. So,
you wind up bingeing and you gain back any weight you may have lost.
When you
feel hungry, you get cranky, anxious, and lose your will power. But when you
feel full, you are satisfied and not tempted to snack. Therefore, staying full
is key to success in weight loss!
So, the
reason is simple. If you are full, then you are much more likely to stick to
your eating plan.
Eating a
high fat diet is also a delicious way to eat. You look forward to your meals
because they taste good and leave you full.
This is where my keto taco pie comes in. This crustless taco pie has plenty of healthy fat that will leave you full and satisfied. And did I mention that it is delicious? Both your high carb and low carb family and friends will love this one. But watch out and only eat one piece…otherwise, you will feel too full! 🙂
It only takes a little bit of this pie to fill you up!
Keto Taco Pie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 packet of keto compliant taco seasoning
2 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup sugar-free salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
4 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
½ tsp sea salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9” pie pan with coconut oil or grease with butter.
Heat a greased large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking up with a spoon or spatula. Stir occasionally until brown.
Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the ground beef.
Whisk together the eggs and heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the green onions, salsa, ¾ cup of the cheese, and salt.
Stir the prepared taco meat into the egg mixture. Pour into the pie pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the top of the pie is a nice golden brown colour. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
You can add extra taco toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, or extra salsa and onions.
The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I was previously very much a sugar addict.
What does it mean to be sugar addicted?
Well, initially, it was constantly wanting a regular dose of sugar every few hours. Jam on my toast. Some fruit around 10. A cookie after lunch. A sweet treat around 3. And then, of course, a yummy dessert after supper. It didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. It certainly didn’t seem unhealthy, especially since the rest of my food that I regularly ate was what would be considered very healthy. Lean meat, a good variety of fresh vegetables and very little fat. When you are eating all that good stuff, that more than makes up for a bit of sweet joy.
This lead me to realize that I was sugar addicted. I first suspected it when I became aware of a term called “hangry”. You know…so hungry that you are angry. I would actually be late for meetings or appointments because I absolutely could not make it another minute without a granola bar or dried fruit (that I thought was healthy by the way…silly me) or some other treat at a vending machine or convenience store if I had forgotten to take my own snack along with me. This was something that plagued me daily.
But being hangry seemed to be normal. Everyone gets hangry, right??
This was my thinking until I challenged myself to go off of sugar for as long as I could. This seemed like an awful idea at first, but I had just discovered the keto diet, where you eliminate sugar from your diet and instead replace it with healthy fat. This was SO MUCH better than my previous attempts to simply stop eating sugar which just resulted in bland boring food and dreaming of the end date when I could start to eat sugar again.
When you add healthy fats to your diet, you can eat richer meals that fill you up for longer. You are able to eat food that you wouldn’t have considered as healthy before. I ate creamy alfredo sauce on zucchini noodles. I ate “fat bombs” made out of coconut oil, peanut butter and cocoa sweetened with stevia. I put cream in my coffee. And it was all considered part of the plan!
I clearly remember the moment I finally experienced what it was like to not be hangry.
I had my regular busy day at work. I had some meetings in the morning but was at my desk quite a bit. I would say that I was “in the zone” that day. I was focused on my computer monitor, documenting some recent project progress, planning the next initiative and being my usual productive self, when it happened…I noticed people walking by my office on their way to lunch. It was noon AND I HADN’T HAD A SNACK ALL MORNING!!!
This was the first time I could remember, in my entire life, relating to people who say, “Oh! I forgot to eat breakfast.” I cannot remember a time, ever, where I had forgotten to eat a meal or snack. Usually, as I would be eating my current snack, I would be thinking about what I would be eating next. I literally said to myself, “OMG this is what it feels like to skip a meal!”
Looking back, it seems so silly now, but I know, for a fact, that there are many people out there who can’t fathom the idea of going without sugar (and heaven forbid…bread) for a single day. Let alone weeks at a time. This is called addiction my friend. And you may be one of the ones afflicted.
But sugar is not a poison as long as you don’t overdo it.
Sugar is tasty food that we know will make us fat if we eat too much. So, a little is ok. Everything in moderation…right? But what does “in moderation” mean? It most certainly means something different for everyone.
