The Misinformation Around the Ketogenic diet and How to Follow this Plan Safely
It’s advertised as a weight-loss wonder.
The ketogenic diet has an extensive history. Dialing all the back to the 1920s, keto became a popular diet to use as therapy for epilepsy. It was developed as an alternative to nonmainstream fasting. Then eventually lost its appeal due to the introduction of new anticonvulsant therapies.
Although it emerged that most cases of epilepsy could be effectively controlled using these medications, they still failed to achieve epileptic control in around 20% to 30% of epileptics. For these individuals, and particularly children with epilepsy, the diet was re-introduced as a technique for managing the condition. (1)
The role of fasting as a treatment for this particular disease was studied by ancient Greek physicians and ancient Indian physicians. Describing how a man was “cured” of epilepsy from completely abstaining from food or drink.
Also during the early 20th Century, an American called Bernarr Macfadden, popularised the idea of fasting as a means of restoring health. His student osteopath, Hugh Conklin, introduced fasting as a treatment method for controlling epilepsy. Coklin proposed that epileptic seizures were caused by a toxin secreted in the intestine; and suggested that fasting for 18 to 25 days could cause the toxin to dissipate. His epileptic patients were put on a “water diet,” which he reported cured 90% of children with the condition and 50% of adults.
Analysis of the study performed later on showed that, 20% of Coklin’s patients became seizure-free. While 50% demonstrated some improvement. The fasting therapy was soon adopted as part of mainstream therapy for epilepsy. In 1916, Dr McMurray reported to the New York Medical Journal that he had successfully treated epileptic patients by prescribing a fast, followed by a diet free of starch and sugar since 1912. (1)
By 1921, the endocrinologist Rollin Woodyatt discovered water-soluble ketone bodies. Produced by the liver as a result of starvation; or if they followed a diet rich in fat and low in carbohydrates. Keto was coined and used as a treatment for epilepsy. It worked!
WHERE MCT OIL CAME FROM
What is MCT oil and why is it so popular on the ketogenic diet? MCT oil is made from a type of fat called medium-chain triglycerides. Most of the fats we eat are LCT (long-chain triglycerides). MCT oil can be absorbed into the bloodstream quickly and easily turning into energy you can use right away. MCT oil comes from coconut or palm kernel oil through a process called fractionation. Typically you can purchase 100% MCT oil, but there are some MCT oils that also contain LCT as well.
MCT oil can help your body accelerate the process of making ketone bodies.
MCT oil can be used as an energy source for your brain, instead of carbs. There is evidence around MCT oil which increases the amount of energy used by your muscles. However, research shows it might not significantly change your ability to make it through a workout. There are still studies around this.
Further research in the 1960s showed that more ketones are produced by medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) per unit of energy because they are transported quickly to the liver via the hepatic portal vein; as opposed to the lymphatic system. In 1971, Peter Huttenlocher devised a ketogenic diet where 60% of the calories came from MCT oil; which allowed more protein and carbohydrates to be included compared with the original ketogenic diet, meaning parents could prepare more enjoyable meals for their children with epilepsy. Many hospitals also adopted the MCT diet in place of the original ketogenic diet, although some used a combination of the two.(1)
HUMANS STILL NEED FOOD
Humans however need food and drink to function properly and maintain a “normal” life. Epileptics or not, the focus on what we eat and drink became popular many years ago.
Unfortunately, the American diet lost its way to healthier options even though we had the insight. A typical American diet has become a slow killer for many people. Leaving us with chronic diseases, obesity, and a never-ending cycle of bad food, medications, and an inactive lifestyle.
WITHOUT A MEDICAL CONDITION, WHY WOULD AN INDIVIDUAL DECIDE TO TRY THE KETO DIET?
The ketogenic diet will help you reprogram your genes back to the original human factory setting of being fat-and keto-adapted. What does being keto-adapted mean?
Keto is a state of metabolic efficiency where you are able to burn stored energy in the form of body fat and ketones. Being keto-adapted means that you are shifting your body’s dependency on regular high carbohydrate meals to high-fat meals. The end result is sustainable energy, mood, and cognitive focus.
Anyone would want to try this diet based on what I mentioned above. It has been advised that it takes 21 days to reset your mind and body to become keto-adapted. If it only takes three weeks to change your life, then everyone would be signing up. But still, most people cannot handle the extreme carb-cutting; or they simply think a keto diet is a person who eats ALOT of meat. This idea about meat is far from the truth, the history, and the developed methodologies that have made so many people successful on keto.
