I can’t think of one normal human being who would dispute the fact that 2020 just sucks.
Covid kicked off the party, followed by, fires, locusts, plane crashes, election turmoil, violent riots, Stock market bloodbath…..all which are seemingly coming in Biblical proportions.
I’ve read much advice on how to stay sane during this time of turmoil.
One suggestion was to practice mindfulness.
That’s a super great idea, but I have a better one. How about I binge watch my favorite crime show for 6 hours. Or more. Risking deep vein thrombosis, which is exactly what I found myself doing. For some reason I interpreted the ‘stay at home order’ to mean stay on your couch and do nothing.
Exercise was an excellent suggestion.
I took that advice and tried to add something new to my routine. By doing so, I sustained a painful injury to my elbow and knee when I foolishly trusted my 19 year old son to actually catch me should I fall off the over inflated yoga ball while attempting to balance on top of it on my knees. His only reaction was to fall down laughing.
For more information about exercise and keto click here
Another lovely suggestion was to find a hobby.
I think I remember someone suggesting to take up knitting. Knitting? The world is on fire. Maybe the idea was that I could knit a hood to put over my head util all this just goes away.
I especially enjoyed this innovative suggestion.
Get up at the same time every morning and get dressed.
I didn’t do that in 2019! WHY on earth would I start doing it now? Unless you consider stretchy pants, no bra and a huge head band to hide my hair getting dressed. Because I can DO that.
Set aside 30 minutes out of each day to do dishes or clean out drawers.
How about I just set them on fire?
What does all this have to do with keto? Nothing.
unless it does.
Though all of the above stories are true and retold in jest, many of us are struggling to find motivation to make healthy changes in our lives at this time. As partial proof of this, the first few months of quarantine, the sale of processed carbohydrates went up 26% , indicating people were reaching for comfort foods to help feelings of fear and unease.
Anxiety and depression have become much worse during Covid according to the United States Census bureau, and continues to increase because of the fear mongering, financial hardship, housing hardship and loss of community, and sometimes even family. I have to add that even though anxiety and depression are often referred to hand in hand, they are often two completely different disorders.
So what does keto have to do with this?
Research shows that the keto diet can rebalance neurotransmitters in your brain like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine, all of which are neurotransmitters, which in their own different ways communicate ‘calm’ to the brain.
Studies haven been shown that ‘clean’ ketogenic diets may also reduce anxiety through pathways to the brain the same way anti-anxiety medications do.
Psychological stress, as most of us are experiencing today, also floods our body with the stress hormone cortisol. Long-term stress and high cortisol levels can wear own the brains ability to function properly, among other effects and can contribute to anxiety.
There are many studies that conclude ketosis can help reverse these changes. These are just a couple. (1) (2).
The ketogenic diet also restores your neurotransmitter balance in favor of feeling relaxed rather than anxious
If you want to ease your anxiety, the ketogenic diet may help.
The keto diet also works by calming down brain inflammation, and can also shift your gut flora.
Living with an anxiety disorder can be complicated and challenging. Anxiety has always been one of my challenges, and I am convinced that the keto lifestyle has helped me the most by simply regulating my blood sugar which was raised by eating too much sugar and carbs, causing me unbearable bouts of anxiety.
So, my friends, the keto lifestyle is not for just losing weight.
This is not a new, or fad ‘diet’, our ancestors were naturally keto as they often had to wait long periods of time before they ate, and by doing this they also inadvertently practiced intermittent fasting. I believe this is how our bodies were ‘designed’ to function. The benefits of being in a ketogenic state are just now beginning to be explored in depth.
For more information about Intermittent fasting, click here.
I hate the term ‘new normal’ being bandied about now, so I won’t use it. I believe there is no such thing as a ‘new’ normal. Our world has always been static and not stagnant, there has always been upheaval and transition since the beginning of time, and it is no different now.
So just stay strong, stay wise, stay positive, do not lose hope or stay in your mind too much. Think about what you can do to help others, and know that, in the favorite words of my grandmother ‘ this too shall pass’.