Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[MK Scarlett]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

To come back on this Himalayan Salt I made some searchs with this question in mind: Does the salt of Himalaya come to mountains?

It looks it does not. It is the geologic region of Himalaya and not that geographical of the climbers! The salt comes from a region of low mountain ranges to the northeast of Pakistan.

From a marketing point of view the Himalayan mountains sound indeed more appealing than a Pakistani mine.

Also the pink color of the salt come from the high content in iron.

Really interesting link Belibaste, thank you for it! :)
I've got one Salt Lamp which is between white and peach color and I agree, enough brittle. The "interesting" fact by the way is how one more time childs are used to make profits. So Sad.

 

[Ollie]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...

I'm at the very lowest weight I want to go right now so proceeding cautiously. Also, at 66, I have to consider whether my body can handle the changes. But it's definitely worth the experiment now that I am understanding the mitochondrial connection and esoteric implications.

I'm going to try to make bone broth when I have time next week. I'm not much of a cook and with working my time is limited but it will be fun.

Thanks to all who have contributed. Learning is, indeed, fun.

Mac

Whilst accepting that we are all different, at 66, my body has handled these changes well, a far better situation than before. And, bone broth is simple to make, you don't need to be much of a cook to manage a successful outcome. :)

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I am dealing with stubborn, lifelong gut and metabolic issues that hopefully most people here don't have.

Some of mine seem pretty close based on what you've written...

Laura, thank you for taking time to write that. I am going to try, again, a more direct reduction of carb intake below where I am now (30-35 g/d). I won't quite do it all at once, after what I went through last time, but I do sense (and have noted) that my internal environment has changed and that the results may be different. I did stick it out the first time for something like 4 weeks (of misery) before raising my carb intake again, so it wasn't a matter of just seeing some 'symptoms' and then quitting.

Doing this did stop the fermentation at first, and that was my goal, but then I entered a state similar to what Chris Kresser calls "constarrhea." It was reminiscent of my earlier years on the Standard American Diet when I lived with alternating constipation and diarrhea.

I kind of know how these problems started for me, between my early life memories and the reading I have been doing. I had terrible GI problems as a child (that I can still remember) and, I suspect, as an infant. I think I was probably exclusively formula-fed. I imagine that my gut bacteria were destroyed by antibiotics a number of times. I may even have been prenatally exposed to DES. My mother was told by a doctor that pregnancy would improve her health. It didn't, and she died relatively young at 54, after 27 more years of health problems.

If I can increase beneficial gut bacteria by eating fermented vegetables, that could be very helpful. I want, however, to reduce -- not increase -- total carbs. Maybe I can try it for a few weeks. Whatever I do, I need to stay well enough to work. I am also going to have my hormones checked again, by someone that knows what they are doing. I have new health insurance (non-HMO) as of today and a prospective doctor to work with. Hopefully I will have more information to work with soon.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Megan, I just found that trying to keep my carbs low was a losing proposition. If there were carbs going in at all, they kept those evil carb eating bacteria alive enough to upset the whole system and produce cravings. What I have found recently was that going ZERO and just holding out for a week did the trick. Yeah, there was a screaming rebellion and I was a little worried and took about 7 magnesium tablets one night in desperation, but finally, everything worked out and it's been smooth sailing ever since though, as I said, only every 3 to 4 days and minimal in amount. I wanted those suckers dead and NOW.

 

[truth seeker]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Megan, I just found that trying to keep my carbs low was a losing proposition. If there were carbs going in at all, they kept those evil carb eating bacteria alive enough to upset the whole system and produce cravings. What I have found recently was that going ZERO and just holding out for a week did the trick. Yeah, there was a screaming rebellion and I was a little worried and took about 7 magnesium tablets one night in desperation, but finally, everything worked out and it's been smooth sailing ever since though, as I said, only every 3 to 4 days and minimal in amount. I wanted those suckers dead and NOW.

Agree, particularly with the part in bold. I'd never have thought that I was so carb sensitive, but with the whole fibroid thing, I really just got so sick and tired of them running me that I'd do anything to be rid of it. There is some discomfort for a bit of time, but if you can just get to the point where you say "no more" and push through it, I have little doubt that you'll succeed. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel. For what it's worth.

 

[Psalehesost]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Ditch the coconut stuff. Just lard and some ghee if you can't do butter. So many people have problems with coconut that it is better to stay on the safe side.

