Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[anart]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

In short, it stimulated the secretion of insulin proportionally to the amount of carbs consumed. So I would think it should be safe on a ketogenic diet.

Okay, so that's for stevia only and not xylitol? If so, can we nail down the xylitol insulin effects?

But I think the problem with sweeteners is that it stimulates the sugar reward pathways in your brain, regardless if it is natural or sugar free. I have certainly noticed that I drink way too much tea sweetened with stevia and it is not good. I'll cut back and see how it goes.

It probably wouldn't hurt me to cut down on it as well - I have it in my vitamin C water and in butter chocolate that I make, so I think it's time for an experiment to lower the quantity in both, just in case it's making me crave sweets and I have taken that as 'normal'.

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

What about licorice root ? I use it after smoking to get rid of the taste of the cig.

Also, If sugar is as evil as you say, Laura, I wonder if I can continue to eat that salami I get from a local producer. He say he put 1g of sugar per kg. So, that is realy a little quantity, but I wonder.

I don't know about licorice root, and I wasn't able to easily find a nutritional analysis of it. It sounds as though you have the information to estimate the carb content of your salami. Sugar is pure carb, so 1g sugar = 1g carbohydrate. Easy. So how many kg of salami do you eat per day, on average?

I have been buying uncured organic salami, showing 0 carbs on the label and no dairy in the ingredients. My housemate, who is allergic to dairy, told me that it is often found in salami.

Salami probably isn't an ideal food; it is certainly processed food. But the shelf life allows keeping some of it on hand to "fill in" when you are feeling hungrier than usual. The salami I buy is high fat, but not quite high enough, and I often eat it in a "sandwich" with a slab of butter.

 

[Oxajil]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Fwiw, I actually don't use neither stevia (which doesn't taste so nice to me) or xylitol (which my tummy doesn't like so much). Basically I haven't used any sweeteners for a very long time, and I don't really feel like adding them.

I also don't drink green/black tea, because they somehow cause a mild headache, but I do sometimes drink herbal teas which I like, and I like them fresh best (instead of dried). (Coffee is something I never really liked so I haven't had that for a veerry long time!)

 

[Ollie]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Fwiw, I actually don't use neither stevia (which doesn't taste so nice to me) or xylitol (which my tummy doesn't like so much). Basically I haven't used any sweeteners for a very long time, and I don't really feel like adding them.

...

I have yet to try stevia, I used to use xylitol in cakes and biscuits pre-KD only. And, I too, haven't used sweeteners for a very long time, certainly not in beverages for tens of years. Even with chocolate I prefer it as close to 100%as I can get it.

 

[LQB]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

What about licorice root ? I use it after smoking to get rid of the taste of the cig.

Also, If sugar is as evil as you say, Laura, I wonder if I can continue to eat that salami I get from a local producer. He say he put 1g of sugar per kg. So, that is realy a little quantity, but I wonder.

I don't know about licorice root, and I wasn't able to easily find a nutritional analysis of it. ...

I use licorice root powder (through a filter) to sweeten black tea/coffee and have also made chocolate with it (mixing in the powder directly). A little goes a long way (50X sugar). I do like the flavor of it and it cuts bitterness very well. It gets lots of praise out there (from some docs). The only real negative that I have found is that it can raise the BP in some people that consume rather large amounts daily.

 

[Chu]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

In short, it stimulated the secretion of insulin proportionally to the amount of carbs consumed. So I would think it should be safe on a ketogenic diet.

Okay, so that's for stevia only and not xylitol? If so, can we nail down the xylitol insulin effects?

FWIW, doing a quick search I just found this:

Xylitol has been demonstrated in repeated clinical studies to be very slowly metabolised. In fact, on the glycemic index, which measures how quickly foods enter the bloodstream, sugar is rated at 100 and xylitol at just seven! Xylitol is a natural insulin stabilizer, therefore it causes none of the abrupt rises and falls that occur with sugar. In fact, it actually helps in stopping sugar and carbohydrate cravings. Foods sweetened with xylitol will not raise insulin levels. This makes it a perfect sweetener for people with diabetes as well as those wanting to lose weight. There is a growing consensus amongst anti-aging researchers that maintaining low insulin levels is a key to a successful anti-aging program.

And this:

Metabolic response to lactitol and xylitol in healthy men.

S S Natah,
K R Hussien,
J A Tuominen, and
V A Koivisto

+ Author Affiliations

Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Medicine, Finland.

Abstract

Sugar alcohols are used in food products, yet their metabolic effects in humans are poorly known. We examined plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide responses and changes in carbohydrate and lipid oxidation after the ingestion of 25 g lactitol, xylitol, or glucose. Eight healthy, nonobese men were studied after an overnight fast. After the ingestion of lactitol or xylitol, the rise in plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide concentrations was less than after the ingestion of glucose (P < 0.02), with no difference between the two polyols. With the glycemic index of glucose as 100, the indexes of xylitol and lactitol were 7 and -1, respectively. A reactive hypoglycemia was observed 3 h after glucose ingestion, but not after the ingestion of sugar alcohols. There were no significant changes in the carbohydrate or lipid oxidation as determined by indirect calorimetry after the ingestion of sugar alcohols. After glucose ingestion, the rise in carbohydrate oxidation was nearly significant (P = 0.07). In conclusion, lactitol and xylitol cause smaller changes than does glucose in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations and thermogenic response. A small hormonal response and the lack of a thermogenic effect may be beneficial when these sugar alcohols are used in food products. The small glucose and insulin responses also suggest that lactitol and xylitol are suitable components of the diet for diabetic patients.

