Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[monotonic]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Rhythmik, it is hard to believe you have read all of those threads. You must have seen some of the posts I made earlier in this topic and the responses I received, when it was clear I did not understand what I was doing.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

If it's low does that mean I should be eating more carbs? (I am pretty close to zero, some days i will eat a sweet potato).
I haven't had much sleep this week if that is a contributing factor, or could it be some other kind of condition?

I will purchase a glucometer and keep track of my levels.

I wouldn't recommend sharply increasing carbs. If you want to create a margin of safety while you figure this out, you could increase your carb intake temporarily to 20 grams/day. That level still supports a high degree of keto-adaptation. Since you say you are including sweet potato, it is likely that you are at or near that level already, however. (The main issue I have identified with sweet potato so far, apart from the impact that the starch may have on ketone levels, is that it contains fructose. Eating this food is not consistent with the experiment described in this topic, but I think you should sort out your blood sugar first.)

When it is low, it means that your body is regulating it downward for some reason --presumably due to high insulin levels. Using a glucometer you should be able to determine if it is hypoglycemia (just low) or reactive hypoglycemia (elevated after meals and then crashing within a few hours).

You can find some basic information here.

Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too low.

Blood sugar below 70 mg/dL is considered low. Blood sugar at or below this level can harm you.
...
Hypoglycemia in people who do not have diabetes may be caused by:

• Drinking alcohol
• Insulinoma - a rare tumor in the pancreas that produces too much insulin
• Lack (deficiency) of a hormone, such as cortisol or thyroid hormone
• Severe heart, kidney, or liver failure or a body-wide infection
• Some types of weight-loss surgery

I am puzzled because I don't see any indication from you that this is taking you down the way low blood sugar should, although I may have missed something (while multitasking as usual). I lived with reactive hypoglycemia most of my life, and I don't see you describing any of the things I felt when my glucose was low. In fact, you said "I was noticeably fatigued during my workouts for the first week or so but then I adjusted and felt fine. "

I wonder if you simply received a bad reading. Having your own glucometer will allow you to avoid the problems that come from random errors in testing. You will need fasting glucose, and readings at intervals following a meal. Here is a protocol from Sweet Potato Power:

Using a glucometer ... test your blood five times per day. This is good for people learning to manage their glucose levels, optimizing carbohydrates during meals, choose the right foods for their bodies, and experimenting with their body’s tolerance for sugars. We want glucose levels to be consistent throughout the day, providing a constant stream of energy to our body, while at the same time avoiding rollercoaster–like ups and downs.

WITH DATA, WE CAN BEGIN TO PIECE TOGETHER THE STORY OUR BODY TELLS.

WHAT TO DO
[list type=decimal]
[*]Perform an initial “fasting” blood test immediately after waking and before eating anything.
[*]Do a second and third test two hours after breakfast and lunch, respectively.
[*]Take a fourth reading immediately before dinner.
[*]Finally, take one more reading before bed.
[/list]
Record all results and all food eaten. Keep this testing regimen over a period of at least two weeks. Over this time period, you will become accustomed to your patterns.

Tudor, Ashley (2012-04-13). Sweet Potato Power: Discover Your Personal Equation for Optimal Health. Victory Belt Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Once you know the pattern of your glucose levels, you may want to devise your own tests to learn more.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I have a book on my Kindle waiting to be read that is about how to use a glucometer. I will skim through it and see if I think it is worth recommending.

That book wasn't all that great, although I may make use of some of the exercises it describes. There was nothing about low blood sugar that I could see. The testing protocol from Sweet Potato Power is just what I was looking for.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

For those who have problems with xylitol, I DO recommend reading the xylitol thread. I think everybody has problems with it at the beginning because the gassy/bloat is due to the xylitol killing off a bunch of bad bacteria that you can probably do very well without. When the bacterial balance is changed, the bloating and gassiness stops. The benefits of the xylitol are probably worth trying to get there.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Just a quick question about cheese as it has been mentioned. I take it cheese is not compatable with the keto diet because it contains up to 30% protein derived from modified casein? Is that correct? Or is it more complicated than that? I know that it also contains up to 5% lactose.

I buy organic raw milk cheese for my other half and have consumed small amounts myself on occasion. It doesn't seem to have had an adverse effect but I can easily go without if it's detrimental.

FWIW, when I eliminated gluten and casein (all dairy) back at the end of 2009/beginning of 2010, if I remember the timing more or less accurately, I had very bad reactions when reintroducing cheese -- worse than gluten. I didn't eat either for several weeks, and then tried to see what reaction I would have (reintroduction done separately, a couple of weeks apart). And cheese was something I ate tons of all my life (besides other really bad things I ate tons of all my life).

Casein is probably a big part of it, but as Megan mentioned, it could be several other things about cheese, as well.