According to Dr. Mercola in his article Research Shows Causation – Sugar Consumption Increases Risk for Chronic Disease, he states that the safe daily threshold for sugar consumption is 6-9 teaspoons a day (25-39 grams). The average Canadian consumes 88 pounds of sugar per year, 109 grams a day. In this article, Mercola also explains that it is not directly sugar that causes weight gain, it is insulin that drives weight gain. When you eat sugar, insulin pushes it into the cells and if you don’t use it right away, you store it as fat.
We have been led to believe that we need to eat small frequent meals and that we just need to exercise to burn the sugar calories we eat. The intent of the small frequent meals is to ensure that we have a constant, even flow of energy all day long. This is intended to prevent the “insulin spike” we get when eating high carb foods. You know how it goes, you feel weak and need some energy, so you eat food. You get that boost of glucose in your bloodstream and then insulin pushes it into your cells. Your cells use what they need and store the rest as fat. So if you haven’t done much for exercise and you haven’t properly balanced your intake vs outtake that day, the extra energy is stored as fat. But you will burn it later, so no big deal, right?
That would only be the case if your body wasn’t used to having that insulin coursing through your veins consistently all day. Your body processes the sugar and then you move into the lethargic period. You have just come off of the sugar high and now you yawn and need a nap. Your energy is low compared to the sugar rush you just had. But wait, insulin is feeling neglected. Insulin makes you feel hungry, hangry, and your body decides that since your blood sugar is getting low that maybe you should have another snack!
It really is a vicious cycle. In Dr. Jockers article 7 Ways to Stop SugarCravings For Good, he does a great job of explaining this sugar addiction cycle. He references this graphic:
This cycle really hit home for me. This is definitely what I was experiencing. I really did feel like a slave to my snacking. This made me obsessively eat vegetables to get away from eating sugary snacks. But it turns out, some vegetables contain a lot of natural sugars as well that also activates insulin. To burn off the calories, I was also doing as much cardio as I could fit in. I was doing it all wrong. In fact, I had it completely backwards. But I was only doing what I had been told was healthy.
Once I committed to cutting out sugar and bread and other high carbohydrate foods, I was able to experience what it was like to not be a slave to food. I now eat until I feel full, but I include fat in my diet instead of sugar. I don’t have insulin constantly coursing through my arteries and veins, because I don’t need it. Insulin is not needed to metabolize fat. It is needed to metabolize carbohydrates.
So how much sugar is ok?
Well…how much beer is ok for an alcoholic to have? Sugar addiction is real. Will it throw you into an all-night binge and require bail money in the morning? Maybe not. But for some, it causes severe stress because they are gaining weight, they panic because they can’t stop eating, and they are experiencing severe health challenges because they are overweight. To me, that is just as damaging and as dangerous as any other addiction.
How do you prevent this cycle?
I am personally preventing it by learning how to cycle between a low carb and a ketogenic way of eating. I have never felt better and am able to sustain and maintain this way of eating because I never want to go back to the insulin roller coaster again. I have learned to eat whole real foods mixed with delicious fats that make me feel full. I limit my sweet treats, but I am still able to have some, only they are homemade with fresh ingredients and alternative sweeteners made from stevia and monk fruit. This way of eating has resulted in so much less stress. Now I realize that it is the type of food that you eat that causes weight gain, not the calories and level of exercise. A calorie from sugar impacts you in a very different way that a calorie from fat.
I challenge you to consider a low carb, high fat diet and see for yourself.
Best of luck in your health journey! It is an interesting adventure for sure.
Do you want to kick your sugar addiction? Join me on a 7 Days to Ketosis Challenge to receive everything you need to learn how.
This is a debate that you hear quite a bit on the keto blogs. Some passionately declare that you do not have to count calories as long as you keep your carbs low and eat until you are satiated. Others count their calories meticulously, afraid that they will pack on the pounds while eating this new ration of higher fat meals.
Well, I am no doctor, but I can guess what most would say…it depends!
Here are some points to consider:
1.) Not eating enough calories can inhibit your metabolism.
One of the beautiful features of the keto diet is that your hunger goes away. This seems great on the surface. However, if you forget to eat (OMG YES! This really happens when you are on keto!!) and severely restrict your calories, your body can put itself into protective mode. Your body will start to think it is starving and your metabolism will slow down making weight loss difficult. Plus, in an effort to conserve energy, you may start losing hair as well.
