In my last blog I spoke a bit about fat and why we should be eating more of it for better health. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a big believer in the Ketogenic diet. It’s not Banting or Atkins although it’s often confused with those high protein, low carb diet options. The ketogenic diet is something very different…something I feel we should all be paying close attention to, especially if you’re fighting a disease.
The Ketogenic diet revolves around completely changing your metabolism from burning glucose as fuel to burning ketones as fuel. Almost like changing your car from burning petrol to diesel while you’re driving down the road! Ketones are molecules that our bodies make (from fat) when we’re starved of glucose. Ketones are basically a secondary fuel source. Turns out that your body, more specifically your brain loves to run on ketones because it’s just a more efficient fuel so much so that the original research done on ketosis was on preventing brain seizures by fasting-induced ketosis.
The research has developed quite a bit since the earlier stuff and the current research, the stuff being done by people like Dr. Kris Smith, a neurosurgeon at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ is taking a closer look at how a ketogenic diet influences certain brain cancers and other brain disease like Alzheimer’s. Barrow’s is the world’s largest neurological disease treatment and research institution, and is ranked as one of the best neurosurgical training centres in the U.S. so we’re not talking about Mickey Mouse stuff here, this is where ground breaking stuff happens. When speaking of his own health regimen to avoid aging brain disease, Dr. Smith says and I quote, “I’m trying to avoid getting any degenerative neuro disease, including glioblastoma. That means that I am an avid follower of the ketogenic diet. I’m also an avid exerciser…” and then of course there’s Dr. Dominic D’Agostino’s work with the Navy Seals and the University of South Florida.
If it were possible as a patient to come off meds completely, wouldn’t you want to explore that option? To me that’s a great choice and I’d support that patient in their journey to find a healthier way. One of the things ketosis does to disease is to make the disease weaker or more vulnerable so that medical treatments can work more effectively which makes the treatment more site-specific.
The reason I wanted to write this blog is because with a ketogenic diet we can address so many health issues…and lose unwanted fat at the same time…and protect our nervous system from future degeneration all at the same time! For me it’s a no-brainer, I’ve gone keto and love the effects it has had on my body. As I’ve mentioned before, I love having the knowledge and ability to hack my own biology and make changes and upgrades to my health and performance in some pretty dramatic ways and with this latest Keto tool, I’m more excited than I’ve been in a while. For me, using food as medicine is cool and having this knowledge and not sharing it feels irresponsible.
Some typical keto diets consists of 70% fat (or more), 20% protein and 10% carbs. That’s a lot of fat, and when I first took a look at this diet I wasn’t sure I could manage all the fat. The thing is, we’re talking good fat not bad fat (that’s what the Atkins Diet got wrong) and with the help of a few very healthy fatty deserts like coconut oil fat bombs or my most recent discovery of coconut cream chocolate mousse, the fat consumption is actually pretty easy and tasty. I’ve had to make a few trade-offs and had to learn a few new recipes, but for me the return on investment is very much worth the initial extra effort.
There’s been a few changes that I’ve had to make and some foods I now avoid, but because I understand on a molecular level what the bad foods were doing to my health, the decision to not eat them was easy. As easy as it is for me not to smoke, I know the risks associated with eating the wrong foods and that makes my choice very easy. So whether you’re just looking to lose some weight or if you’re dealing with a more serious health concern this diet option might be worth some attention. In my search lately for tasty Keto options I’ve become a fan of MojoMe’s products. The Macadamia Seed bread pre-mix is a winner and a great guilt free way of eating some super low-carb, high fat, protein-rich bread that tastes amazing. Phone us at Chiropractic and Wellness: a Centre for Optimum Living on 021 785 4855 for a lifestyle consultation and more.
Dr. Peter Solomon
MojoMe’s bread mix ingredients: Macadamia Nuts (ground), Flaxseeds (milled), Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Flaxseeds, Sesame Seeds, Psyllium Husk, Baking Powder, Xanthan Gum, Himalayan Rock Salt. To make this premium loaf just add eggs, yoghurt and (coconut) milk or water, pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for 60 minutes.
