WHO SHOULD TRY THE KETO DIET?
TRANSCRIPT
Let’s talk about the ketogenic diet, and who exactly should give it a try! I made the switch to eating a keto diet over 4 years ago, and it changed my life. It’s actually why I’m here today and why I’m so passionate about helping people change their life’s using the power of food!
There is a very good chance you’ve heard of keto as it has become incredibly popular, and with good reason. Many people use it for weight loss, and it is amazing for that, but it has so many other incredible health benefits beyond weight loss. It can be a beneficial lifestyle for a wide variety of people. So that is what I’m going to talk about today! Who is the ketogenic diet right for!
Hi there, thank you for tuning in. My name is Ginger and I’m a holistic nutrition health coach and I post videos on improving metabolic health, balancing blood sugar, using a high fat, nutrient dense way of eating. If you like my video, be sure to like, subscribe, and share.
As I mentioned, keto changed my life. I struggled with severe depression and anxiety for over 20 years. I was on and off so many medications it would make your head spin. When I discovered the keto diet, everything changed for me. I am no longer depressed and I am no longer anxious. And it’s been this way for over 4 years now. It’s not a fluke! Beyond those symptoms disappearing, I lost over 30 pounds, my gut health improved, I had been bloated and gassy for years, and that all went away. I had dealt with horrible brain fog, a terrible memory, lack of motivation, poor concentration, and forgetfulness. All that went away as well. All from changing what I ate!
And this experience is why I’m so passionate! I am not a unicorn! I see these types of results with my clients every single day! It’s incredible! Our body will treat us well and take care of us if we give it what it wants. And what’s most amazing, is how fast the good starts happening. Some things definitely take time, but almost everyone experiences positive changes right away.
So let’s start with some basics, if you’re not familiar with a ketogenic diet. It is a high fat, moderate protein, low carb way of eating. One of the coolest thing about keto, and what makes it so unique, is that is actually changes your body’s fuel source. Up until I made the switch to eating keto, I had no idea my body had more than one option for fuel!
Most of us have been sugar burners, or carb burners pretty much our entire life. That is what happens when we eat a diet that is high in carbohydrates which is what we’ve been told to eat for decades and is still being encouraged today. Our body is only able to store approximately 2000 calories of glucose, carbs, at a time. That is why we have to eat 3-6 times per day or we’re starving, have no energy, our mood is all over the place, and we can’t focus. Our body is literally running out of fuel every few hours.
Our other fuel option is ketones, or fat. When we eat a ketogenic diet, and keep our carbs ultra low, we starve our body of glucose. Our body then switches over to burning fat for fuel. The reason this is so powerful is that even the thinnest of people has a lot of stored body fat, so once you can tap into body fat for fuel, you’ve got seemingly endless energy!
A common analogy that I hear, that is a good description, is that if we think about a camp fire, carbs are the kindling and fat is the slow burning log. Think about sitting around a campfire and only using kindling. Exhausting and inefficient, right? That is what we’re expecting of our body when we eat a high carb diet, we’re asking it to run on an inefficient fuel source. We have to keep giving it more and more to keep going. When you switch to burning fat for fuel, you move from the kindling to that slow burning log that just keeps going. This is our bodies preferred fuel source. It’s more efficient and everything seems to work better.
So let’s get into it, who is a ketogenic diet good for?
As I shared when I mentioned why I do keto, it is amazing for depression, anxiety, and all things mood related, it does not have to be something official and diagnosed, it can be mood swings or someone who tends to worry all the time, anything!
There are a variety of reasons that keto helps with mental health, and a lot of it depends on why you might be having the mental health issues you’re experiencing. One is if your blood sugar is out of balance, your mood is likely to be all over the place.
The blood sugar roller coaster, which is what happens when we eat a diet high in carbs, particularly sugar and processed foods, which causes our blood sugar to go up too quickly, leading to a rush of insulin, and then the crash.
In many ways, this blood sugar roller coaster mimics our mood swings. If you notice yourself getting “hangry” and moody throughout the day, this could be you.
Another reason your mood could be affected by your food is if you’ve got gut health issues. The majority of serotonin, our feel good hormone, is created in the gut. If you’ve got an unhealthy gut, there is a good possibility you’re low in serotonin.