@Rythmik:

I wonder if the low blood sugar (if it's not a bad reading) could also be that you became much more sensitive to insulin (and may be eating a bit too much protein causing larger insulin releases) and things haven't sorted out / adjusted yet. If you DID become much more sensitive to insulin (having been insulin resistant to some extent before dietary improvements) this could be causing a low blood sugar condition, too, I think.

 

[Rhythmik]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Rhythmik, it is hard to believe you have read all of those threads. You must have seen some of the posts I made earlier in this topic and the responses I received, when it was clear I did not understand what I was doing.

I did read it, the problem was I did not understand a lot of what was being discussed until I went through the experiences myself. It will take me weeks to re-read the thread (which I will get around to doing) but I was very concerned about my blood sugar levels so I had to ask.

Megan - thank you so much for that. I will do the tests and keep a close eye on it.

Q: Is almond/chia butter ok to eat?

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Q: Is almond/chia butter ok to eat?

Almonds (and most nuts) are on the list of things that many people are sensitive to. Probably should be eliminated until you are really on a good way and then tested from a "clean slate". Even then, there are things that you can't eat while having leaky gut that you can eat later after the gut is healed. I couldn't eat eggs for three years without extreme pain reactions. Now I can eat them a few times a week without problems.

 

[lwu02eb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Okay, I'll cut out dairy altogether then.

Re. Xylitol, I seem to be okay if I have it before mid-afternoon. It's in the evening that the reaction is really bad. I'll stick to having it during the day.

Thanks for all your responses to my questions.

 

[mada85]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I've been having some pretty amazing results with this new approach to the diet. My first IF day was on January 1. I was buzzing with energy as a result of protein restriction, but my system was upset for a few days afterwards. Not in a debilitating way, but I just felt under the weather and 'off' for a while.

I left things for a few days and had another IF (protein restriction) day which passed much more smoothly. Since then I've settled into a routine of protein restriction on alternate days. The strange thing is though that I'm wanting to eat less on a normal protein day too, but having more energy available even while eating less! It's a strange thing to contemplate as my mental habit is to think that for more energy, I should eat more.

Since I started on low carbs back in December 2011, my stool never settled down (it was always very loose) and I was taking psyllium husks every day to control it. I was eating about 20g carbs daily in the form of gluten- and everything-free fruit cake - an addiction that took quite some time to clear up. This addiction just vanished after my first IF day. Since then my stool has settled down and I'm reducing the psyllium husks quite quickly.

Yesterday, after I got home from work, I did a really intense workout with weights for 15-20 minutes (with rest periods) with ease. I felt great afterwards - more energised in fact! My body couldn't get enough of it. Previously, weights workouts have been an effort and felt like something I would make myself do because it's good for me. I now put that down to excess protein having an effect on my body like eating carbs, and I know without doubt now how bad for me any carbs are.

Mentally I am more focused, and my base-line mood is always good. My resistance to stress has gone through the roof. Many things at work - I have some 'difficult' members of the public to deal with - I can handle with ease. This new energy reserve makes doing things so easy. It's like having a motor running all the time and engaging the gears is just effortless.

Also, various little anxieties, negative self-image loops, and similar little things have vanished, which makes me wonder just how many mental health issues, which the medical profession ascribe to unalterable genetics, are linked to the standard western diet.

The next thing to try is bone broth. My first batch is on the stove as I write this, being made with pig's trotters. It'll be ready in about 8 hours.

Added: I forgot to mention that although my leg/calf/foot cramps and twitches diminished after stopping all carbs, they did return. Reducing magnesium and increasing potassium is have a really beneficial effect on this problem at present.

 

[Nienna]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Added: I forgot to mention that although my leg/calf/foot cramps and twitches diminished after stopping all carbs, they did return. Reducing magnesium and increasing potassium is have a really beneficial effect on this problem at present.

You may want to make sure that you are also getting enough salt. Back when the KD started, my then roommate and I round out just how important it is to take in enough salt. If we started cramping, we would take some salt water and the cramps would go away fairly quickly.

fwiw

 

[mada85]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Added: I forgot to mention that although my leg/calf/foot cramps and twitches diminished after stopping all carbs, they did return. Reducing magnesium and increasing potassium is have a really beneficial effect on this problem at present.

You may want to make sure that you are also getting enough salt. Back when the KD started, my then roommate and I round out just how important it is to take in enough salt. If we started cramping, we would take some salt water and the cramps would go away fairly quickly.

fwiw

Thanks for the tip. I currently take 2 teaspoons of brine (made with Himalayan salt) in water every morning. Perhaps that's not enough. I will try increasing it and see what happens.

