Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I'll take the iron absorption and just donate regularly, in exchange for the digestion working better.

I think the iron absorption "feature" of betaine HCL has to be viewed in perspective, and in Chris Kresser's talk he merely mentions it near the end. If your stomach acid is low, your uptake of many nutrients will be low, iron included, and taking a sufficient dose of the supplement should help to remedy that.

To me, the increased iron absorption from taking betaine HCL means that if you have both hemochromatosis and low stomach acid, it is especially important to be unloading iron by one means or another because otherwise in attempting to improve one condition you may be making the other worse.

 

[dugdeep]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I'll take the iron absorption and just donate regularly, in exchange for the digestion working better.

I think the iron absorption "feature" of betaine HCL has to be viewed in perspective, and in Chris Kresser's talk he merely mentions it near the end. If your stomach acid is low, your uptake of many nutrients will be low, iron included, and taking a sufficient dose of the supplement should help to remedy that.

To me, the increased iron absorption from taking betaine HCL means that if you have both hemochromatosis and low stomach acid, it is especially important to be unloading iron by one means or another because otherwise in attempting to improve one condition you may be making the other worse.

I agree. There's two important things to remember here: 1) Many minerals, including iron, require the acidic environment of the stomach in order to separate from food/supplements for absorption and 2) Betaine HCL is taken as a means of normalizing the acid levels in the stomach. Without a normal level of HCL, your digestion is going to be impaired. It doesn't seem like a good idea to impair your digestion, or avoid correcting it, in order to avoid iron absorption.

This link is helpful - http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=1347

 

[SMM]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

A HUGE thanks for all the input!

 

[SMM]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I was a bit pressed for time earlier, this may be pointing out an obvious:
What stroke me as peculiar, the more I go through the thread & papers, is the similarity wrt diet, IF & resistance training in rural & tribal people worldwide. In many of these places, they were forced over time to incorporate what grains they could harvest - maize, rice - into their diet due to varying circumstances e.g. globalisation, climatic changes.

Traditionally the Maasai people, in parts of East Africa, living amongst lions & wilderness would use animal parts, fats & herbs as a source of nutrition & in preparing remedies to ailments. They would employ persistence hunting &, even today, sell lion fat & blood [though the latter's authenticity has been put to question] at markets. At least in Tanzania.

The morbidity rates for Alzheimer's, Parkison's, autism etc. appear to be much lower than in industrialised & developed civilisation which correlates with lower carbohydrates & trans-fats/processed foods consumption. These places are usually more communal-minded & context oriented.

In terms of receivership ability, the role played by diet, mitochondra to be more exact, seems to have a wide spectrum of implications.
Reading through this stuff is illuminating.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...In many of these places, they were forced over time to incorporate what grains they could harvest - maize, rice - into their diet due to varying circumstances e.g. globalisation, climatic changes...

Please don't forget "pathological leadership" as another potential cause, usually overlooked, that remains to this day and winds its way through every aspect of "modern" life.

 

[Nienna]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...In many of these places, they were forced over time to incorporate what grains they could harvest - maize, rice - into their diet due to varying circumstances e.g. globalisation, climatic changes...

Please don't forget "pathological leadership" as another potential cause, usually overlooked, that remains to this day and winds its way through every aspect of "modern" life.

Also, the chemicals that the "modern" world is bombarded with such as in vaccines, food, water, cosmetics, household cleaners, chemical sprays....the list just goes on and on. Although, I do think that diet is also a very important part of it all.

 

[SMM]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...In many of these places, they were forced over time to incorporate what grains they could harvest - maize, rice - into their diet due to varying circumstances e.g. globalisation, climatic changes...

Please don't forget "pathological leadership" as another potential cause, usually overlooked, that remains to this day and winds its way through every aspect of "modern" life.

Also, the chemicals that the "modern" world is bombarded with such as in vaccines, food, water, cosmetics, household cleaners, chemical sprays....the list just goes on and on. Although, I do think that diet is also a very important part of it all.

Whoops...think I meant 'struck me', not 'stroke'.
Yeah, pathological leadership is sort of like the umbrella the varying circumstances fall under. Good reminder Megan.
Modern life is littered with these chemicals. Some chemicals are advantageous but for the most part they aid in instilling control by said pathological leaders.

It is, quite literally, 'going against the grain' in this respect.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I am making progress with my KD tweaks to fix my digestion. I am up to EIGHT (!) betaine HCL capsules per meal (2 meals/day, usually) and something is happening. It's possible that my brain is receiving more nutrients, and maybe even more fuel (I need to recheck my glucose and ketones). My GI tract is slower to adjust (it operates on a scale of days rather than milliseconds, after all) but it feels a little better too, although still quite gassy.

