1. Is eating the "right foods" the key to reversing diabetes?
No.
The key to "reversing diabetes", which is a quack term we don't like to use on this blog, is obtaining proper blood glucose regulation, since diabetes is the result of improper blood glucose regulation. Diet has a profound effect on blood glucose regulation so following a diet that helps you control your blood glucose, will ultimately help you treat diabetes. After all, you do not want a diet that interferes with your treatment or exacerbates the condition. Describing this as eating the "right foods" is too vague.
The "right foods" also does not address other things which contribute to improper blood glucose regulation besides diet. Exercise, body fat percentage, certain chronic conditions, medications, eating/fasting habits, caffeine intake and systemic stress are all involved in the way your body handles its blood glucose so they all have to be addressed.
Diabetes is not a dietary "disease". It is a lifestyle "disease". This is why diet alone cannot "reverse" it. You don't want to be like these people who remain with an HbA1C at 5.6 and think they have been "cured" because it's no longer 11.
2. Is it possible that you end up trading one disease for another when you follow "keto"? I followed the "keto" diet, and now I have heart disease. I need a stent because of all that fat I ate.
Unfortunately, this occurs all too often.
There is no one diet that is perfect for everything. You have to choose the battle you want to fight because you won't win the war. You will die on the hill of your choice. We all end up dying. Every time something is treated, something else worsens because what is great for one thing, is not for another. Resting is great on the feet but everything else is sacrificed including your behind from sitting on it all day. Everything is a trade off including medications. They are good for what they treat, but not so good for what they don't.
Diets that are very good for treating diabetes have long been known to not be so good for certain cardiovascular conditions and vice versa. This doesn't apply to everyone. There are some people who genetically have an adverse reaction to saturated fat intake as it negatively effects their lipid profile and function. Of course, when they swap the saturated fat for plant oils, it might help them ward of this negative lipid effect, but it increases their risk for fatty liver and other metabolic conditions which can ultimately end in cardiovascular disease. It's a vicious circle.
As I said in the beginning, when you treat one thing, something else falls apart. It's the nature of the universe. Anyone who has delved into physics, in any way, knows this. "Things fall apart, the center does not hold."
Now I don't know if what happened to you was the result of your "keto" protocol. It very well could be, especially if you were following the "keto" diet found online where you can eat a bottle of mayonnaise as a meal. But it ultimately depends on what caused your heart disease. Was it malfunctioning lipids or something else? Heart disease is not solely lipid related. There are other factors that cause it as well. Some take decades to develop so blaming your "keto" diet for it is myopic and won't help you reduce your real risk factors.
You need to talk to your doctor to get a clear and precise reason as to what caused your heart disease and then make the dietary modifications needed to correct it.
3. What is a "BBBE Diet"?
A "BBBE Diet" is an acronym for beef, butter, bacon and eggs. This is basically a fad protocol like the weekend Juice Diet or the month long Rice Diet. This is not to mention the week long Fasting Diet. Remember when people would throw up before the prom so they could fit their dress or not drink any fluids the day before the wrestling weigh-in? This is sort of like that.
These practices are considered "hacks" to manipulate your scale weight temporarily but they are really just weight loss scams. Tabloids feature a new one daily. There was even a Twinkie Diet making its rounds one time and it actually worked. We all remember the McDonald's Diet. That worked too. People find the effects produced by diet changes fascinating for some reason. But the mechanism behind this is quite simple, not very fascinating at all and it's the same for all diets.
When you go from a high carb, Standard American Diet to a BBBE diet (or any diet for that matter), insulin levels lower or rather insulin expression lowers, and you start losing water weight. Insulin is an anti diuretic, so when it lowers, water is lost. Simple calorie restriction does the same thing. This water weight loss causes you to go from being unable to fit into your pants to suddenly being able to zip them up. The more obese you are, the more drastic the water loss, causing significant "weight loss" for some in a very short period of time. Of course, this is short lived. Little by little the weight goes right back on as the body compensates and regulates its electrolytes accordingly, retaining the water it needs to.
