The Ketogenic diet is the go to diet of 2018. The Ketogenic diet has however been around for years, it does have some wonderful benefits when done correctly, but it is proof on why not all eating plans are right for you.
A Ketogenic diet uses fat as the major energy source to fuel your body. There are three main fuel sources for the body, these are known as macro nutrients; carbohydrates, protein and fat.
- Carbohydrates, for every 1g we gain 4 calories of energy. Carbohydrates are the bodies go to energy source. Your body breaks down these carbohydrates into sugars which are then absorbed into the blood stream. As your blood sugar levels rise, your pancreas will release insulin to help the cells uptake this sugar to be used as energy.
- Fat, for every 1g we gain 9 calories of energy. This is the most concentrated of the 3 energy sources. When restricting carbohydrates, fats are the next preferred source of energy, your body will break down the fats into ketones which the body then uses for energy, this process is called ketosis.
- Protein, for every 1g we gain 4 calories of energy. Protein for energy is used when your body is lacking carbohydrates or fats. When proteins are ingested they are broken down into amino acids, majority of these amino acids are then used by the body to build muscle and repair tissues.
By restricting carbohydrates, generally to 10-15% of your daily intake of calories, while keeping protein moderate 20-30%, your body will switch to burning fats, known as ketosis, saving the protein for the muscle building and repair we mentioned earlier.
The Ketogenic diet has been found to have wonderful benefits:
-Fat Loss/Weight Loss
-Cancer prevention and treatment
-Diabetes Type 2 treatment
-Alzheimers improvement
-Cravings disappeared
The foods you eat on a ketogenic diet must be healthy fats such as fat bombs like avocado, nuts, grass fed meats, and dairy (if you are not sensitive). Please don't eat poor quality fats and expect good health.
If this sounds like something you would like to try, grab this book first, Fat for Fuel is written by a Doctor and shows the healthy way to go keto. Find the book here
Well that doesn't sound that bad, why won't it work for me?
My genes show I am likely to be more sensitive to dietary fats affecting my cholesterol levels. Good cholesterol is essential for good health. If I personally eat a diet higher in saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, I am genetically more likely to see an increase in my "bad" cholesterol count and a decrease in my "good" cholesterol count. This would open me up to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. I need to work at keeping my diet lower in fat, generally less than 4% of my daily calories should come from polyunsaturated fats and less than 8% fat in general, meaning most of my diet should consist of carbohydrates and proteins.
Tip:
To find out if the ketogenic diet may work wonders for your health, book in to see your GP for a cholesterol analysis and consider undertaking your genetic wellness test and let me help develop a plan that works for your DNA.