At the moment the main problem is that I am hyper. It could be a "jet fuel" effect I suppose, as we discussed a couple of years ago in the LWB topic, but I am really not all that energetic even now, at least not yet (give me a little more time). This is creating strategic enclosure issues and just-plain-being-annoying issues as I try to figure out the controls for it and readjust.

I'm not quite sure what is up with this, but I am sure that it is a better problem to have than what was going on before!

 

[Eboard10]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I am making progress with my KD tweaks to fix my digestion. I am up to EIGHT (!) betaine HCL capsules per meal (2 meals/day, usually) and something is happening. It's possible that my brain is receiving more nutrients, and maybe even more fuel (I need to recheck my glucose and ketones). My GI tract is slower to adjust (it operates on a scale of days rather than milliseconds, after all) but it feels a little better too, although still quite gassy.

At the moment the main problem is that I am hyper. It could be a "jet fuel" effect I suppose, as we discussed a couple of years ago in the LWB topic, but I am really not all that energetic even now, at least not yet (give me a little more time). This is creating strategic enclosure issues and just-plain-being-annoying issues as I try to figure out the controls for it and readjust.

I'm not quite sure what is up with this, but I am sure that it is a better problem to have than what was going on before!

Megan, may I ask what HCL capsules you use or you would recommend? I'm considering trying it out as I seem to have issues with absorbing minerals and vitamins.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...Megan, may I ask what HCL capsules you use or you would recommend? I'm considering trying it out as I seem to have issues with absorbing minerals and vitamins.

I will have to remember to check that when I am home -- I can almost remember the brand but not quite. There was another brand I tried when I first started the KD two years ago (Country Life, I think), and I later realized that it possibly had bad ingredients. This one appears to be OK.

I am buying the betaine HCL at the grocery store (Whole Foods Market) because of the sheer quantity I am going through. Once I establish a daily dose I will want to place larger orders to reduce the cost, and at that time I will most likely pick from whatever is recommended at scdlifestyle.com. I am already doing that with the digestive enzymes because all of the brands in the store had ingredients I didn't like.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...At the moment the main problem is that I am hyper. It could be a "jet fuel" effect I suppose, as we discussed a couple of years ago in the LWB topic, but I am really not all that energetic even now, at least not yet (give me a little more time). This is creating strategic enclosure issues and just-plain-being-annoying issues as I try to figure out the controls for it and readjust...

Quoting myself again -- that's perfect. I remembered what this condition is called (it's not "hyper") while listening to Ask the Low Carb Experts. The speaker (a Dr. Wilson) was talking about something related and it popped into my head -- "hypomania." And then a few seconds later he actually used the word.

Now that I have the word and have matched it to earlier experiences, I think I remember how to tone it down. I still don't know what started it, though. I have had bouts of it all my adult life if not before. It used to alternate with depression in a type II bipolar pattern (if there really such a thing; it's debatable), but I resolved the depression and now I just have this now and then. It isn't necessarily related to food or supplement changes. (Or maybe it's a different symtom of betaine HCL overdose. :))

If indeed the bipolar II classification is bogus, it might just be a normal, relatively healthy state with which I am not very familiar because I don't go there often, and maybe I get a little carried away when I do. While I do know of an anti-psychotic that would end it in a jiffy (tried it once; never again), I have another idea -- EE!

If it does turn out to be related to diet, supplements, and/or nutrient absorption, this could be an interesting discovery.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Well, this IS interesting. I started taking the betaine Hcl but only one per meal. Perhaps I'll experiment with increasing the dose a little.

 

[SMM]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

If it does turn out to be related to diet, supplements, and/or nutrient absorption, this could be an interesting discovery.

I think I'm familiar with the hypomania you speak of...
The digestive enzymes I currently use contain 100mg of Betaine HCL, no pepsin [because I couldn't find one that didn't contain milk], & I take one capsule/meal. I get hypomanic typically after periods of physical activity especially for extended periods, peaking after meals. It could be related to something else, considering mental health history - would be interesting to increase dosage to see what effects it would have. How long have you taken 8 per meal?

For sure, it'd be an interesting discovery.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Megan, may I ask what HCL capsules you use or you would recommend? I'm considering trying it out as I seem to have issues with absorbing minerals and vitamins.

The brand is Nature's Life, and the product is Betaine HCL 648 mg. It claims it contains no other ingredients than betaine HCL, pepsin, the gelatin capsule, cellulose, and (ugh) magnesium stearate.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Well, this IS interesting. I started taking the betaine Hcl but only one per meal. Perhaps I'll experiment with increasing the dose a little.

Same here. The guys at scdlifestyle.com have taken to calling themselves "health engineers" or something like that. Their background is that they are engineers -- as well as people that have had major GI problems. Maybe medical providers should also study engineering?