Ketogenic Diet

For those that have not tried a ketogenic diet before, and are not reaching their goals with their current approach, then this would be the challenge to try. A ketogenic diet is an excellent protocol for treating metabolic diseases, not because of the ketones it can produce, but because of its effects on blood glucose regulation due to very tight restriction of carbohydrate. That's where the magic of ketogenic diets occur.

There are many iterations of ketogenic diets online, but unfortunately, most of them are wrong. So, to avoid 'Feto' - Fad Keto, and the disasters it can cause, this challenge will be inspired by the advice of true ketogenic experts - Virta Health.

Virta Health offers dietary treatment plans for many different types of metabolic diseases. This company is partnered by Drs. Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek, who are both renowned experts on low carbohydrate diets and metabolic health. After all, these doctors wrote 'The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance', which is considered a ketogenic Bible, by many.

Virta Health's mission is to reverse type II diabetes in 100 million people by the year 2025. Their recent 1 year peer reviewed study was used by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to recognize lower carbohydrate diets for the management of diabetes.

As if that wasn't enough, Virta Health published another study on their success in reversing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

OVERVIEW:

• Ketogenic diets are very low in carbohydrate, moderate in protein and high in fat.
• This diet is safe to follow for the entire month or for life.
• The goal of this diet is to stabilize blood glucose, lower insulin levels, allow the body to burn fat as its primary fuel and enter into a state of nutritional ketosis. For an in-depth explanation of ketosis, you can read my article on Ketogenic Diets.
• This is not the "classic" ketogenic diet, which is used for the treatment of epilepsy, cancer or neurodegeneration, as that would require medical supervision. Instead, this type of nutritional ketosis is primarily used to treat obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases through the severe restriction of carbohydrate.
• A well formulated ketogenic diet is the key to success and for Virta Health, this means that the diet must include these non-negotiables:
  --The maintenance and improvement of lean body mass.
  --Be composed of whole, unprocessed foods.
  --Have effective electrolyte, mineral and hydration management.
  --Use fat as the provider of the majority of energy in all phases.
  --Achieve credible and demonstrable long term maintenance.

RULES:

• Adequate daily protein can range from 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of ideal body weight. *Virta refers to ideal body weight as "reference weight", because they feel they are not in a position to make specific weight recommendations.
• Fat is "eaten to satiety", but Virta recognizes the issues associated with this practice. Most people who suffer from metabolic disease and obesity do not have proper satiety signaling, so telling them to "eat to satiety", especially an energy macronutrient like fat, can be extremely problematic. This is why this term is not used, on this blog, for anything other than protein. For this reason, Virta has a limit for fat intake of 60 - 100 grams a day for weight loss and 100 - 200 grams a day for maintenance.
• Due to individual variability, carbohydrates can range anywhere between 30 - 70 grams a day. No more than 30 grams a day is best for people with insulin resistance. Virta recommends counting total carbohydrates, not net carbohydrates.
• Macronutrient examples for the day:
  Induction - 80 - 120 grams of protein, 30 - 50 grams of carbohydrate, 60 - 100 grams of fat
  Maintenance - 80 - 120 grams of protein, 30 - 70 grams of carbohydrate, 100 - 200 grams of fat
• Daily sodium intake requirements, for a typical adult, is recommended to be 4 - 5 grams a day, except for those taking medications for hypertension or congestive heart failure.
• This diet usually does not track calories, but if the person continues eating past satiation or purposefully consumes fats in excess, for the purpose of increasing ketone values, then calorie tracking is required.
• Virta Health does not recommend fasting for longer than 24 hours. A maximum of 24 hour fasts can only be done if the person is reaching their recommended daily grams of protein a day, and is not on any diabetic medications.

KEEP IN MIND:

• Do not chase ketones. The presence of ketones does not mean you are burning body fat or reversing metabolic disease. The focus of this diet should be results. The only thing you should be tracking is body fat loss and the improvement of metabolic markers. Keep the above recommended dietary fat intake limits in mind, so you don't go over them.
• As with all carbohydrate restricted diets, keep electrolytes in mind and supplement accordingly. At least 5 grams of table salt, every day. A recommended electrolyte guide can be found here.
• If you are a type II diabetic, on medications, do not start this protocol without first discussing it with your healthcare professional, as combining this diet, alongside glucose lowering medications, can cause dangerously low blood glucose.

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information, educational videos, recipes and a list of foods that can be eaten, visit Virta Health.