Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[Darek]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Another cost for me personally is the extraordinary sensitivity that my body now has to almost anything but meat and fat, to the point where I'm thinking I may have had an autoimmune condition all along. Even bone broth can give me a stuffy feeling in my head.

I pretty much experienced the same thing!

Same here.

 

[Nienna]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Yes, i do realize this, but my intake of sugar is few, and far between. I had these ingredients in my fridge for quite awhile, and decided to can them last night. This is the most sugar i have had at one time in quite awhile.I sweetened it with the dates. No direct sugar, as i am sure the sugar content in these ingredients are more than enough. I usually use stevia, and xylitol for everything, and do not usually eat fruit at all, but i indulged in it heavily last night. I do not have much stevia, or xylitol left until i can get into the city, so my last batch of chocolate was also half sugar, and half stevia. I actually notice that consuming sugar gives me instant energy, and decreases the brain fog right away, so i must still be addicted to it. Apparently it takes a long time. I still crave bread, and sweets, but do not usually indulge. I don't ever use sugar for anything else.

Davey, fruits contain quite a bit more sugar, as fructose, now than they did in the past, except maybe the cranberries, unless they had additional sweeteners in them. Did they? Or did you use unprocessed cranberries?

Also, dates are very, very sweet, which means that they have a lot of fructose in them. So there was a lot of sugar, as fructose, in them.

 

[Serendipity]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

It's very good to read your account of the diet changes, Serendipity. I understand what you mean about the "noise" factor, and I think it comes in two forms. The first being the general systemic inflammation which scrambles our signals in so many ways, and the second being the opioids in wheat and dairy, along with the constant "highs" that large amounts of glucose and fructose give our bodies.

Initially I saw no reason at all to switch to the diet, and only did so because of the recommendations here, and because I trusted the people on this forum. Reading the books and the threads gave much more of an incentive, but my brain simply didn't work well enough to take in all of the info, and it was partly done on faith (I recently re-read PBPM and wow, there is SO much in that book that I missed or didn't understand which is now crystal clear).

Before the diet my life was in a fog. I was disconnected from my body, and only when a major injury occurred would I pay attention to it. My mind ran in closed negative loops for the most part (that's still a work in progress), I was very anxious socially, uncomfortable in my own skin, and there was a perpetual numbness of emotions. It was a similar existence to being on antidepressants, and now I think I understand why some people are even able to deal with this reality: They are simply drugged on sugar and opioids, looking forward to their next meal.

Clearing up all of this comes at a price, in that repressed emotions do come to the surface, especially with the aid of difficult live events. Yet we all know this is necessary for personal growth.

Another cost for me personally is the extraordinary sensitivity that my body now has to almost anything but meat and fat, to the point where I'm thinking I may have had an autoimmune condition all along. Even bone broth can give me a stuffy feeling in my head. Too much protein brings brain fog, too much fat brings brain fog, carbs bring brain fog, and even small amounts of caffeine bring crazy mood swings.

I'm currently looking into histamine intolerance, and have a feeling that it has a tenuous connection with Iron overload. I haven't given blood in a long time so this may be an issue. Another factoid is that through the summer months I can generally eat whatever I want within the paleo framework and feel fine, but in the winter I have to be very careful. The journey is a very interesting one, and annoying sometimes, but it really develops your attention when it comes to feeling and feeding your body.

I'm currently looking into histamine intolerance, and have a feeling that it has a tenuous connection with Iron overload. I haven't given blood in a long time so this may be an issue. Another factoid is that through the summer months I can generally eat whatever I want within the paleo framework and feel fine, but in the winter I have to be very careful. The journey is a very interesting one, and annoying sometimes, but it really develops your attention when it comes to feeling and feeding your body.

Carlisle, what you've written above is extraordinarily similar to what my experience has been/is like!

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that after switching to keto, all of my problems have gone, far from it. But at least the 'noise' factor is gone, and IMO that's the basis for any further Work and healing to be viable. I'm finally at the point where I know, and know it viscerally, that slipping on the diet isn't just not worth it, but utterly irresponsible/self destructive as well. Doing so would be making a step backwards, and that's a wrong direction to be heading, especially in these times.

