10 Reasons To Go Keto

10 REASONS TO GO KETO

Here are my Top 10 Reasons why Keto IS Medicine and  why you need to consider shifting up your diet with my real food approach found in my Virtual Food As Medicine Ketosis Program!

#10: Keto Reduces Anxiety and Depression

Reason number 10 is widely discussed and supported in my new book, The Anti-Anxiety Diet, which uses a keto approach as the foundation of mood stability layered with food-as-medicine solutions. Achieving a state of nutritional ketosis can support energy balance and mood stability via regulated blood sugar levels, reduced inflammation, and the ability of ketones to cross blood-brain barrier influencing synapses and reducing excitatory neurological impulse while supporting GABA function. This is just one of many reasons people in my program say they finally feel out of the haze or out of overdrive mode and back like their selves again!

#9: Keto Balances Hormones

Using fat as your primary fuel is very tonifying for your reproductive glands and aids in release of estrogen stored in your body fat. Also keto is THE most powerful diet for fertility as it dramatically reduces fasting insulin, regulates blood sugar levels, and supports balance of LH to FSH hormones through pituitary mechanisms! Now if doing keto unsupported without the correct supplements or without nutritional compounds needed to remove the excess estrogen in your body, you may deal with continued stubborn belly fat, mood instability, breast tenderness, and for men low testosterone…it is important to consume I3Cs found in cruciferous foods like Brussels, broccoli, and cauliflower pictured in this grassfed lamb keto stew! Also remember xenoestrogens are found in plastics and growth hormone poor quality protein, important things to avoid when looking to heal your body! With those in any hormone transition or during active fat loss I recommend my Ultimate Detox formula which aids in excretion of both toxins and excess estrogen released from body fat metabolism. With estrogen dominance that is remarkable or concerning we will also provide DIM to further support removal.

#8: Keto is Muscle Sparing

While other diets will see loss from both muscle and fat ultimately lowering BMR, if done right keto spares muscle! As we become fat adapted, the body is less likely to access lean tissue for energy—it is better at accessing stored fat and that becomes a preferential fuel source! What’s more is that intermittent fasting increases HGH secretion which is critical to maintenance of lean body mass! Compared to calorie restricted diets, fasting has been seen to be 4x better at preserving lean mass in recent studies!

#7: Keto Increases & Provides Sustained Energy

Reason 7 to go Keto is that Keto can increase energy AND reduce the slumps and shifts of energy we get when the body runs on carbs! When fat adapted, the body can always reach into stores fat for fuel meaning we can go longer stretches without eating and not experience the crashes seen on a carb heavy diet! More than 50% of our past participants noted increased energy as a result of going Keto and with our program you’ll learn to use food as medicine to get and sustain that keto high!

#6: You Can Keto Anywhere!

Breaking up with carbs may seem limiting if you are used to the standard American diet filled with carbage….but  once you have reset your focus, you will quickly learn you can eat keto ANYWHERE!  The key is to keep it simple and uncomplicated and ask for what you WANT! Example: “I would like the grassfed burger on a lettuce wrap with bacon and avocado, sub the fries for a green salad with olive oil and a lemon wedge” Once you are rocking on your Keto protocol there’s no sense of deprivation when dining out! Keto is also so travel friendly as long as you’ve got a few staple snacks packed like those we list here and a plan for your Keto Coffee or tea! And hey, if all else fails, fasting on a long journey where there’s nothing available is THAT much easier when fat adapted—no hangry travelers here!

#5: Burn Stubborn Body Fat

A keto diet has been shown to burn up to 10 TIMES MORE FAT than other diets according to this study in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. This study compared a ketogenic diet to a SAD diet and showed that the keto group had significant changes in weight, percent body fat, BMI and hemoglobin A1c in 10 weeks compared to those on the SAD diet! On a keto diet we reach into the stored fat reserves for energy while sparing muscle, which keeps our BMR or calories burned at rest high as we lose inches from pure body fat!

#4: Reduce Inflammation

Using fat as your fuel source creates far less inflammation than burning sugar does, and ketones themselves quiet the inflammatory response. A real food ketogenic diet inherently removes inflammatory foods including gluten, corn, soy, refined sugars and carbohydrates! Removal of these foods ALONE is going to lower inflammation in the body, but there are mechanisms beyond this that make keto a great option for chronic inflammatory conditions! Being on a ketogenic diet reduces inflammation and can also reduce pain because it: 1) decreases over-activity of the nervous system which can reduce pain perception 2) reduces reactive oxygen species which contribute to inflammation and 3) turns on PPAR-gamma, a known anti-inflammatory marker while inhibiting inflammatory markers such as NF-kB, TNF-alpha and COX-2 as seen in this study!

 #3: Reduce Blood Sugar Levels and Reverse Diabetes

A ketogenic diet can be helpful in managing and reversing type 2 diabetes as it allows the body to maintain low (but safe) glucose levels! By reducing dietary carbohydrate we eliminate spikes in blood sugar and reduce the need for insulin!  When the body manufactures ketones as primary fuel source from body fat as fuel rather than glucose from carbohydrates, insulin sensitivity is enhanced and cell receptors become less inflamed from less abuse. This supports weight loss in someone that was dealing with insulin resistance weight gain and ketones can be a cleaner fuel for your brain supporting balanced mood and energy. Lots more on Insulin Resistance in this blog!

#2: Kill Cravings

A keto diet is very satiating due to its high fat content and also has us remove many “trigger foods” that drive increased cravings and overeating! Ketone bodies are seen to increase dietary restraint and decrease hunger! This is in part due to the action of ketones on leptin or our body’s satiety hormone as well as action on GLP-1 which signals to the brain that enough food has been eaten!

#1: Feel Like YOU Again!

This is one we hear time and time again from participants of our program–whether because we are able to fit into our clothes again, feel like our hormones are finally balanced, longer be at the mercy of food cravings or finally have our brain turn back on! While the WHY might be a little different for everyone, this is the reason I find keto to be such a powerful tool in managing the individual needs of so many and the reason why I developed my Virtual Food As Medicine Ketosis Program! No matter what your WHY is, my program offers an entry point for you whether dealing with stubborn weight loss of 50# or more, looking to manage a chronic condition and maintain your weight or looking to regain your health and gain weight in a safe way. I offer protocols for breastfeeding mamas, autoimmune warriors, adrenal fatigue, leaky gut, PCOS and beyond to help you use keto as medicine along with functional medicine tools to get you back to feeling like YOU again!