Our gut is also directly connected to our brain via the vagus nerve, one of the longest running nerves in the body. Because of this connection, what is happening in the gut, is also happening in the brain. So if you’ve got symptoms of gut issues, that could be causing your mood issues.
Anyone who is dealing with any kind of metabolic issue. That includes people dealing with unexpected weight gain, hypertension, PCOS, insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic issues are driven by too much insulin, resulting in a condition called insulin resistance. Keto is incredible for reversing metabolic issues because it severely limits the amount of insulin our body is producing.
Check out my video all about insulin resistance, linked above, to learn more about this important hormone and how to reverse any damage you may have.
If liver health is a concern for you, keto may be a great option. The liver is a big player in our detoxification system, as well as in balancing our blood sugar. Eating a keto diet decreases the livers burden in constantly monitoring our metabolism. This frees it up to focus on detoxification which is a critical function for good health.
Those dealing with autoimmune conditions often do very well on a keto diet. Keto is extremely effective at lowering inflammation in the body, improving digestion, increasing mental clarity, and improving energy levels. All symptoms those struggling with autoimmune conditions often deal with.
If you’ve got an autoimmune condition and want to give keto a try, I’d recommend you try for 30-90 days and see how you feel and how your body responds. With autoimmune I find it is very individual, so go in with an open mind and see how you do and adjust accordingly.
Some forms of cancer cells seem to be sensitive to a keto diet which often will enhance the benefits of traditional treatments like chemo and radiation. Research has shown that cancer cells tend grow and proliferate when given glucose, so starving your cells of glucose by eating a keto diet may give you some improvement and reduce susceptibility.
Those with a high risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s is often referred to as type 3 diabetes because it is a disease of too much insulin. So eating a diet low in carbs, reduces exposure to insulin and may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and may even improve symptoms.
If you’ve got concerns with heart disease, keto may be a good option for you. It’s been a long held believe that dietary cholesterol and saturated fats increase serum cholesterol. However, evidence tells us that that is not true. Dietary cholesterol and saturated fat have almost zero impact on serum cholesterol.
High LDL levels occur because of too many carbs, sugar, processed foods and inflammatory oils, like canola, vegetable, and soy, in the diet. These foods cause chronic inflammation in the body, which inflames the arteries. The bodies response to these inflamed arteries is to send cholesterol, in a LDL vehicle, to the scene of the crime to try and repair the damage, acting kind of like a bandaid. So the issue is not the cholesterol, the issue is the chronic inflammation.
As I have already mentioned keto is an incredible diet for reducing inflammation. Reduced inflammation means improved heart health.
If you’ve got gut health issues, keto will likely be a good option for you. If you deal with bloating and gas, if you have food sensitivities, if you have acid reflux, IBS, diarrhea, or constipation keto will remove a lot of the foods that likely led to the issues and are continuing to contribute to all the symptoms. You’ll be removing many of the foods that are top allergens, you’ll be removing foods that cause inflammation, you’ll be removing foods that are difficult to digest, and you’ll be adding in foods that nourish and heal and are easier for your body to break down and absorb.
Keto is often a great option for endurance athletes. We have been told for years that we have to eat high amounts of carbs to perform well, but that is not necessarily true. Fat is a more sustainable fuel source, and once you tap into body fat for fuel, you give yourself a longer duration to workout before you bonk, which typically happens when you run out of stored glucose.
Ok, so those are a few different ideas of who might benefit from a keto diet. Here’s the bottom line though, our body prefers and runs more efficiently on fat for fuel. So, if you’re curious, give it a try and see how you feel and how your body responds. A healthy whole food, well formulated ketogenic diet provides all the nutrients that you need to thrive. You will not be lacking and your body is going to seriously thank you!
Now I want to hear from you! Tell me in the comments, have you ever tried a keto diet and if so, what was your experience? If you haven’t tried it, are you considering it, and why or why not.
Alright, that’s what I have for you today, thank you again for watching, don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share! See you next time!!!
Ready to give a keto lifestyle a try? Check out my 6-week program Keto Clear for some guidance in doing it in a healthy and sustainable way!