People not eating enough calories is a criticism I hear often from doctors who are still concerned with the keto way of eating. If you finding yourself rarely eating but not losing weight, you may want to try taking a look at your calories.
Don’t get calorie restriction mixed with fasting. Fasting, when done correctly restricts calories for a short term but actually increases your metabolism. Dr Fung describes this best here.
2.) You can still gain weight on keto.
You need to limit your carbs, get a moderate amount of protein and have enough fat for your energy source. Some of this will come from your own fat stores, but some needs to come from dietary intake.
Most people feel full when eating fat. Personally, I have no problem eating too much fat. When I do this, my body does not need to tap into my own stores and I do not gain weight, or I lose weight. So if you have this problem, you many need to count fat in addition to carbs…but not calories.
3.) It is the quality of the calories that matters and not the quantity.
If you are counting calories so you can subtract the exact amount of exercise you did to make sure you are going to lose weight today, you may be wasting your time. The law of thermodynamics on keto does not work. Different foods have different metabolic and hormonal effects on the body. Glucose causes the release of insulin while fat does not. It is easier to gain weight eating glucose calories than it is fat calories. For a more detailed explanation on this, check out this article: https://hvmn.com/blog/keto-diet/do-calories-matter-on-a-keto-diet.
My take on the situation:
You do need to use calories to calculate your macros (macronutrients protein, fat and carbohydrates). This is because you will have much better long term success losing weight slowly instead of quickly. Find your maintenance calorie intake and then decrease that by 20%. Use that to calculate your target macros. However, once you have the grams of macronutrients that you should consume every day…just track those and you shouldn’t have to worry about the calories.
Some people say you don’t need to track your food at all at all as long as you keep your carbs below 20g per 24 hour period. Until you get used to listening to your body, until you understand what foods are high carbs and which ones are low carbs, and until you get into a routine where you are eating enough, but not too much, I think you should track your macros. Tracking calories is only required if you think you may be getting too few.
One of the most frustrating things I experienced when first learned about this low carb ketogenic (low carb, high fat) way of eating, was trying to sort through what is real and what is propaganda. The food and diet industry is gigantic, so it makes sense that companies will feed fear into their consumers to protect their bottom line, even if based on little or no facts.
I have spent countless hours, probably months by now, trying to find out why a ketogenic diet could be an unhealthy way of eating. I tried to find studies or articles from reputable doctors to convince me that the keto diet would cause fatty liver disease, heart disease, nutritional deficiencies, etc. The list went on and on of the warnings that well meaning nutritionists and doctors would post, who did not agree with this way of eating. But when it came down to proof, the best they could offer was, “there are not enough long term studies yet to prove…”. Well, let me tell you, there are still no long term studies yet that prove that the high carb low fat way of eating works either.
In fact, if you look at the health of today’s society, I would say that there is pretty clear evidence that the high carb low fat way of eating is not healthy. It causes us to crave food constantly which makes it nearly impossible to avoid all the delicious high carb treats we are surrounded by that are toted as being “healthy” because they are low in fat. They are loaded with fruits and honey, which we are told is healthier. Although it is better than refined sugars, those natural sugars are digested and turn into fat folks!! Natural does not mean safe! The rates of diabetes and heart disease continue to grow. Society is starting to be of the opinion that it is ok to be overweight, because it is just too hard to for us to remain under that obesity line. The way we eat is slowly killing us.
To stop myself before I become one of those fear mongers, I would like share with you a great article from Nina Teicholz, author of The Big Fat Surprise where she provides studies and reputable sources to debunk common ketogenic diet myths. This is a great list to print out and share with your doctor, if he/she is not familiar with the modern ketogenic way of eating.
In this article you will learn why the following is FALSE:
Keto is bad for athletes – totally false. In fact, Ultra-marathon runners are adopting this way of eating to give them a steady flow of nutrition and avoid the awful gels. High performing athletes such as CrossFit and gymnasts are finding increased performance using this way of eating.
Keto is dangerous if you have diabetes – Type 1 Diabetics do require very close medical supervision, but Type 2 Diabetics not on insulin supplements are finding the low carb way of eating so much easier to control their blood sugars that they are able to get off medication. Some groups of doctors like Virta and Intensive Dietary Management are actually reversing Type 2 Diabetes using ketogenic approaches.