The same might be said for ghee. (A number of people, including me, have reported being sensitive to it in the Life Without Bread thread.) I would be one case of someone less sensitive to coconut fat than to ghee. I notice no problem adding a bit of coconut fat to a meal, but ghee makes me feel a bit strange, and it's hard to stop eating it if available. (And it digests fairly poorly.) So I avoid it quite strictly.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Megan, I just found that trying to keep my carbs low was a losing proposition. If there were carbs going in at all, they kept those evil carb eating bacteria alive enough to upset the whole system and produce cravings. What I have found recently was that going ZERO and just holding out for a week did the trick. Yeah, there was a screaming rebellion and I was a little worried and took about 7 magnesium tablets one night in desperation, but finally, everything worked out and it's been smooth sailing ever since though, as I said, only every 3 to 4 days and minimal in amount. I wanted those suckers dead and NOW.

I think I understand. There are a number of things I could have to juggle, if the reaction is similar to what happened last July, but I am going to go ahead and try it. One thing I learned the last time was that the misery went on for four weeks, but it quickly dissipated with a modest increase in carbs. So there is room to experiment over this holiday weekend. I can, in fact, drop to zero tomorrow, which also happens to be my grocery shopping day. It sounds like lots of fun. If it impacts my ability to work too much, I have options.

Right now I am going for a walk. We had a somewhat chilly last day of August, and at going on noon today it hasn't quite reached 60º F (16º C). That is a good thing for me, since I can do more, physically, when it is cold.

Thank you again!

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Ditch the coconut stuff. Just lard and some ghee if you can't do butter. So many people have problems with coconut that it is better to stay on the safe side.

The same might be said for ghee. (A number of people, including me, have reported being sensitive to it in the Life Without Bread thread.) I would be one case of someone less sensitive to coconut fat than to ghee. I notice no problem adding a bit of coconut fat to a meal, but ghee makes me feel a bit strange, and it's hard to stop eating it if available. (And it digests fairly poorly.) So I avoid it quite strictly.

We discussed this a little in the LWB topic. I have had no trouble with the organic ghee that I buy for $20/jar. I can eliminate it for weeks and then return to it with no effect, other than the extra cost. It's entirely possible that not all processed ghee is the same, especially the cheaper varieties. My housemate has been experimenting with making ghee from pasture butter, but I haven't tried it yet myself. I am more concerned about the bacon fat I consume from the not-so-great grade of non-organic grain-fed pork sold here. (I am trying to move ahead with my housemate on buying a larger freezer for the garage -- then we will be able to mail order in bulk.)

I do continue to use coconut oil as well, and it warms me up a little on the inside, but not in an unpleasant way. I specifically use it as an MCT supplement, to help with "brain issues." MCTs metabolize more easily than LCTs, not requiring carnitine for transport the way LCTs do. I also supplement with L-carnitine because it helps prevent cramps (a lifetime problem for me, not something that started when I went low-carb). This might be a clue to what is going on, but I need a better idea of the state of my hormones (which regulate metabolism) before drawing any conclusions.

As with ghee, I can eliminate coconut oil for weeks at a time and return to using it with no negative effects, and I have done so a number of times. Of course other people here may have very different experiences with these two items. I would certainly say that elimination/challenge testing is important if you are going to use either.

 

[Beau]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I understand. There are a number of things I could have to juggle, if the reaction is similar to what happened last July, but I am going to go ahead and try it. One thing I learned the last time was that the misery went on for four weeks, but it quickly dissipated with a modest increase in carbs.

At that time, were you eating bone broth in conjunction with doing zero carbs?

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I understand. There are a number of things I could have to juggle, if the reaction is similar to what happened last July, but I am going to go ahead and try it. One thing I learned the last time was that the misery went on for four weeks, but it quickly dissipated with a modest increase in carbs.

At that time, were you eating bone broth in conjunction with doing zero carbs?

Yeah, this is a biggie. I wasn't going for the broth because I didn't think it sounded very appetizing. But I was also just trying to take my carbs as low as I could, eating them one day, not the next, and back and forth like a see-saw. I realize now this was the cause of the failure. So, when you know that your options are only meat and fat and you NEED some way to get in the extra fat without gagging, well... I became more willing to try the broth.

