People assume that their cravings and/or desire to eat certain foods means that somehow the diet is not working for them or they haven't been "cured" yet. Obesity is a lifestyle choice that is influenced by environment and this is one of the effects of that environment.
We live in a society where we are constantly being bombarded with food. It's everywhere. It's in the media, in every corner and at every event. There is no escape from it. Of course, you will want to eat these foods, as you come across them. The temptations are everywhere and it has nothing to do with your state of metabolic health. It's a natural, biological effect. It doesn't matter if you have been on a ketogenic diet for 50 years, if you see ice cream, you will more than likely, want it.
Craving, wanting, desiring something does not mean you have to react to it. You will have to find a way to live with these feelings and bypass them or you will not be able to live in society at all. You can not expect for something else to control these feelings, besides yourself. Avoidance and "getting cured" are not going to come to the rescue. You are your only rescuer. Society is not going to change for you. It is not going to provide a soft cushion and censor its food porn, so that you are no longer tempted. Following a ketogenic diet is not going to magically erase the part of your brain that knows these junk foods are delicious. You have to make the decision, each and every time, to not eat things that don't belong in your body. Nothing else is going to make this decision for you.
With time, you might lose interest in 90% of the foods you used to enjoy, because there are other foods now that have taken their place, but this will never be a 100%. Some interest and desire will always remain. You have to learn to live with it and realize that it's just a mental desire and not a physical need, that requires acting upon.
2. I was told that coconut nectar and syrup are healthier than sugar.
The food industry is now hiding the sugar in their junk food by giving it special names like "coconut nectar", "coconut sugar", "coconut syrup", "turbinado sugar", "date sugar", "muscovado sugar", etc. All of these unfamiliar names make it appear as if they are healthy ingredients and that they have nothing to do with sugar.
NEWS FLASH! - These are all still sugar and your blood glucose doesn't give an iota of care about where it from or in what stage of refinement it's in. Sugar, regardless of its name or refinement will affect blood glucose homeostasis negatively.
You must read ingredients and not be fooled by fancy terminology. Any "nectar" or "syrup", regardless of where it comes from, is sugar to the body. The body doesn't make a distinction if the sugar comes from cane, beets, dates or a rock. It doesn't matter if it's honey or maple syrup. It's all metabolized in the exact same way as plain old, white Dixie Crystals from a sugar bowl.
Don't let the food industry fool you and take your hard earned money by selling you roadkill labeled as mink. It's still roadkill. In the end, you are being robbed, while they get rich. Their wealth won't benefit you at all, since it won't help pay your medical bills.
3. My '23&Me' results say I can’t eat a high fat diet.
This is the default result of 23&Me, when it comes to diet. I have not come across a single person who has gotten a result that recommends a low carbohydrate diet, much less a high fat diet. If the DNA they receive is human, the diet they will recommend will magically mirror the dietary guidelines. Not surprising. They might get in big trouble if it didn't.
Do not use this test to determine what diet you should follow, because it's not reliable. Your health goals and results should be your only determining factor for choosing a diet.
4. My depression/anxiety has increased, since I began restricting carbohydrates and fasting.
When you consume a meal that's heavy in carbohydrates, your blood glucose rises abnormally and your body responds by releasing excess insulin. Insulin not only lowers glucose, but it also lowers the concentration of most amino acids. The one amino acid that doesn't decrease, in response to insulin, is tryptophan, which is converted in the brain to serotonin. When insulin lowers the concentrations of other amino acids, tryptophan is able to pass into the brain more readily. The body adapts to this condition, especially when this has been happening for decades. Any changes to this hormonal adaptation will result in side effects.
When insulin levels suddenly drop, because of carbohydrate restriction and fasting, serotonin levels can be affected and this can cause multiple side effects like mood changes, sleep disturbances, etc. It can aggravate pre-existing conditions like depression and anxiety. It's similar to what happens if you suddenly stop a psychotropic medication, because, technically, it is similar.
Usually these effects, though uncomfortable, are transient and will decrease as the body adapts to its new metabolic state, but for others, this can become a serious problem. This is especially true if prescription medications are involved. These symptoms need to be discussed with a healthcare professional, if they persist. If you are on prescription medication, for the treatment of any psychological condition, you must discuss any diet change with your doctor, prior to implementation.
5. Does having an energy drink break a fast?
A lot of people will ask the question of whether an energy drink, diet drink, chewing gum, etc. will break their fast. If you feel the need to ask, then you might already know the answer: YES.
Anything that you can taste, breaks a fast, regardless of caloric content. Incretin hormones, released from the small intestine, have been found to respond to chewing, taste and smell and not just to the presence of food in the digestive tract. They actually begin working before food reaches the stomach. Your mouth is the first part of your digestive tract.