Keto causes fatigue and flu-like symptoms – as your body switches over to ketosis, you may experience this if you don’t drink enough water and consume enough sodium. Regardless it is a short lived symptom.
Keto is bad for heart health and will raise your cholesterol – quite the opposite actually. Keto raises the good HDL cholesterol that prevents heart disease.
Keto will make you break out – I can say first hand that my son’s 19 year old skin cleared up immediately once he started eating keto.
Keto is not good for your gut – gastroesophageal reflux disease has been show to actually improve after eating low carb diets.
Keto causes, or worsens, fatty liver disease – as backwards as it seems, keto actually treats fatty liver. It is the consumption of sugar (especially fructose), converted to fat, that causes fatty liver.
You will lose sleep on a ketogenic diet – I know many people on a high carb diet that have troubles sleeping. There doesn’t seem to be proof of either being better.
Keto causes gallbladder problems – diets higher in fat have been shown to prevent gallstone formation.
Keto reduces lean body mass – I don’t think this way of eating would be gaining so much attention from the fitness world if that were the case.
Keto is not good for long-term weight management – I tried for 20 years to lose 15 lbs and despite diligent exercise and sticking to eating healthy, I struggled with my weight yo-yo-ing. When I switched to keto, I lost those 15 pounds in 4 months as have kept at that steady weight for over a year. I am not the only one proving that myth to be wrong.
People just can’t stay on keto – there are millions of us proving this to be wrong. It is a change to what you are used to, so making the transition is way easier if you have a keto coach to help you through the transition.
If you want the full details of this article and the related studies, you can find it at https://ninateicholz.com/ketogenic-diet-myths-vs-facts/. It would be a handy tool to have when you go to discuss keto with your doctor.
Do Low Carb High Fat Diets Lead to an Early Death?
There seems to be quite the uproar in the medical community right now in relation to an article published in the Lancet claiming that “Both high and low percentages of carbohydrate diets were associated with increased mortality, with minimal risk observed at 50–55% carbohydrate intake.” So, if you eat low carb, you will die sooner.
As you can imagine, this caught the attention of the Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) community. Medical experts around the globe are furious that the Lancet, a normally very reputable medical journal, allowed a study to be published that was so flawed in its collection and use of data.
Check out the Tweet by Doctor Aseem Malhotra, explaining that this article is completely false.
The suggestion that low carb diets shorten lifespan is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY FALSE. To imply they do is A MISCARRIAGE OF SCIENCE! What does the TOTALITY OF EVIDENCE say? My response on BBC World to yesterday’s #FakeNewshttps://t.co/SOkIgwLqq5#obesity#NHSpic.twitter.com/FPk2KMXx39
This video from Doctor Ken D Berry is the most comprehensive review I have seen so far: https://youtu.be/Ce6eHcUOc4s
There seems to be such a war on right now on if you should eat carbs or not. As a low carb eater, I know I have been cautioned many times from well meaning citizens about how carbs are good and we can’t be healthy without them.
Let me clear up a couple of things:
#1. I still eat carbs. I just choose to eat less carbs and I choose foods that contain less carbs. I truly believe that eating too many carbs is harmful, and I have experienced the impacts myself.
#2. I am human. I still have a treat every now and then. But for at least 80% of the time I stick to a way of eating that keeps my carbs low.
#3. You actually don’t need to eat carbs. Carbohydrates are the one macronutrient that your body can produce itself using a process called gluconeogenesis. There is another really good video on this from Dr S arah Hallberg who explains this process and more. She is part of Virta, a company that specializes in reversing Type 2 Diabetes through low carb diets.
#4. I am getting lots of fiber. Vegetables have a lot of fiber and I drink more water than ever. Everything is slipping out quite well thanks.
#5. I know how to get all the vitamins and minerals I need. I find it quite fascinating that there is currently a billion dollar industry of vitamin and mineral supplements that are “so important” for “optimal health”, yet people caution that low carb diets will require you to take supplements. Ummm…I thought we had to take them on a high carb diet too? There are many doctors out there who don’t actually believe you have to take them on either diet if you pay attention to what you eat and get proper nutrients through food. Well except for Vitamin D. Nearly all of us have to take that.