It's probably not ideal to eats lots of it either, but as far as I understand, it IS better than stevia.

 

[Gawan]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I used to sweeten my tea with stevia, but it got to the point where I was using more and more. Then I quit it cold turkey when I went into full keto mode.

Same here I used also more and more stevia, where I started already to wonder if this is something good. Well I did completely take it out today, which was really good as long I don't leave the (black) tea bag in the cup for 10 minutes :).

 

[loreta]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I took stevia today, in power, and I had nauseas during 3, 4 hours. So no more for me. Now I am taking a jasmine tea without nothing, my objective. But I am thinking that maybe for the coffee I will put grains of anis, I will see how it taste. The best for me is 0 sweet in my beverages because I drink a lot of beverages and this is my problem in this diet.

Licorice is a good idea but is the taste of licorice taking the taste of the beverage?

 

[anart]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

It's probably not ideal to eats lots of it either, but as far as I understand, it IS better than stevia.

I'm not sure how you're reaching that conclusion from the data provided thus far - stevia doesn't mess with insulin levels either according to the data. What am I missing other than personal preference?

 

[LQB]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I took stevia today, in power, and I had nauseas during 3, 4 hours. So no more for me. Now I am taking a jasmine tea without nothing, my objective. But I am thinking that maybe for the coffee I will put grains of anis, I will see how it taste. The best for me is 0 sweet in my beverages because I drink a lot of beverages and this is my problem in this diet.

Licorice is a good idea but is the taste of licorice taking the taste of the beverage?

No - the flavor that you associate with licorice, I think, comes from anise. With licorice root powder only the sweetness comes through - at least for me.

 

[loreta]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I took stevia today, in power, and I had nauseas during 3, 4 hours. So no more for me. Now I am taking a jasmine tea without nothing, my objective. But I am thinking that maybe for the coffee I will put grains of anis, I will see how it taste. The best for me is 0 sweet in my beverages because I drink a lot of beverages and this is my problem in this diet.

Licorice is a good idea but is the taste of licorice taking the taste of the beverage?

No - the flavor that you associate with licorice, I think, comes from anise. With licorice root powder only the sweetness comes through - at least for me.

Ok, thank you for the information I will try it for sure.

 

[Gaby]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Metabolic response to lactitol and xylitol in healthy men.
Sugar alcohols are used in food products, yet their metabolic effects in humans are poorly known. We examined plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide responses and changes in carbohydrate and lipid oxidation after the ingestion of 25 g lactitol, xylitol, or glucose. Eight healthy, nonobese men were studied after an overnight fast. After the ingestion of lactitol or xylitol, the rise in plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide concentrations was less than after the ingestion of glucose (P < 0.02), with no difference between the two polyols.

From this information, I understand that xylitol does raise glucose and thus, insulin. We'll have to see more papers on stevia, but from the one I quoted, it appears that stevia raised insulin proportionally to the dietary sugar that was consumed. That is why stevia is better than drugs. Drugs will just stimulate insulin and cause you to have an hypoglycemia if there is no sugar on the blood. I wonder if it is possible for stevia to not raise insulin if there is no sugar in the diet.

Here is another one from xylitol confirming the above article:

Effects of xylitol on metabolic parameters and visceral fat accumulation

_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3128359/

The ingestion of xylitol causes a smaller rise in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations than does the ingestion of glucose in healthy men and diabetics.(14,15)

 

[Chu]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I see, thanks Psyche. My bad, I read "HyPERglycemia was observed 3 h after glucose ingestion, but not after the ingestion of sugar alcohols" in the paper above, and was doing a really quick search and copying/pasting. Apologies! I'll shut my mouth now. And not eat any xylitol until my vision clears...

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Effects of xylitol on metabolic parameters and visceral fat accumulation

_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3128359/

The ingestion of xylitol causes a smaller rise in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations than does the ingestion of glucose in healthy men and diabetics.(14,15)

Amazing that they say "smaller" but do not emphasize just HOW small:

With the glycemic index of glucose as 100, the indexes of xylitol and lactitol were 7 and -1, respectively.

That's a HUGE difference.

 

[Angchop]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I have been following the KD now for 1 week and it is going very well so far. Prior to starting this I was on the Paleo diet, and the transition so far has been pretty easy. I have noticed a definite steady energy, so much that I am wide awake later in the evening then I was before. I also have absolutely no hunger between meals, and that is really nice! I have been having bone broth everyday, and I love it.

I did notice last night that my knees and hips were pretty achy, but from reading the whole thread, other people have experienced this as well. For the first few days I did have a slight headache at times, but not so much now. I am doing the resistance exercises, and they also seem to give me more energy. All in all, I love this!

I am also taking magnesium, potassium, and omega 3 and cod liver oil. I do have one question, should I be taking vitamin C every day?