What is, and why Keto?
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There are many answers to this question. I could go on for days….but since I’m sure you don’t want to read about the keto diet, or at least this article for days, I have chosen my favorite reasons for choosing the ketogenic lifestyle for life
Fights and Heals Insulin Resistance
Both diabetes and Insulin Resistance all come down to keeping your blood sugar and insulin regulated and stable. Insulin is the hormone that is the ‘switch’ that turns fat burning on or off, while maintaining a healthy body. If you are eating foods that make your insulin and blood sugar go high, such as sugar or carbs, then your insulin stops working properly and it starts miscommunicating with your cells causing your body to stay in ‘fat storage’ mode, and not ‘fat burning’ mode.
Keto foods limit, or completely avoid foods that drive your blood sugar and insulin levels up. This keeps your blood sugar more stable and stops insulin and blood sugar spikes allowing your body to work properly, and store or burn fat like its supposed to. When you are in ketosis, your body goes into full ‘fat burning’ mode and starts burning fat for fuel instead of sugar, or glucose.
Can Cure a Fatty Liver
You don’t have to be a drinker to get a fatty liver. You can have what is called a ‘non alcoholic’ fatty liver. If your liver has accumulated fat then it becomes harder for it to do it’s job of flushing the toxins out of your body, which in turn causes chronic inflammation in your body. Eating healthy foods, and healthy fats will balance your blood sugar, and ‘slim’ a fatty liver, allowing it to do its job.
“Many processed foods contain glyphosate”
Many processed carbs, which are not allowed when following the keto diet, contain glyphosate, an herbicide that has been shown in many studies to prevent liver enzymes from metabolizing fat. Glyphosate also causes a host of other health problems including pancreatic cancer. Up to 95% of our wheat, soy and corn products contain glyphosate, which another reason to buy organic when possible.
Chronic Inflammation
In every disease known to mankind, chronic inflammation is found to be present. In a perfect body, inflammation is awesome! When your body incurs trauma, like a cut or burn, your body is designed to send antibodies to put out the ‘fire’ and help heal the trauma, and their job is done. But with our constant exposure to chemicals in every part of life, every day, from make up, to chemical on the clothes we buy, to the herbicides and chemicals on and in the food we eat, as well as our cleaning products, our bodies become bombarded with constant ‘traumas’ and our immune system becomes overwhelmed and can do longer fight, allowing sickness to overtake us.
“this includes cancer, joint pain, arthritis, cancer, auto immune
problems, such as lupus, and so many other sickness”
A typical high carb, high sugar diet causes chronic inflammation. A keto diet gives your body the proper nutrients for your body to heal itself by eating healthy fats, and no sugar, chichis the real culprit.
Heartburn and Acid Reflux
A study at Vanderbilt University has shown that when switched to a diet which includes a high amount of healthy fats such as avocados, coconut oil, and olive oil among others, and low in carbohydrates and simple sugars, the subjects experienced dramatic improvements in heart burn symptoms.
“In 10 weeks, 100% of the women had no nausea or discomfort
Related to heartburn or acid reflux”
How does this work? Their theory is that carbs and sugar stimulate your gut hormones making them release more stomach acid which travels up the throat triggering heartburn.
Jacob Teitelbaum,MD and Author of ‘Real Cause, Real Cure’, explains that “excess sugar causes the one way valve in your stomach to leak allowing acid to squirt up into your esophagus”.
Migraines
My mom and fiancé suffer from migraine headaches and though I’ve never experienced one, and have seen first hand how damaging and uncomfortable they can be.
The National Institute of Health conducted a study where they had migraine sufferers remove the processed fats from their diet such as corn oils, canola oils, and other processed vegetable oils. By eliminating these oils from their diet and eating whole foods, they balanced out their omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and found in just 12 weeks that they suffered 80% less fewer headaches and migraines. Do some research of your own on these rancid oils and you will be shocked.
The Keto lifestyle emphasizes healthy fats and avoids toxic and processed vegetable oils. By avoiding these toxic, processed and often rancid oils you can dramatically reduce the number of severe headaches you experience.
Improves Memory
Drs are finding that , like diabetes, mental decline is caused by a lack of blood sugar and insulin problems.
“When your blood sugar is constantly being elevated by highly processed foods, the brain becomes resistant to insulin so your neurons don’t get the fuel they need and ‘Type 3’ diabetes sets in, leading to brain fog, learning difficulties and even Alzheimers”
according to Mark Hyman, MD author of ‘The Blood Sugar Solution’. Much research is now being done on using coconut oils, and MCT oils in treatment for dementia and Alzheimers and is becoming very promising.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that 6 weeks after following a high fat, low carb diet that eliminates sugary and processed carbs, there was enhanced memory performance by 35% in older adults.
There are so many studies being done now that are making the connection of high sugar intake with memory loss, dementia and Alzheimers, that Alzheimers is now being referred to as ‘Diabetes 3’.
Thyroid Problems
Your thyroid pumps out hormones and regulates everything from our mood to our memory. I like to call it ‘The Gate keeper’.
A diet high in carbs and again, processed foods, are especially tough on the thyroid. Every time you eat processed carbohydrates you increase the amount of inflammation in your body. This makes it harder and harder for your thyroid to function normally.
Since a clean keto lifestyle removes sugar and most processed foods from your diet, it reduces inflammation naturally and restores health to thyroid function and eliminating any symptoms of an overworked thyroid such as fatigue, sensitivity to the cold, constipation, dry skin and unexplained weight gain.
More Energy
Unwanted pounds sap energy, both mental and physical. If sitting around on the couch with little energy and feeling lethargic and depressed is your new normal, it doesn’t have to be. Especially if you are post menopausal. We women have been led to believe that feeling tired, having memory loss and reduced sex drive is a completely normal right of passage, accompanied by a growing waistline, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
This is a lie.
When your body is burning fat for fuel, it becomes more efficient by burning clean fuel instead of the dirty fuel it burns with sugar. As your body heals itself from the inside out, your brain fog will melt away and your body will be gifted with more energy than you know what to do with as your body burns this cleaner fuel.
Its Time to Live Your Best Life
There are so many more reasons that I believe keto is the healthiest lifestyle there is.
Our ancestors probably stayed in a constant state of ketosis because they didn’t have access to food 24/7 like we do. They hunted and foraged and ate when they could, often going long times without food forcing their body into a ketogenic state. So I believe this is a more natural state for our bodies to be in. Look around you. The worlds population may be living longer, but it is not living better or healthier. Processed foods are easy, convenient, and have long shelf lives, but they are making us sick and we are the sickest we have ever been with all plethora of diseases, ailments and aches and pains.
There is a better way to live, are you ready to feel good about yourself and your choices?
Start now and live your best life.
To further the benefits of the Keto lifestyle check outer article on intermittent fasting!