Now that we have those things out of the way, I think it is important for people to know that I am really not one of those crazy people that just jumps on the latest band wagon. I spend a lot of time doing my own research. I have a medical background (trained as a medical laboratory technician) and I have been interested in fitness and nutrition most of my life.
I truly believe that both high carb diets and low carb diets can be healthy.
For years I lived on a high carb diet, probably around 60% carbohydrates and I was ridiculously healthy. I had experimented with the Paleo diet first, but I found that it really wasn’t for me so I moved more into a way of eating that would be considered a Mediterranean style diet. I would say that I used guidance similar to that provided in this article on Best and Worst Carbs to Add to your Diet. I ate lean meat, tons of fruits and vegetables and about a thumb size of fats (olive oils, cheese, nuts) each day. If I did eat sugar, I used honey.
The reason I know that I was ridiculously healthy is because of the lab test results my husband and I received after applying for medical insurance. When the tests came back, my husband received a more expensive insurance rate, and I came back with a “super preferred” rate. My blood tests, blood pressure, weight, everything were all better than normal, which was excellent considering I was in my early 40’s.
This shocked my husband so he decided to do something about it. He began jogging and eating my diet. In only 3 months, he was able to re-take the tests and get his results down to a normal range for his age. What you put into your body matters folks! There is absolutely no doubt about that.
You have to do what works for you.
You may ask then, if I was so healthy, why I would switch to this seemingly crazy, low carb way of eating. Well, what I didn’t add to the explanation above, is how incredibly hard I had to work to keep my weight within the normal range. Although the tests came back all rosy, in order to stay within my target weight for my height, I would have to go through cycles of starving myself and exercising a lot to keep my weight down, only to gain it back gradually and start the process all over again. I would cycle within 10-15 pounds all the time, carefully monitoring and adjusting all the time. Doesn’t that sound fun?!?!??
I feel so bad for people who don’t like eating vegetables and don’t like exercise. How can they possibly lose weight? I love vegetables and I love exercise and I still struggled to lose weight and had to focus on being careful everyday!
What I didn’t realize at the time was how my relationship with sugar, even that found naturally in honey and fruits, was causing my challenges and how it could be solved by eating a low carb diet.
My past regular cycle would go something like this:
I would start my day with a piece or two of whole wheat toast with cheese or else peanut butter and jam, or fruit and yogurt, or a smoothie, or a quick breakfast bar. By about 10:00 I would get hangry (so hungry I was angry). I would eat veggies and cottage cheese or some other protein. Lunch would be a healthly wrap with meat, cheese and lettuce, more veggies, some fruit and sometimes a cookie or one of those “100 calorie” snack packs. I would always crave food in the afternoon so would satisfy myself with healthy energy balls filled with peanut butter, dates, seeds and natural honey. Then I would be aching for food once I was home so would snack on some whole wheat crackers or some other tasty snack while I made a healthy supper of lean meat and grilled vegetables. If I was ambitious and felt like doing something special I would whip up a yummy dessert.
That doesn’t seem too bad does it? I ate mostly whole real foods. Definitely much healthier than a lot of people I know. Even though the food looks healthy, I was eating too frequently, causing insulin to constantly be in my blood stream to regulate the sugar levels and storing it as fat. The insulin (and its friend ghrelin) were there to tell me to eat more. The hormone leptin was supposed to be there to tell me to stop eating, but it must have been taking a nap. Speaking of nap, I would have a mental fog nearly every afternoon and would feel so sleepy.
Then I discovered the low carb way of eating and everything changed.
I clearly remember the first day I didn’t have a snack in the morning. I had a busy day at work and the next time I looked at the clock it was 12:00 and I had not eaten anything since breakfast. That had never happened before. I never understood how people could forget to eat, until that very moment.
Then I started to lose weight. I had my usual 15 pound target to make, so I kept with the plan until I had reached my goal. I was so excited! And then the strangest thing happened. I hopped on the scale one morning and had lost an additional 2 pounds! I had never, ever, “accidentally” lost weight before. Losing weight was always a challenge. Losing those pounds accidentally actually scared me so I started eating more on purpose until I went back up to my original target.
Then I noticed my constant level of energy. No more highs and lows. No more afternoon mental fog and sleepiness. I was just always the same. All day. I didn’t even realize how bad it was before.