Incretins stimulate the release of insulin. In people with diabetes and other metabolic abnormalities, the insulin stimulation of incretin hormones has been found to be upregulated. So, chewing and tasting stimulates even more insulin in people with these metabolic pathologies.
When you fast, fast. When you eat, eat. Shorten your fasts until you can do a water only fast. Long fasts while eating, are not fasting. Fasting is by definition, not eating. There is a word for eating while fasting, it’s called snacking.
Drink coffee and tea during your eating window only. The clearer the definition of fasting becomes, the clearer the action required is.
6. Is the purpose of a ketogenic diet to be in a caloric deficit?
The purpose of being in nutritional ketosis is to burn your own body fat through the better regulation of blood glucose which in turns causes a reduction of insulin levels/expression.
The reason there is no caloric deficit, when insulin levels are low, is because you are still eating, even while you're fasting. You're eating from your own body fat. The low insulin allows the body to make up for any dietary caloric deficit, through the break down of body fat. Rump roast is on the menu, from your own behind, and it's an all you can eat buffet that's open 24 hours.
You must read ingredients and not be fooled by fancy terminology. Any "nectar" or "syrup", regardless of where it comes from, is sugar to the body. The body doesn't make a distinction if the sugar comes from cane, beets, dates or a rock. It doesn't matter if it's honey or maple syrup. It's all metabolized in the exact same way as plain old, white Dixie Crystals from a sugar bowl.
Don't let the food industry fool you and take your hard earned money by selling you roadkill labeled as mink. It's still roadkill. In the end, you are being robbed, while they get rich. Their wealth won't benefit you at all, since it won't help pay your medical bills.
3. My '23&Me' results say I can’t eat a high fat diet.
This is the default result of 23&Me, when it comes to diet. I have not come across a single person who has gotten a result that recommends a low carbohydrate diet, much less a high fat diet. If the DNA they receive is human, the diet they will recommend will magically mirror the dietary guidelines. Not surprising. They might get in big trouble if it didn't.
Do not use this test to determine what diet you should follow, because it's not reliable. Your health goals and results should be your only determining factor for choosing a diet.
4. My depression/anxiety has increased, since I began restricting carbohydrates and fasting.
When you consume a meal that's heavy in carbohydrates, your blood glucose rises abnormally and your body responds by releasing excess insulin. Insulin not only lowers glucose, but it also lowers the concentration of most amino acids. The one amino acid that doesn't decrease, in response to insulin, is tryptophan, which is converted in the brain to serotonin. When insulin lowers the concentrations of other amino acids, tryptophan is able to pass into the brain more readily. The body adapts to this condition, especially when this has been happening for decades. Any changes to this hormonal adaptation will result in side effects.
When insulin levels suddenly drop, because of carbohydrate restriction and fasting, serotonin levels can be affected and this can cause multiple side effects like mood changes, sleep disturbances, etc. It can aggravate pre-existing conditions like depression and anxiety. It's similar to what happens if you suddenly stop a psychotropic medication, because, technically, it is similar.
Usually these effects, though uncomfortable, are transient and will decrease as the body adapts to its new metabolic state, but for others, this can become a serious problem. This is especially true if prescription medications are involved. These symptoms need to be discussed with a healthcare professional, if they persist. If you are on prescription medication, for the treatment of any psychological condition, you must discuss any diet change with your doctor, prior to implementation.
5. Does having an energy drink break a fast?
A lot of people will ask the question of whether an energy drink, diet drink, chewing gum, etc. will break their fast. If you feel the need to ask, then you might already know the answer: YES.
Anything that you can taste, breaks a fast, regardless of caloric content. Incretin hormones, released from the small intestine, have been found to respond to chewing, taste and smell and not just to the presence of food in the digestive tract. They actually begin working before food reaches the stomach. Your mouth is the first part of your digestive tract.
Incretins stimulate the release of insulin. In people with diabetes and other metabolic abnormalities, the insulin stimulation of incretin hormones has been found to be upregulated. So, chewing and tasting stimulates even more insulin in people with these metabolic pathologies.
When you fast, fast. When you eat, eat. Shorten your fasts until you can do a water only fast. Long fasts while eating, are not fasting. Fasting is by definition, not eating. There is a word for eating while fasting, it’s called snacking.
Drink coffee and tea during your eating window only. The clearer the definition of fasting becomes, the clearer the action required is.
6. Is the purpose of a ketogenic diet to be in a caloric deficit?
The purpose of being in nutritional ketosis is to burn your own body fat through the better regulation of blood glucose which in turns causes a reduction of insulin levels/expression.
The reason there is no caloric deficit, when insulin levels are low, is because you are still eating, even while you're fasting. You're eating from your own body fat. The low insulin allows the body to make up for any dietary caloric deficit, through the break down of body fat. Rump roast is on the menu, from your own behind, and it's an all you can eat buffet that's open 24 hours.
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