And boy, was that like a miracle food! It was satisfying, delicious, and I was easily able to keep the protein intake down which also seems to be key to the process - and without suffering any hunger or cravings at all. If I felt a little peckish, a cup of broth. If I knew I'd had enough protein, a cup of broth. And what was in the broth was really saving me. I can't emphasize that enough. Whatever is in it, it made the transition a lot, LOT easier than that messing around I was doing before.

I never, ever, thought I would look at a cup of broth with some itty bits of meat and gristle and fat in it, as a complete meal and actually be satisfied with it. Heck, soup is supposed to be the starter for the rest of the meal, not the equivalent of a 5 course meal itself! Or that I would look at a soup plate with mostly liquid in it and just a few bites of meat, as my lunch or dinner!

But, there you have it: after Bacon, bone broth is the food of the gods.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I think I understand. There are a number of things I could have to juggle, if the reaction is similar to what happened last July, but I am going to go ahead and try it. One thing I learned the last time was that the misery went on for four weeks, but it quickly dissipated with a modest increase in carbs.

At that time, were you eating bone broth in conjunction with doing zero carbs?

No, I had read about it but I didn't start making it until several months later. It's a change in routine, and I have a lot of trouble with that. That, in turn, is one of the problems I am trying to address with the ketogenic diet.

The challenge now is to make enough broth. Right now I have quite a bit in the freezer. I can probably draw quite a bit more from the bones by reusing them. I don't yet have a supply of bones other than those that are in the meat I buy, or a good place to store meat and bones bought in bulk frozen. Working on it...

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

...I never, ever, thought I would look at a cup of broth with some itty bits of meat and gristle and fat in it, as a complete meal and actually be satisfied with it. Heck, soup is supposed to be the starter for the rest of the meal, not the equivalent of a 5 course mean itself! Or that I would look at a soup plate with mostly liquid in it and just a few bites of meat, as my lunch or dinner!

But, there you have it: after Bacon, bone broth is the food of the gods.

I have tried bone broth that way, recently, as a meal, and it was pretty good.

As I have said repeatedly, it has not been easy to find good food in the stores where I live. The bacon I buy, while it is fatty and is sold in bulk, not in a plastic package, is probably grain-fed. It is not organic. I will need to verify once again that it does not have added sugar. I will be buying more of it, because the organic sausage I was buying definitely does have added sugar, and has to go now. (I can buy zero carb, high fat organic salami, but I don't find myself wanting very much of that, and it is processed food.) If it weren't for ghee and coconut oil and pasture butter (limited) I wouldn't have a favorable fat-to-protein ratio.

I am living in Low Fat Fantasy Land. It's bizzarre, seeing how this works. I'll do the best I can for now, and we do have plans to buy a freezer and buy in bulk.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Gads, Megan, there's got to be some kind of old-timey butcher still working over there! What about that mail-order thing that somebody else on the forum was talking about? A good 5 pounds of bones will make about a weeks worth of stock for one person. It just needs added lard. I know you don't have much time to cook, so using a pressure cooker on it on a very low setting for all day or overnight works. My mom used to let soups cool down, put it in ziplock freezer bags, and freeze it flat so it stacked better.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Gads, Megan, there's got to be some kind of old-timey butcher still working over there! What about that mail-order thing that somebody else on the forum was talking about? A good 5 pounds of bones will make about a weeks worth of stock for one person. It just needs added lard. I know you don't have much time to cook, so using a pressure cooker on it on a very low setting for all day or overnight works. My mom used to let soups cool down, put it in ziplock freezer bags, and freeze it flat so it stacked better.

We're trying to figure it out. Anything raised on natural diet is hard to find in stores. I can probably find CAFO bones and maybe fat, but I lose my appetite just thinking about it, even without considering the omega-6 imbalance or the "extras" in it.

I wonder if it could have something to do with this being the state capital? It has a peculiar energy about it, perhaps coming from the 4D STS "controllers?" I feel other things as well, and I see the potential for positive change, but that feeling is special. I was right at home when we visited Washington DC two years ago -- same feeling.

 

[seek10]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Gads, Megan, there's got to be some kind of old-timey butcher still working over there! What about that mail-order thing that somebody else on the forum was talking about? A good 5 pounds of bones will make about a weeks worth of stock for one person. It just needs added lard. I know you don't have much time to cook, so using a pressure cooker on it on a very low setting for all day or overnight works. My mom used to let soups cool down, put it in ziplock freezer bags, and freeze it flat so it stacked better.

megan, I use this _http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Categories.bok.. They are pretty good and prompt.