YOU CAN NORMALIZE YOUR APPETITE HORMONES
When you go keto, you will normalize your appetite hormones so that you are almost never hungry. This change-over happens very quickly and it’s an absolutely stunning revolution. If you have recently started keto and you don’t feel a shift in your body within the first 14 days, you might be doing things wrong.
The thought of a life of fasting, skipping meals and swearing off desserts, sweetened beverages, and even the grain-based comfort foods that are cultural centerpieces around the world may not sound like fun. How about the thought that eating less food cant actually bring more health or even more enjoyment of food. We have been programmed to believe that building a fast metabolism (exercising like crazy, regular meals, and frequent snacks) is the answer to weight control and high energy living.
It is indeed time to reframe your beliefs about the role of food in your metabolic function. Consider an empowering new philosophy of enjoying more (energy, balance, peak performance) from less (total calories, fewer carbohydrates).
DITCH TOXIC FOODS AND REPLACE THEM WITH NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS
When you are ready to begin this opportunity at metabolic resuscitation, make sure things in life are good for you. Stress is moderate, and you have the time and energy to devote to meeting a health challenge. The emphasis on choosing the right time is of the highest importance because you are going to hit the ground running.
It’s recommended to get the entire household on board with your change to whole foods. Accomplishing that will mean that you have to purge the pantry and fridge of all forms of sugar. Also sweets, sweetened beverages, white grains and whole grains, refined polyunsaturated vegetable oils, and any form of processed, packaged, or frozen foods.
Sugars and grains are devoid of nutritional value. They are the catalyst for the wildly excessive insulin production; that many experts agree is the cause of public health problems facing modern society. An astonishing 40 % of all restaurant calories–whether fast food or fine restaurants– come from vegetable oils. Consuming these oils is literally no different from eating radiation. Ask your waiter to use butter instead!
Grains, sugars, and bad oils promote:
- Oxidation
- Inflammation
- Fat storage
- Dysfunctional fat metabolism
- Increased risk of cancer and heart disease
- Accelerated aging.
THE MEDICAL IMPACT OF KETO
The history of the ketogenic diet is important to remember when you are considering starting the standard ketogenic diet. It is a very strict regime to follow, and most people are lacking knowledge of real food, whole food, and the differences between good and bad fats.
Consider your activity level and your daily habits, before drastically taking the plunge into resetting your entire pantry, fridge, mind, and body. This thing takes real commitment. Without dedication, keto will end up being a mediocre “fad diet” that you tried one time.
Suffering from a chronic illness, a common disease such as diabetes, PCOS are all great reasons to start and to try a ketogenic diet. Another great reason to drastically change diet and activity could be life events. These are weddings or planning to start a family, recently got a divorce, or just quit drugs and alcohol. Also, tired of feeling embarrassed of their body, tired of not being able to play with their kids, or if you suffer from depression or anxiety.
Deciding to try a ketogenic diet may be about so much more than just simply weight loss.
Weight loss is a symptom of eating keto. However, a lot of people will decide to extremely change their diet plans because they’re experiencing a life change as well.
The individual that invests the time into researching this new way of eating will quickly discover that it has many medical benefits too. Once you get your blood sugar levels under control on keto, other parts of your body start working more efficiently.
Harvard Medical wrote an incredible article about if keto is healthy, here is what they said:
‘We have solid evidence showing that a ketogenic diet reduces seizures in children, sometimes as effectively as medication. Because of these neuroprotective effects, questions have been raised about the possible benefits for other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, autism, and even brain cancer. However, there are no human studies to support recommending ketosis to treat these conditions.
Weight loss is the primary reason my patients use the ketogenic diet. Previous research shows good evidence of a faster weight loss when patients go on a ketogenic or very low carbohydrate diet compared to participants on a more traditional low-fat diet, or even a Mediterranean diet. However, that difference in weight loss seems to disappear over time.
A ketogenic diet improves blood sugar control for patients with type 2 diabetes, at least in the short term. There is even more controversy when we consider the effect on cholesterol levels. A few studies show some patients have increase in cholesterol levels in the beginning; only to see cholesterol fall a few months later. However, there is no long-term research analyzing its effects over time on diabetes and high cholesterol.’
Earlier on we determined and reiterated that humans need food to thrive. Many individuals who follow a ketogenic diet properly usually end up practicing intermittent fasting or every other day of fasting. This is unnecessary unless you have a medical condition.
Keto is for you if you’re a healthy individual who has an overall goal to lose weight, increase energy, and clear out brain fog. It doesn’t mean you have to eat bacon cheese and sausage at every meal. But it does mean you do have to get rid of your best friend, sugar.
The shocking uncovering of sugar content in American foods will be life-changing alone. Find your reason, and try it out for yourself, you might actually like staying away from bread.
