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Dieting is hardly anything new but during the most recent decades there has been an explosion of new nutritional trends and habits. As a consumer it has become more than difficult to navigate the competing and often contradictory advice that we get, let alone finding something that is sustainable over time. It makes it even harder when some approaches that start off with weight loss results over time instead leads to weight gain, and more than often offers no true relief from health issues.
The Keto diet has on the other hand been proven to be effective and has become extremely popular for its many added health benefits. There have been many studies conducted that show how a keto lifestyle helps the body burn more fat as well as its effectiveness in reducing hunger sensation and lowering blood sugar levels. Read on below to learn how you can take charge of your own health by easily implementing the keto diet into your everyday life.
The keto diet limits carbohydrate intake and focuses on consuming a larger ratio of high fat and a moderate amount of protein. The goal is to change from burning the glucose from sugar into burning the ketones from fat and by lowering the amount of carb intake your body instead starts to use fat as your main source of energy.
The original Keto diet predominantly consists of processed meat and dairy products. These products have high fat and protein levels but lack the benefits that fresh fruits and vegetables do. Because of this I have developed my own version of the keto diet in my book that in opposition is plant-based, meet The Ketotarian.
The Ketotarian diet is heavy on whole natural plant foods instead of meat and dairy products and it is generally a plant-based take on the traditional Keto diet. This is to take the many food sensitivities that are widely experienced with traditional keto foods into account, and also not to exclude anyone who would rather eat plant-based foods. There are also risks in consuming low quality or industrially produced foods as these can increase the risk of inflammation and also has been linked to cancer.
The health benefits of following a Ketotarian diets comes as a direct result from the body burning fat rather than sugar. When you consume sugar or carbs, your body releases insulin to carry glucose around your body. In today’s society most people over consume both sugar and carbs which as a result gives us glucose levels that are too high. In short, our fuel intake is just a lot higher than the amount of fuel that we need.
When we eat an excess amount of sugar our blood sugar is toxic which can lead to many serious health issues. Any sugar that your body is unable to burn gets added to your waistline and liver as well as your circulating fat (triglycerides). High blood sugar also has an inflammatory effect on your body which can cause both stress and long-term damage. You will also experience negative side-effects on your mood and general well-being as a result of being on the blood sugar roller coaster.
The Ketotarian diet lowers blood sugar levels which also lowers insulin. When your insulin levels are lower your body needs to use different energy sources and the liver produces ketones to fuel your body. Fat burning is simply a more efficient energy source for your metabolism and also comes with a boost of other health benefits included below.
The Ketotarian diet is effective for weight loss and also for reducing hunger sensation. This results in that dieters are able to maintain a stable mood as supposed to other diets. Because of this it is also a diet that is easier to maintain for a longer amount of time.
Ketones have neuroprotective properties. A ketogenic diet protects brain function and can have a positive effect on cognitive function and memory, even for people that are suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
High amounts of fat have many negative effects on our health and especially our heart. By following a ketotarian diet you can instead improve your heart health. By lowering triglycerides and oxidized LDL, a high-healthy fat diet can instead decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering arterial plaque caused by a buildup of lipoproteins.
The ketotarian diet is known for lowering inflammation and ketosis activates the anti-inflammatory Nrf-2 pathway that decreases inflammatory cytokines and activates the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. A ketogenic diet also activates the important AMPK pathway that obstruct Nf-kB pathways that drive inflammation. By lowering inflammation the keto diet has been proven to improve skin issues such as acne.
When we reduce sugar our insulin levels also lower with time. This can reverse symptoms of diabetes type 2 over time.
While very effective, the ketotarian diets also comes with some reported challenges. If you are new to the diet you may find it challenging to navigate the many restrictions. It also takes time and knowledge to prepare meals that will fit with your specific nutritional requirements and many also find it expensive to purchase fresh and organic vegetables. Your choices for ordering takeout and eating at restaurants will also be limited so be prepared that meal prepping time will increase.
Today there are many restrictive meal plan subscriptions available that caters to a variety of diets including the ketotarian diet. Before deciding a service you should make sure that it is indeed keto friendly but also take your financial situation into account.
Daily Dose is one of the subscription based food delivery services that offers true ketotarian friendly meals that are ready to eat and delivered right to your doorstep. The meals are organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, as well as free from refined sugar. There are different plans to choose from that cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with individually packaged meals that are ready to eat.
To summarize: the Ketotarian diet comes with plenty of health benefits and many experience weight loss as well as other proven benefits. By combining the traditional keto diet with a mainly plant-based diet you can experience benefits for a wide variety of health conditions.
While we believe that weight loss is personal and, fundamentally, eating healthy should be about feeling great and nourishing your body, not trying to fit into a certain-size jean, sometimes, losing weight is part of a healthy journey. We consulted some of our favorite functional medicine doctors to see the top food they recommend to patients who are trying to lose weight.
If you’ve upleveled your nutrition and still aren’t seeing or feeling results, toxins could be the culprit. The toxins we face daily has increased tenfold in the last centuries.
A leading functional-medicine expert and New York Times-bestselling author – specializes in clinically investigating underlying factors of chronic disease and customizing health programs for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal dysfunctions, digestive disorders, and brain problems.
Dr. Cole was named one of the top 50 functional-medicine and integrative doctors in the nation and is a health expert and course instructor for the world’s largest wellness brands, such as mindbodygreen and goop. Dr. Cole advises people around the world via webcam and locally at his offices in Pittsburgh. Today, he is joining us at Daily Five to give us his top 5 reasons to fast.