Then I started to read more about Type 2 Diabetes after I did an online survey to detect my risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. My risk was high. Even though the food I was eating was considered healthy, I was eating in a way that would lead my cells to become insulin resistant. That was the clincher and that will probably keep me eating this way for most of my life.
So will a low carb diet cause me to die early?
I am not a fortuneteller, so I guess I can’t say for sure, but I know that based on the warning signs, my family history, and my observations of people my age, that my high carb diet was definitely taking me down a dangerous path. If a low carb diet is going to prevent me from getting Type 2 Diabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes is proven to decrease your life span, then I can say that a low carb diet will give me some additional years. Are there other factors in the low carb way of eating that will cause a decrease lifespan? I haven’t found a single credible study proving so as of yet. But I will keep looking.
So what is the healthiest way to eat?
Although I am not a doctor and would never give you medical advice, from the reading and research that I have done, I would say a healthy diet is one that:
provides you with all the nutrients you need to feel healthy
keeps your waist size and visceral fat at a healthy level
is customized to work with your lifestyle
What more can you want than that? I hope you stay open to the options out there, take a good look at how you feel and where you want your health to be and know that you are in control of your choices.
In the low carb world, cauliflower is used as a substitute for so many things, especially potatoes. I have made tater tots, Sheppard’s pie and mashed potatoes out of cauliflower. I even used to trick my kids until they figured out why the potatoes were so light and fluffy. Now they are on to my ploy and roll their eyes everytime I sneak cauliflower into a meal.
Just note: this product is not as low carb as if you made it yourself because it still contains 25 net carbs and 5g of sugar for 1/4 pizza according to fooducate.com. According to MyFitnessPal, .2 of a regular McCain frozen pepperoni and cheese pizza is 20 net carbs with 3 g of sugar.
I am not sure if all Costco locations are carrying this item, but next time you are at your local store, take a look to see! If you find it, post your location and your opinion of the product in the comments.
It is important to note that doctors are just people who have learned what they have been told through their studies and are free to create their own opinions just like the rest of us. Some have done their own research and built their own hypothesis while others follow the guidance of other doctors they know and respect.
I personally believe that you can achieve a healthy life using either a low carb high fat (LCHF) or a high carb low fat (HCLF) style of eating. It is important to note that the HCLF way of eating has never been proven to be any healthier than LCHF.
The popularity of the LCHF way of eating is snow balling, and there is a reason. It works, it is healthy, and it makes you feel great. It has not yet reached the mainstream acceptance that the HCLF way of eating has, but with support from the LCHF community, it will continue to grow, and more and more healthy people will show that this is a great way to control your weight and feel great.
Here is a video explaining the differences in opinions of doctors and the basics of nutritional ketosis.
The age of information is unbelievably amazing to me. I come from the generation where, if you wanted to find out information, you had to go to the local library and “check out” a book (usually an encyclopedia) from their limited supply. If your local library did not have the information you needed, you could order in a book from another library and wait weeks until it arrived. Then, you had to either write down the information right there and then, or take it home and copy all the information you needed using a paper and pen. There were no photocopiers or instant cameras to take a picture of the useful information.
Fast forward to today where any question we want answered is a the tip of our fingers! We have access to information and data wherever we are. With this amazing amount of information comes an amazing amount of confusion. The information often seems contradictory, misinterpreted or even incorrect. How can you know who to trust?
One of the many examples of this in my low carb journey was the question “Is butter healthy for you or not?”.
The answer is both yes and no. And I am only going to give you part of the answer in this post. To truly understand, it is important to know the back story of how it came to be a controversy in the first place. The story is fascinating and shocking. To tell the story, I came across a podcast from one of my literary heros, Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point.
In sharing the story of an inner challenge between a son and his desire to honour his father’s life work and his father’s memory, Malcolm Gladwell does a fantastic job of subtly uncovering the history behind the controversial research and studies behind whether saturated fat is unhealthy for us or not. Check out this 30 minute podcast that tells an interesting story of a Mayo Clinic Physician and one of the best controlled studies on food ever completed. http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/20-the-basement-tapes
Let me know what you think of this! The podcast is only part of the answer. Stay tuned for a future post where I fill you in on another side of the equation.
