To Keto or Not To Keto?

The Ketogenic Diet has made a huge impact on the diet trend list! Have you tried it? I have, once or twice. And while it’s taken me a little time to gather information from my own experience and client’s that have followed the Keto diet, one thing is for sure: the Keto diet has amazing benefits from managing epilepsy, diabetes and even diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer; but it’s not for everyone. Since I personally tend to work with women over 35, more often than not, 3-6 months into the Keto diet, we are having to work on reversing negative side effects by rebalancing hormones, getting back onto a normal sleep cycle and possibly even reversing a bit of weight-gain. Does this mean that Keto isn’t for you? Definitely not, it just may be something to modify or leave entirely for a more holistic way of eating.

In my own experience, the Keto diet, in the most correct form, adding plant fats, non-starchy vegetables, eating mostly fish, nuts and seeds… well… left me fatigued, with interrupted sleep and actually more body fat than before. Some people can process fats easier than others, and some do not. The harder truth is that most individuals steer more towards animal fats than plant fats, fish and veggies, mimicking more of an Atkins diet approach than an actual Keto diet, cutting out even the most nutritious veggies on the planet since they exceed a total carbohydrate amount of 20-50g. These types of vegetables including brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, are highly beneficial in flushing out excess estrogens, loaded with beneficial fiber to clean out the intestines, not to mention fueled with major nutrients.

More often than not, women are struggling more with Keto than men. My observation is purely based off of my own practice with clients, feedback and my own experience, so in no way do I want to demonize Keto! Some women do well while on the Keto diet; others may feel worse and experience mood swings, weight gain, insomnia, menstrual irregularities and metabolic stress. Cortisol levels can skyrocket! From what I noticed, men tend to feel the benefits and success in a ketosis state for the longer term, more than women.

Since we now know that the Keto diet has been used to treat epilepsy since the 1920’s, putting the body into ketosis, a metabolic state where most of your body’s energy comes from ketones in the blood, instead of glycolysis (by way of carbohydrates), the body turns to fat for energy, kicking into ketosis when blood sugar levels are below a certain point. The ketone BHB (beta hydroxybutyrate) is the main ketone that your liver produces. Once you produce ketones, which happens after your body burns though all available carbohydrates, they can pass through the blood-brain barrier, promoting clean, energized fuel to the brain. The benefits are terrific!

What I do love about the diet is in just a few days of following it, one can experience a clear mind, eliminating ‘brain fog’, attention deficit symptoms and cognitive function that is sharper and more focused. Obviously, a great side effect can be weight-loss.

The Basics of a Keto Diet:

  • Eating very little carbohydrates, about 5-10% of total calories (around 20-50 grams per day, and adjusting to find your carb limit).
  • Consuming healthy fats, approximately 60-80% of total calories, mostly plant and fish based. Salmon, avocados, nuts coconut oil (MCTs); however, many turn to bacon and lard and cheese, however, a plant-fish-based Keto has a better success rate.
  • Limiting protein to 20% of calories, or according to the minimum required to preserve muscle mass. It’s definitely not a bad idea to use an app such as myfitnesspal.com or bathroom scale that can measure lean body mass and fat mass.

The biggest successors that could benefit from Keto, assuming their thyroid and HPA-axis is healthy, are those that are kicking sugar cravings since fat satiates and people eat less overall compared to a typical Western Diet, but women that need more hormonal support could benefit from a modified Keto diet which requires more healthy carbohydrates with an alkaline effect.

Eating a plant-based version of a Keto diet that I highly recommend to avoid negative side effects but still makes your goals attainable (weight-loss, eliminating brain fog, more energy, diabetes) is to eat a variety of vegetables and err on the side of healthy fats instead of carbs for energy instead of removing most vegetables and servings completely. It’s less restrictive and one that still provides nutrients as well as balanced cortisol levels, hormonal levels throughout the day (and night… if you’re noticing you cannot sleep well on Keto after a week or two, you’re body is telling you that cortisol levels are too high), guess what lowers cortisol? Carbohydrates.

So what can you do to stay in ketosis while maintaining normal levels of cortisol and hormonal balance?

Focus on nutrient-dense real foods, like vegetables (even the starchy ones) nuts, and seeds that contain carbs but also whole-food fiber. Dr. Will Cole talks about this in his new book, Ketotarian. The fear around eating vegetables isn’t warranted since most vegetables contain carbohydrates in the form of soluble and insoluble fiber, which do not have an effect on blood sugar, or knock you out of ketosis. In fact, through the intestines, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) during intestinal gluconeogenesis (IGN) make glucose in the intestines, but also decreases blood sugar levels. Fiber in vegetables also signals your brain when you are full and helps curb the tendency to overeat. What this all means is, unless you are having digestion issues breaking down your vegetables, there’s no need to cut them out. Count the net carbohydrates in your veggies (net carbs = total carbs minus the fiber) and only count your total carbohydrates if you’re eating packaged foods. One easy way to think about this is – don’t even bother counting your non-starchy greens (spinach, kale, romaine, etc.) and only count your fruits or starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes or butternut squashes. I also really like eating starchy vegetables at night to lower cortisol levels, promoting a restful sleep.

Another great way to make Keto your friend, especially for women (but seriously guys, don’t you miss vegetables?) is to alkaline the diet as much as possible. Less meat and cheese and more wild-caught fish, avocados, ghee (clarified butter), cage-free eggs, nuts and seeds. Vegetables are lightly cooked or steamed (or raw if digestion is healthy). Kale, chard, beet greens, spinach, wheat grass, mushrooms, tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, broccoli, ginger, green beans, celery and zucchini are great examples of non-starchy vegetables. Healthier fats like coconut oil, MCTs or olive oil as well as superfoods like maca, spirulina, sea veggies, bone broth and chlorella are helpful in maintaining gut health and a proper pH. If possible, drinking alkaline water 1-2 a day with a pH of 9-11 and testing your pH with pH strips is a great tool as well, to knowing how you’re body is faring on the Keto diet on a daily basis. An acidic pH (less than 7) promotes a inflammation, bacterial infections and other chronic conditions as well as GI dysfunction.

Choose your protein wisely: If you are eating meat, poultry and cheese more than two times a week, choosing organic and grass-fed (organic produce for your fruits and veggies as much as possible, also!) is so important. Many of the negative side effects of Keto are not only from the extra fats and protein, but the actual quality of the meats and dairy. If you’re liver isn’t up to speed in detoxing all of the hormones and antibiotics that is given to non-organic livestock, think about how that can build up in your system. Plants that are grown in organic, mineral dense soil tend to also be more alkalizing and supply the most for your money.

Quick Tip: Eating organic, grass-fed everything can be expensive. Don’t forget there are resources out there such as the Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org that lists tons of articles, budget friendly options and the Dirty Dozen for the top produce items that should be purchased organically. This way you’re in the know about what can slide and what we should make a priority when it comes to organic grocery lists.

References:

Tagged hormonal health, Keto, modified keto, nutrition, plant, plant-based, weight-loss, women

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