When trying to explain to some enquiring clients that I have been on a 60% fat based diet and struggling to maintain my weight, the typical response is ….. what … how is that possible? I suppose I can understand the resistance (no pun intended) to believe that fat can help people loss weight, if you just think about it logically. The reality is that when you understand the biochemistry of metabolism it becomes more clear that a high “healthy” fat diet has a very positive effect on several of our hormones that control metabolism.
A typical diet, consisting mostly of carbohydrates, has an immediate effect on the hormone insulin. When insulin levels rise to control the incoming simple sugars, produced from the carbohydrate, our bodies use any additional sugar to produce fat. Overtime these spikes and subsequent declines in blood sugar can start to raise cortisol levels. Our bodies use cortisol (the stress hormone) to survive when our blood sugar becomes low by releasing sugar into the blood stream. This sugar can be made from our own muscle and when all of this newly made sugar is not able to be used as energy it can be made into fat and redistributed to the abdomen.
Overtime, this blood sugar roller coaster, with lack of physical activity, results in resistance to insulin, higher cortisol levels and abdominal weight gain. This also leads to sugar cravings amongst many many other potential symptoms and conditions, from neuropsychiatric concerns to immune deficiencies.
A high “healthy” fat diet completely eliminates this blood sugar roller coaster because much lower levels of insulin are produced in response to fat. Further, fats are absorbed by our digestive system at a much slower rate so they provide a more steady stream of energy to our bodies. Fats also keep us feeling more satisfied and emotionally stable.
Simply, this diet can allow people to eat more calories and maintain or loss weight while feeling stable and calm about doing it! Oh wait … I forgot to mention that if you have been on the roller coaster for a long time it can be a bit tricky to get off.
The following resources can be helpful in starting a ketogenic diet. Read through them carefully and prepare to feel a little strange at the beginning.
Programming your ketogenic diet
Posted Saturday, February 15, 2014 by Dr. David Jockers
Ketogenic diets are all the rage as they have been shown in studies to reduce inflammation, improve metabolism and enhance brain function. Many individuals do not know how to successfully enter into and maintain ketosis. Natural ketosis is an incredible physiological state that can be measured and cycled or maintained for excellent health.
Many people continue to confuse natural ketosis with the pathological ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is due to an extreme insulin deficiency such as in type I diabetes and advanced type II diabetes. In this condition the concentration of ketones are 10 times higher than in natural ketosis. In ketoacidosis, the blood sugar is also extremely high while in natural ketosis the blood sugar and stable and low.
How are ketones formed
The body has two major energy sources, it burns glucose or ketone bodies. The majority of people burn glucose primarily because they are constantly supplying a steady form of sugar, starches and proteins that can be turned into blood sugar. When one either fasts or goes on a low-carb, moderate protein and high fat diet they switch their energy source to fat.
In particular, the fatty acids are broken down into ketone bodies. The three major forms of ketones produced in the body include Acetoacetate, Acetone and Beta HydroxyButyric acid. These are released into the blood from the liver when insulin levels are low and hepatic liver metabolism is increased.
Measuring ketone levels
There are three ways to measure ketone body formation: breath, urine and blood. Breath testing measures acetone, urine measures acetoacetate levels and blood looks at beta-hydroxybutyric acid. Blood measurements are the most accurate but the testing is more expensive. All three areas can help guide you to understand how to maintain ketosis with your unique biochemistry.
The skin prick blood spot test is the most accurate way to measure ketosis. Most people will enter into a light nutritional ketosis (between 0.5-1.0 mmol/L on the meter) within two or three days. It typically takes two to three weeks to get into a stable optimal ketosis of 1.5-3.0 mmol/L.
Urine ketosis shows the amount of ketones that are not being used through metabolism. Some people will be in ketosis, yet only show low levels of ketones on their urine strips. Others will show higher levels. The more energy you are expending (exercise, physical work, etc.) the more you will use ketones as an energy source and the less ketones will be in your urine. However, if you were relatively sedentary you may very well notice more ketones in your urine.
The ketogenic nutrition plan
The body stores protein as lean muscle tissue and carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. During ketosis the body is primarily burning fatty acids in the form of ketosis and it is preserving protein and glycogen stores. This creates a physiological state of fat adaption where the body is burning through fat stores.
The result of fat adaption is improved lean body tissue, better brain function, overall satiety and well-being, improved energy and more restful sleep among other things. You become fat adapted by building all your meals around good fats sources such as avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, pastured butter, nuts and seeds and organ meats.
This nutrition plan has good fat sources making up 60-80 percent of total calories. Protein makes up 10-25 percent of calories based on physical demands. Someone who is exercising more intensely will need about 20-25 percent of calories from protein whereas someone is sedentary or doing lighter forms of exercise who should be on 10-15 percent of calories from protein. Carbohydrates make up around 10-15 percent of total calories.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/043922_ketosis_ketogenic_diet_weight_loss.html#ixzz2tcuzvf00
Meal planning for a ketogenic diet
Posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 by Dr. David Jockers
There is a growing segment of the natural health movement that endorses the ketogenic diet as the best nutritional approach. The biggest challenge that people have is navigating how to set up meals to maintain ketosis.
