Six common beliefs addressed, Part 16

1. I am tempted by delicious fast food. Are there any quick "keto" meals?

No. The only quick "keto" meal that exists, is body fat.

2. I need a cheating day in order to continue this diet.

You are only cheating yourself. If you chose to commit to this new lifestyle, there is no such thing as cheating, except on your own health. If you are still needing to cheat, because this new lifestyle is too difficult to follow, or the benefits are not worth it, then you might not be ready for a change.

3. I am always hungry.

Hunger is subjective. A lot of people claim to be hungry, when in reality they are just craving a certain food item or wanting the experience of having something to eat.

That doesn't mean that there won't be times when you will be legitimately hungry. You may be hungry when you begin a new diet , because the body has not become hormonally adapted to it yet. You can become hungry during your fasting times, if your fasting regimen is occurring at the times that you use to eat. When circadian rhythms are changed, the body will still send out the same signals as it did before the change. If you always ate dinner and you don't any more, expect to be hungry around dinner time, until the body adjusts.

Hunger is not abnormal or an indication that your lifestyle is not working. It's a natural state for the body to be in and it's driven by all sorts of reasons. In the modern Western world there is only one reason it is not driven by - need.

4. Are "healthy fats" important?

Healthy fats or natural fats are superior to man made, industrial fats from "vegetable" oils. They are recognized well, by the body, so they are cleared efficiently and they transport needed vitamins properly. That's the only importance they have. They do not make any contribution to weight loss.

They are not a vehicle of satiety and should not be used as such. Protein is the macronutrient of satiety. Fat should also not be used as "fuel". The most important part of your diet, which contributes to weight loss, is carbohydrate restriction, so you can use your own body fat as fuel.

5. Are supplements necessary?

The only times supplements are necessary is when you are deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral. You need to discuss, with your healthcare provider, the appropriate tests required to determine if you have a true deficiency. You can guide yourself by conventional medicine values or you can get a second opinion from a functional medicine doctor. In conventional medicine, values that are deemed as "normal" do not necessarily reflect optimal. Conventional medicine uses, as normal values, the absolute minimum values that the body can have without showing signs of disease. You do not want to live just one point above disease, you want to live optimally.

You also want to make sure that you do not just check serum (blood) values. You need to know if the vitamin or mineral is actually getting into your cells. You might have a high serum value, of a particular vitamin or mineral, making it appear that you aren't deficient. In actuality, your serum values are high because the vitamin or mineral is not making it into the cell where it's needed. Your healthcare provider should be aware of this, and if they aren't, you need to remind them before they order your tests. Aside from, or instead of, serum values you need to check intracellular values, known as RBC values.

Another reason you do not want to supplement yourself, without professional advice, is because certain vitamins and minerals only work properly in the right environment. For instance, calcium supplementation has been found to increase mortality. This could be because calcium alongside high inflammation causes health issues, but calcium without inflammation is beneficial. In this context, there was a reason the body was keeping its calcium low. It was protecting itself from it. When a certain vitamin or mineral is low, there can be a biological reason for it and not necessarily a "deficiency". Vitamins and minerals also work alongside each other. You might be low in Vitamin D, because you're deficient in Vitamin K2 and/or K7, not necessarily because you need more Vitamin D.

People who are practicing a ketogenic lifestyle often times become deficient in Magnesium, because low insulin levels cause low water retention. Taking a 400 IU of Magnesium, is often recommended to ward off muscle cramps.

Electrolyte supplementation is a must for many people who follow carbohydrate restriction and intermittent fasting. Because electrolytes work together and too much of them can be as harmful as too little, you should consult with your healthcare provider to obtain a recommendation.

Modern food is often too low in vitamins and minerals, so if you are concerned with this, you can take a good quality, co-enzymated and chelated multivitamin.

Always consult with your healthcare provider about any supplements you intend on taking.

6. Is a plant based diet healthier?

There has never been any proof of this. The only proof available is that when you are mindful of what foods you eat, eliminate junk foods, exercise and implement other healthy practices into your lifestyle, it reduces the occurrence of the "diseases of civilization" and extends lifespan. You can do this eating only meat, if you wish.

Meat has all of the bioavailable vitamins and minerals, needed for a human being, complete protein and useable Omega 3 fats. It also has all of the fatty acids required for vitamins to be absorbed properly. The human body does not need anything else. It makes its own antioxidants, it does not have any need for fiber and it requires very little Vitamin C, in the absence of grains and sugar.