A ketogenic nutrition plan simply means getting the bulk of our calories from healthy fats and avoiding grains and other high carbohydrate foods. It is NOT a high protein or excessive meat diet which is a frequent misconception. For years we have been told a lie that diets high in grains are good for us. Diets high in grains such as wheat and corn have caused diabetes, heart disease and obesity rates to soar. Your body was built to burn fat as fuel. It's the cleanest burning energy you can use and your heart and brain LOVE fats as fuel.
So why make the change? What are the benefits?
- Decrease Inflammation throughout the body
- Lasting Weight Loss
- Improve Energy and Stamina
- Improve Mood & Sleep
- Enhance Cognition & Focus
- Reverse Diabetes & Hypertension
- Restore Intestinal (Bowel) Health
- Reduced joint pain
- Discovery of Food Intolerances
- Slows the rate of aging as it protects the brain
- Ideal treatment of all neurologic issues such as Seizure, Parkinsons, & Alzheimers
I find this to be the simplest and most flexible eating plan ever. Here are basic guidelines:
- Eat real food and avoid processed stuff. Common sense.
- Eat ample vegetables, meats, eggs, nuts, seeds. No calorie restriction.
- Some fruit but trend toward berries and avoid overeating fruit in general.
- Avoid all grains, wheat, pasta, bread, crackers as they are sugar bombs that cause inflammation, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and accelerated aging.
The goal is to turn your body into a lean and efficient fat burning machine instead of a toxic carbohydrate garbage dump. Burning fat as fuel doesn't create oxidative stress and is easier on the body while providing steady energy without the crazy ups and downs of carbohydrate metabolism. No more sugar cravings and no more feeling “famished”. Appetite becomes stable and easily satisfied with smaller volumes of food.
Frequently asked questions:
- Won’t all this fat make me fat?
- Absolutely not. Healthy fats keep you feeling “full” and reduce your appetite and cravings so you actually eat fewer calories in general.
- Studies of ketogenic patients showed that they naturally ate fewer calories simply because they felt satiated, satisfied.
- Will all this fat increase my cholesterol and heart disease risk?
- Emphatically NO!! Carbs block your ability to use fat as fuel and this is what creates rising cholesterol and heart disease. Eating ketogenic will reduce your cholesterol as your body burns fats more easily. It reduces heart disease risk and reduces plaque as it lowers inflammation, the cause of plaque. This has been proven in medical studies over and over again for more than 100 years.
- Emphatically NO!! Carbs block your ability to use fat as fuel and this is what creates rising cholesterol and heart disease. Eating ketogenic will reduce your cholesterol as your body burns fats more easily. It reduces heart disease risk and reduces plaque as it lowers inflammation, the cause of plaque. This has been proven in medical studies over and over again for more than 100 years.
- This sounds like just another “fad” diet.
- This diet approach has been studied since the late 1800’s. This eating plan has been around for more than 100 years. Mayo clinic recommended this diet back in 1921. There is ample research outlining the clear benefits of this healthy dietary regimen. In fact, it is believed that your forefathers ate this way more than 10,000 years ago. How can this be a “fad”?
- This diet approach has been studied since the late 1800’s. This eating plan has been around for more than 100 years. Mayo clinic recommended this diet back in 1921. There is ample research outlining the clear benefits of this healthy dietary regimen. In fact, it is believed that your forefathers ate this way more than 10,000 years ago. How can this be a “fad”?
- How long can I do this?
- Eating this way protects and nourishes the heart and brain better than any other diet. If you want to avoid Alzheimer’s and heart disease in later life then this is the life-long path for you.
- Eating this way protects and nourishes the heart and brain better than any other diet. If you want to avoid Alzheimer’s and heart disease in later life then this is the life-long path for you.
- Aren’t whole grains healthy for me?
- Very simply, NO they are not. There is no such thing as an “essential” grain. There are however essential proteins and fats that the body needs and can’t make. Grain consumption is directly linked to weight gain, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and a host of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Avoiding grains typically leads to a clear and immediate improvement in health.
- Very simply, NO they are not. There is no such thing as an “essential” grain. There are however essential proteins and fats that the body needs and can’t make. Grain consumption is directly linked to weight gain, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and a host of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Avoiding grains typically leads to a clear and immediate improvement in health.
- Isn’t this the same as the Atkins diet?
- The Ketogenic eating plan pre-dates Dr. Atkins. The Atkins diet was often misunderstood, misrepresented in the media, and often inaccurately employed. This is not the same but has some similar features. In the ketogenic diet there are ample vegetables and often these were denied in the application of the Atkins diet. Also, the ketogenic diet emphasizes “healthy” fats and not just any fat such as fried foods, bacon and pork rinds.
So let’s get started. Watch our video on You Tube for a discussion of this topic so that you get a better sense of what the diet entails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckdnoIHtuI4
Next read “Keto Lifestyle” for a broader understanding of meal plans and remember this is a GRADUAL shift. Start today getting rid of grains and gently increase healthy fats. Success is built slowly day by day.
Still not sure that this approach is right for you? Then simply commit to engage it for 6 weeks. Try it on like a suit of clothes and judge for yourself how your body and mind feel. A ketogenic diet is not the only way to live a healthy life. It is simply one of the most powerful tools to accelerate your health.
See the “Ketogenic Lifestyle” article on this website to gain greater depth of understanding. To truly bring this to life we offer a Virtuoso Weight Loss program that is a 14 week engagement with an integrative clinician and dietitian, Chelsea Dorsett. The Virtuoso Program all but guarantee’s your success. As a member of HippEvo you have access to 7 additional pieces to this ketogenic puzzle found in the LEARN section. If you are not yet a HippEvo Member then now is the time to join us and redefine your health.