When meal planning on a ketogenic diet, you will have to take into account your unique metabolism. Some people do great with intermittent fasting where they go 16-18 hours without a calorie source. Other individuals who have adrenal fatigue may need to eat every four hours or so to maintain stable blood sugar and elevate ketones appropriately.
What do you eat for breakfast?
If you are a coffee drinker, I recommend using an organic, mold-free coffee and putting 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 teaspoons of pastured butter in it. This combines the benefits of the caffeine and antioxidants in the coffee with the medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs) in the coconut oil and butter. These MCTs go right to the liver, where they are converted to ketones and used for energy.
You could make something similar with raw cacao and make a hot chocolate or chocolate milk depending on what season it is and what you would like. The chocolate milk could use organic coconut milk (full-fat) which is very creamy and provides the same MCTs as the coconut oil.
How about some real solid foods?
You could also cook some pastured eggs in coconut oil. This is a little more challenging on the digestive system than the drinks above, but it provides more quality nutrients, as the eggs have tons of choline and carotenoid antioxidants. You could throw some non-starchy veggies in with the eggs and put some olive oil on top for more beneficial fats.
Finally, you could make a protein shake with full-fat organic coconut milk, or organic almond milk with 2 tbsp of coconut oil added. You would have a small amount of frozen, organic berries and about 15-20 grams of a quality, low-carb protein powder. The protein could be a hemp, pea, brown rice or non-denatured whey source. Be sure not to put too much berries or protein in it.
How about lunch:
Lunch could be a number of things such as a creamy guacamole with coconut milk, lemon, apple cider vinegar (ACV) and herbs. You can serve this with flax crackers or with kale chips, red cabbage, celery, cucumbers, etc. You could also have a big salad (without tomatoes or fruit) with diced avocado, freshly squeezed lemon, extra-virgin olive oil and herbs.
During the wintertime, you may want to have some bone broth stew with grass-fed beef bones and meat or pastured chicken bones and meat. Load it up with non-starchy veggies, and you have an incredibly nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest meal.
You could also have a nice performance-enhancing treat such as a coconut cacao butter ball. This is a combination of coconut oil/butter, raw cacao and stevia for flavor. This is high in good MCT’s and antioxidants from the raw cacao.
What’s for dinner?
Due to the lack of hunger when the body is in ketosis, some choose to fast through dinner or just have some organic bone broth. Others choose to make dinner their largest meal and sometimes their only meal of the day.
Great dinner options include a healthy meat source such as bison, grass-fed beef, lamb, venison, organic poultry, etc. Combine this with steamed, sauteed or raw non-starchy veggies. Anything that is grilled or sauteed should be bathed in tons of coconut oil. After the dish is complete, be sure to add in generous amounts of extra-virgin olive oil, ACV, freshly squeezed lemon and herbs.
It is always a good idea to stick with a clean meat, lots of veggies, good oils, lemon/ACV and herbs for dinner. Just rotate out the different types of meat and veggies for some variety. You could also do soups and stews, which are particularly good in the wintertime.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/043878_ketogenic_diet_meal_planning_organic_food.html#ixzz2t7I9mSui
Coconut oil can help reduce belly fat, study finds
Posted on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 by Michael Ravensthorpe
While the “superfood” label is often overused in natural health circles, most researchers will admit that coconut oil deserves it. This edible oil, which is produced from the flesh of coconuts, has been shown to possess amazing antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties, improve blood cholesterol levels, boost energy and much more. However, a peer-reviewed Brazilian study has also found that consuming just 30 millimeters (1 ounce) of coconut oil a day can help treat abdominal obesity – providing yet more evidence that healthy saturated fats are essential for long-term weight loss.
For the study, which was published in the medical journal Lipids, the researchers assembled 40 female volunteers between the ages of 20 and 40 who suffered from abdominal obesity. Over a 12-week period, the women were given 30 millimeters of either soybean oil or coconut oil on a daily basis.
During this time, the volunteers were instructed to follow their regular diet and walk for 50 minutes per day. At the end of the 12-week period, the researchers found that the women who were given the coconut oil experienced a significant reduction in both BMI and waist circumference, as well as an increase in “good” HDL cholesterol. These results were not found in the group that was given soybean oil.
“It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity,” the researchers concluded.
Coconut oil contains fats that aid weight loss
Though coconut oil was demonized for decades due to its considerable saturated fat content, scientists now understand that there is a big difference between the long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) found in foods like cheese and meat and the medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) found in foods like coconut oil. Unlike the former, which must be broken down in the intestines and transported to the blood before they can be used for energy, the latter are metabolized very quickly and actually bypass the fat cells in which they might otherwise be stored. For this reason, dieters who choose to receive their fats from MCT-rich foods like coconut oil will experience the greatest long-term results.
Note: The best kind of coconut oil to purchase is organic, raw coconut oil. Refined coconut oil, which has been bleached and deodorized, has a compromised nutritional profile and, depending on the manner in which it was processed, might even contain harmful trans fats. Therefore, make sure that you always choose raw coconut oil that was extracted from fresh coconut meat. This kind of oil will possess the unmistakable scent of coconut, signifying minimal processing.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/043875_coconut_oil_belly_fat_weight_loss.html#ixzz2t7IQ5XzB