Be careful with junk like this. It's not a sustainable or realistic protocol for the long term. I have said it on here many times before - metabolic dysfunction can only be treated with long term protocols. So unless you are a person who particularly loves beef, butter, bacon and eggs, and also have intact leptin expression, to deal with all that dietary fat, I would stay away from this and find a real protocol to follow. You definitely do not want to end up like the people who follow this stuff and can't fit through a door.
4. I have keratosis pilaris and was told in a low carb group that it can be "cured" by eating "keto".
Low carb groups will tell you anything can be cured by eating "keto" or whatever other silly diet they are promoting.
Keratosis pilaris is caused by the buildup of keratin — a hard protein that protects skin from harmful substances and infection. The keratin blocks the opening of hair follicles, causing patches of rough, bumpy skin. It's not clear why the keratin builds up in some people. It may occur in association with a genetic disease or with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis. Dry skin tends to make keratosis pilaris worse. This condition tends to be more common in people under 30 years of age.
I have a patch of keratosis pilaris on the side of my leg. It just so happens this area rests on top of my other leg when I cross them. So it seems like any friction can also cause keratosis pilaris in some people. Go figure.
Keratosis pilaris can't be "cured" or prevented. But you can treat it with moisturizers and prescription creams to help improve the appearance of the skin. Like with acne, rashes, eczema, etc., the diet you eat can change the microbiome of your skin and may altar these conditions for the better or worse or not at all. It's the luck of the draw.
Low carb diets are intended to treat metabolic conditions, not ingrown toe nails, receding hairlines, crooked noses or any other ailment.
5. I heard that I can add heavy whipping cream to my coffee while fasting. It is called a "dirty fast".
No, it is called eating. This is not rocket science. Having any calories/taste while fasting is called eating.
6. Why do they serve such "bad food" at hospitals and nursing homes?
"Bad" is subjective.
Hospitals usually have a menu where you can choose your food options but that's not always available. Some menus are chosen for you by your doctor, for example, depending on the condition you have. Either way, you always have the option of telling them what you don't want. So if a hospital is bringing you a slice of chocolate cake with your meal, instead of complaining, you can just tell the nurse to not bring you a dessert next time. If there is one thing hospitals like, is when they don't have to spend money on you. Each slice of dessert saved, is money in their pocket. Each soda rejected is money on their side. So the hospital will not be angry with you for rejecting food.
What won't solve the problem is to try and prevent others from having their slice of cake, if they so choose to. The hospital is not supposed to be run by the diet police. These places try to accommodate their patients with things the patients want. Remember when people would always say they hated hospital food? Well, not anymore if cake is on the menu. Staying at the hospital is supposed to be temporary. You can resume your strict diet at home. It's funny how these low carb people who are constantly "falling off the wagon" and grabbing for the bread roll expect for a hospital to be pristine with their menu. Don't expect from others what you can't do yourself.
As far as nursing homes go, it is sort of a similar situation. Some nursing homes have specialized diets for each of their patients depending on their condition. Of course, this usually does not sit well with their patients who just want to eat their typical fare as if they were at home. This is why most nursing homes have menus that mimic the type of food that would be typical for an American if the nursing home is in the United States. My father in law stayed at an assisted living facility and they had the type of food that was typical for the area. This was in Miami with a heavy Cuban population so the food reflected that.
God forbid they changed this, as people who are living in nursing homes and other facilities of this sort like foods they are accustomed to. They do not take kindly to dietary changes. In fact, the main gripe the elderly have in these facilities is that the food is not what they are used to. They like their sweet tea and slice of pie. We already know these things aren't healthy but an 80 year old with Alzheimer's does not give a $%%^ and they don't have to. They are also nice with those walkers, canes and wheelchairs so take their cake from them at your own risk.
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