Next step for me is to check my ferritin level, and I suspect it might be elevated. I still have a prescription for blood work from 5 months ago, that expired long ago. Life circumstances and lack of will have prevented me from doing the (blood) work, when it should have been done. Not good excuse at all :/

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Quote:
magnesium 600mg is a good dose. Potassium citrate is also a good supplement, you can follow label instructions and/or take a couple of tablets.

Since I`v been on KD, I cut way back on vitamin supplementation. I do take magnesium and potassium daily, along with vit C, a couple times a week I`ll throw in D3, vit K2, and maybe a fish oil. I soak in the bath tub nightly using Epsom salts. When my body tells me it needs more mag/pot, I get leg cramps during the night where I need to get out of bed and walk around til they subside(while holding back the urge to wail! They`re that bad!) then I take double the dose of mag citrate and pot. It does the trick and I can go back to sleep. In the am when I wake up and walk around, my legs are sore from the cramping the night before. At least I was able to go back to sleep and wake up refreshed!
So I guess I`m wondering what foods I can actually eat so I don`t have to rely on mag/pot supplements? Or do I need to start hoarding these supplements for the future? And, has anyone else experienced leg cramps this severe on KD?

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Well I want to post my changes here, as it seems to be the central thread about dietary changes. I've been reading about supplementation, basically kinda shocked and amazed by the amounts of nutrients, forum members are taking.

Actually, most participants have greatly reduced their supplements after a period on the Paleo and/or ketogenic diets.

I increased some supplementation, I want to add something more like fibber and omega fatty acids.

You haven't read all the thread yet, have you? Fiber is the LAST thing you would want to add.

At the beginning I though the diet was simply to avoid bread, gluten and sugar AKA carbs too. But well, it is about a holistic point of view, the real objective of these diets paleo or keto, is to take the optimum amount of nutrients based on what the person needs, and how that person can implement changes.

Exactly. And that is pretty much meat in moderate amounts, LOTS of fat, and a few selected side dishes occasionally.

Right now, I'm doing what I call the B&BB (Breakfast & Bone Broth): I eat all I want of the meats we have for breakfast, and then only bone broth with LOTS of fat the rest of the day whenever I feel peckish. That's pretty much it.

So I increased the amount of some supplements, taking care is not more than my bowels can handle, trying to put the ingestion of my food in order so I don't find difficulties with my daily life.

And basically thanks to the research on the forum, and gaby help, I was able to improve my nutrition, and hell yeah I've changed to melancholic, depressive critical guy, to some sort of super sherlock holmes or something. I really been feeling great, and the changes on my focus, my mood, my behavior, it has been for the better. One day I guess my body reached some balance, and I guess it thanked me providing me just the most wonderful walk on my life lol, I was walking to the store to buy something and basically that whole day I felt super joy, god is just amazing. Now is not only about exercise performing, but daily human life performance. I feel so great, and I think I'm able to now plan on getting into therapy.

Now I understand the relevance of diet, I never believed it but I tried it and found so good results. Is like, my body is able to reach some sort of emotion, like to be able to not only think but feel calm, relaxed, centered, focused, and this is good because my family and my friends are becoming curious about these changes, and they start coming to me for tips and advice. Seriously I'm reaching my golden age of health, never felt so good, I can't express it with words. Of course is not magick, it takes time, it takes a lot of attention on what you are taking in, but it works.

Inspired on what Laura says "who needs aliens when you have psychopaths", I say who needs 4rth density when you have optimum nutrition.

Thank you all.

I agree! Just don't fall for the "fiber fable". Fiber is a MENACE to your digestive tract!!!

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Quote:
magnesium 600mg is a good dose. Potassium citrate is also a good supplement, you can follow label instructions and/or take a couple of tablets.