 

[Ollie]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for the tip. I currently take 2 teaspoons of brine (made with Himalayan salt) in water every morning. Perhaps that's not enough. I will try increasing it and see what happens.

You may like to add some Potassium Chloride as well.

 

[Nienna]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Added: I forgot to mention that although my leg/calf/foot cramps and twitches diminished after stopping all carbs, they did return. Reducing magnesium and increasing potassium is have a really beneficial effect on this problem at present.

You may want to make sure that you are also getting enough salt. Back when the KD started, my then roommate and I round out just how important it is to take in enough salt. If we started cramping, we would take some salt water and the cramps would go away fairly quickly.

fwiw

Thanks for the tip. I currently take 2 teaspoons of brine (made with Himalayan salt) in water every morning. Perhaps that's not enough. I will try increasing it and see what happens.

That may be enough. Do you salt your food? If so I would wait until I get cramps again, if you ever do, and try to drink a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water and see if that helps, if it does, you need more salt; if not, then your salt level is good and there's something else lacking.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Q: Is almond/chia butter ok to eat?

Almonds (and most nuts) are on the list of things that many people are sensitive to. Probably should be eliminated until you are really on a good way and then tested from a "clean slate". Even then, there are things that you can't eat while having leaky gut that you can eat later after the gut is healed. I couldn't eat eggs for three years without extreme pain reactions. Now I can eat them a few times a week without problems.

As you know from some of my earlier posts, I have found some interesting material in Paul Jaminet's Perfect Health Diet. This is not a book I would recommend as a primary source, because it has a significantly different orientation with respect what we are doing, but Paul is a thorough "textbook" researcher (providing full citations where applicable), aided by his own experiences and his wife (a microbiologist), and he makes observations that find their way throughout the paleo community for good reason. Here's what he says about almonds:

Gut Bacteria Need a Balanced Diet Too

A few lines of evidence suggest that low or moderate fiber intake may create a more healthful, friendly gut flora.

Bacteria not only need carbohydrates for food, they need other nutrients too: phospholipids for their membranes, amino acids for their proteins, minerals for their enzymes. And well-nourished gut bacteria may be more likely to cooperate probiotically with their host.

This may be a reason that tree nuts are healthful. Almond fats, for instance, have been shown to help probiotic bacteria flourish. The benefits of almonds are lost when the fat content is removed.

If gut bacteria need fats, and if providing fats makes the gut healthier, high-carb, low-fat diets may sabotage the gut by creating a scarcity of nourishing fats for gut bacteria. A low-carb, high-fat diet will create a smaller but healthier— and friendlier— population of gut bacteria.

Jaminet, Paul; Jaminet, Shou-Ching (2012-12-11). Perfect Health Diet (Kindle Locations 3259-3267). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

There is also this little snippit.

Breeding has made some plants less toxic. Wild almonds contain amygdalin, a chemical that turns into cyanide in the body. Eating only a few wild almonds may be lethal. However, breeding has eliminated amygdalin from domesticated almonds, making them relatively safe.

Jaminet, Paul; Jaminet, Shou-Ching (2012-12-11). Perfect Health Diet (Kindle Locations 4335-4337). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Makes me think twice about that almond tree we have in the back, although I am quite sure it was bred for "food" almonds. But still, we should never forget that plants do have defenses, just to survive, and the only reason we can eat them is that we have counter-defenses, both internally and in our ability to consciously alter evolution (which may in turn produce other unexpected side effects, so watch out!).

 

[mada85]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for the replies.

You may like to add some Potassium Chloride as well.

I've been taking potassium gluconate which has definitely helped. From what I've read the benefits of KCl are its ease of absorption, although the gluconate variety is also advertised as being easy to absorb.

Added: I forgot to mention that although my leg/calf/foot cramps and twitches diminished after stopping all carbs, they did return. Reducing magnesium and increasing potassium is have a really beneficial effect on this problem at present.

You may want to make sure that you are also getting enough salt. Back when the KD started, my then roommate and I round out just how important it is to take in enough salt. If we started cramping, we would take some salt water and the cramps would go away fairly quickly.

fwiw

Thanks for the tip. I currently take 2 teaspoons of brine (made with Himalayan salt) in water every morning. Perhaps that's not enough. I will try increasing it and see what happens.

That may be enough. Do you salt your food? If so I would wait until I get cramps again, if you ever do, and try to drink a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water and see if that helps, if it does, you need more salt; if not, then your salt level is good and there's something else lacking.

It appears to be a lack of salt. About 30 minutes ago I was getting some muscle twitches in my calves so I added one teaspoon of brine to a glass of water, drank half of it, and the twitches have now reduced to a very low level. I will experiment with taking some additional salted water during the day and adding extra salt to my food. I already eat lots of salty bacon and salted butter but it seems I need more salt.