Since I`v been on KD, I cut way back on vitamin supplementation. I do take magnesium and potassium daily, along with vit C, a couple times a week I`ll throw in D3, vit K2, and maybe a fish oil. I soak in the bath tub nightly using Epsom salts. When my body tells me it needs more mag/pot, I get leg cramps during the night where I need to get out of bed and walk around til they subside(while holding back the urge to wail! They`re that bad!) then I take double the dose of mag citrate and pot. It does the trick and I can go back to sleep. In the am when I wake up and walk around, my legs are sore from the cramping the night before. At least I was able to go back to sleep and wake up refreshed!
So I guess I`m wondering what foods I can actually eat so I don`t have to rely on mag/pot supplements? Or do I need to start hoarding these supplements for the future? And, has anyone else experienced leg cramps this severe on KD?

This reminded me of an all time favorite for muscle cramps when transitioning into keto metabolism: L-carnitine. It basically transports fatty energy into the mitochondria where it is needed the most. Our bodies should be able to derive L-carnitine from meat fatty sources, but sometimes there is troubleshooting. It is the one supplement recommended in "Life Without Bread" (book) to avoid muscle cramps while transitioning into low carb. Some people reported exc results with it. Once your body is adjusted to keto metabolism, you shouldn't need the supplement anymore.

 

[Nienna]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

So I guess I`m wondering what foods I can actually eat so I don`t have to rely on mag/pot supplements? Or do I need to start hoarding these supplements for the future? And, has anyone else experienced leg cramps this severe on KD?

What I am wondering is if the soil is so depleted of mangnesium, maybe this mineral still needs to be supplements as the animals would not be getting enough to transfer into us? Maybe the same with potassium?

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

So I guess I`m wondering what foods I can actually eat so I don`t have to rely on mag/pot supplements? Or do I need to start hoarding these supplements for the future? And, has anyone else experienced leg cramps this severe on KD?

What I am wondering is if the soil is so depleted of mangnesium, maybe this mineral still needs to be supplements as the animals would not be getting enough to transfer into us? Maybe the same with potassium?

I`v read that many times about the soil being depleted of magnesium. This makes sense that animals would not be transferring it through their meat. I`m guessing potassium too. Thanks for the reminder, Nienna

 

[LQB]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

So I guess I`m wondering what foods I can actually eat so I don`t have to rely on mag/pot supplements? Or do I need to start hoarding these supplements for the future? And, has anyone else experienced leg cramps this severe on KD?

What I am wondering is if the soil is so depleted of mangnesium, maybe this mineral still needs to be supplements as the animals would not be getting enough to transfer into us? Maybe the same with potassium?

I`v read that many times about the soil being depleted of magnesium. This makes sense that animals would not be transferring it through their meat. I`m guessing potassium too. Thanks for the reminder, Nienna

Absolutely - for example, many areas in Tenn are notorious for deficiency in soil selenium. So for cows, you would need a mineral lick that supplies it.

 

[Arwenn]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for the heads up on the L-Carnitine Gaby, I've been feeling really tired and not sleeping well, so it might be a good supplement to take, along with my Mg powder. This is week three of no grains, and now it's time to ditch the milk. I might try Almond milk as a substitute in my tea. I am not eating much by way of veggies (carrots, green beans) and no fruit. I have some dark chocolate which has some sugar in it, otherwise it's stevia for sweetening. I eat bacon and eggs with lots & lots of butter, and fatty cuts of meat (starting with the fat). I really don't like the taste of bone broth, and coconut oil upsets my stomach. The problem is, I must need way more fat because I still feel hungry. I am determined to keep going though. The plus side is that my stomach is not inflamed or sore as it used to be. That in itself is a huge bonus for me.

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for the heads up on the L-Carnitine Gaby, I've been feeling really tired and not sleeping well, so it might be a good supplement to take, along with my Mg powder. This is week three of no grains, and now it's time to ditch the milk. I might try Almond milk as a substitute in my tea. I am not eating much by way of veggies (carrots, green beans) and no fruit. I have some dark chocolate which has some sugar in it, otherwise it's stevia for sweetening. I eat bacon and eggs with lots & lots of butter, and fatty cuts of meat (starting with the fat). I really don't like the taste of bone broth, and coconut oil upsets my stomach. The problem is, I must need way more fat because I still feel hungry. I am determined to keep going though. The plus side is that my stomach is not inflamed or sore as it used to be. That in itself is a huge bonus for me.

Hi Arwenn. When I cut out dairy, I really missed the creamy fat in my tea. I found an awesome coconut cream(organic), very thick like dairy cream and can be used in recipes to replace dairy cream. Maybe your reaction would be different to the cream than the oil? Be careful of the almond milk products. Some have sugar in them.

When I first started making bone broth,I found I REALLY needed to add lots of "real salt". It makes all the difference if you haven`t been adding it before eating, for me anyway! Bone broth IMO is the perfect food.

Good luck! N2F

 

[Nancy2feathers]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

So I guess I`m wondering what foods I can actually eat so I don`t have to rely on mag/pot supplements? Or do I need to start hoarding these supplements for the future? And, has anyone else experienced leg cramps this severe on KD?

What I am wondering is if the soil is so depleted of mangnesium, maybe this mineral still needs to be supplements as the animals would not be getting enough to transfer into us? Maybe the same with potassium?

I`v read that many times about the soil being depleted of magnesium. This makes sense that animals would not be transferring it through their meat. I`m guessing potassium too. Thanks for the reminder, Nienna

Absolutely - for example, many areas in Tenn are notorious for deficiency in soil selenium. So for cows, you would need a mineral lick that supplies it.

Hi LQB. Would that go for pigs too?

 

[Arwenn]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Hi Arwenn. When I cut out dairy, I really missed the creamy fat in my tea. I found an awesome coconut cream(organic), very thick like dairy cream and can be used in recipes to replace dairy cream. Maybe your reaction would be different to the cream than the oil? Be careful of the almond milk products. Some have sugar in them.

When I first started making bone broth,I found I REALLY needed to add lots of "real salt". It makes all the difference if you haven`t been adding it before eating, for me anyway! Bone broth IMO is the perfect food.

Good luck! N2F

I will look for some coconut cream. Thanks for the suggestion of an alternative to almond milk (and yeah, they certainly do sneak the sugar in). I will try bone broth again, I just can't seem to hit a taste I like. Will keep trying though

Thanks N2F!

 

[davey72]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Hi LQB. Would that go for pigs too?

It would be for any animal. If there is a depletion in the soil it affects all animals, and plants. OSIT

 

[Ennio]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for the heads up on the L-Carnitine Gaby, I've been feeling really tired and not sleeping well, so it might be a good supplement to take, along with my Mg powder. This is week three of no grains, and now it's time to ditch the milk. I might try Almond milk as a substitute in my tea. I am not eating much by way of veggies (carrots, green beans) and no fruit. I have some dark chocolate which has some sugar in it, otherwise it's stevia for sweetening. I eat bacon and eggs with lots & lots of butter, and fatty cuts of meat (starting with the fat). I really don't like the taste of bone broth, and coconut oil upsets my stomach. The problem is, I must need way more fat because I still feel hungry. I am determined to keep going though. The plus side is that my stomach is not inflamed or sore as it used to be. That in itself is a huge bonus for me.

I've been on the keto diet for about a year and a half, and can say that after a number of months on it, and eating plenty of fat (quite often in the form of organic butter) and very fatty broth, I've been doing ok on it, and with fewer hunger pangs than at the start. Some days I don't even want to finish my entire lunch and wait to put what I didn't finish in my evening bowl of bone broth. When I do feel that extra pang of hunger, I usually notice that it coincides with being very active, or even getting less sleep than I should have had the night before. I help myself to larger of bowl of broth at such times and supplement that with a few slices of salami (with no additives).

As for the taste of bone broth, I second N2F's suggestion to use a high quality salt for flavor. I also like to add diced onion and garlic while it's cooking - about three quarters into the time it takes to cook. If you can tolerate onion and garlic you may want to give it a try but it may be a good idea to start with small amounts and see how you do.