Diet & Nutrition Articles

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

The ketogenic diet (or keto diet for short) is an exceptionally well-researched and proven method to start working with your body, rather than against it, to improve your health. Following the basic rules of the keto lifestyle can help you Feel more energized. Lose weight faster. Improve the health of your heart. Sharpen your mental focus. In addition to these benefits, there are a host of other long-term benefits that will leave you jumping for joy. Though it’s become popular recently, the keto diet has been used for almost a hundred years to heal and prevent disease — that’s a long track record of benefits. In a nutshell, the keto diet is High fat Moderate protein Very low carbohydrate Having grains and carbohydrates form the basis of every meal may seem like contemporary wisdom, but for most of human history, this wasn’t the case. Processed and easily digested carbohydrates fuel weight gain and unhealthy spikes in blood sugar with each bite; over the course of a lifetime, this destroys your health. The keto diet puts your body into ketosis, a process where you use fats, rather than sugars from carbohydrates, to fuel your body. On the keto diet, you’ll learn to turn to nutritional powerhouses — fats — into the basis of your meals. The truth is that fat really isn’t to blame for the increasingly common problems of obesity and being overweight that we always hear about. Fat is actually very good for you, keeps you feeling fuller longer, helps you lose weight, and improves your health over the long term. There are a lot of misconceptions about nutrition in general, and the keto diet in particular. The keto lifestyle is much more than the “bacon wrapped in cheese” memes will have you believe — although you can eat cheese and bacon. It won’t wreak havoc on your heart or blood vessels, nor will it increase your cholesterol levels if you follow a whole-food-based keto lifestyle. Despite what many of us have been told for decades, we don’t need to eat many carbohydrates as part of a healthy lifestyle. Instead, eating a range of whole keto foods can be the key to healthy living. Keto is a flexible and adventurous lifestyle that isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan; there are several different varieties to fit with your lifestyle and goals. Standard ketogenic diet The standard ketogenic diet is the basic version of the keto diet. It’s been around the longest and has the most evidence and research behind it. If you’re thinking about keto, you need to be very familiar with the standard ketogenic diet. It clearly breaks down the sources of your daily calorie intake, as follows: Fat: 70 percent Protein: 25 percent Carbohydrates: 5 percent Historically, on this diet, you’ll generally eat about 25 grams of carbohydrates per day. However, we live in more flexible times, and some people eat as much as 50 grams per day. That’s okay, because most people stay in ketosis on 50 grams of carbs a day, so they don’t need to limit their carbs anymore. Over time, you’ll figure out what works best for you. The amount of daily carbs is, at most, only a fifth of what many Americans eat. On the standard American diet, you get about 30 percent of calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 50 percent (or more) from carbohydrates. That means most Americans are eating about 250 grams of carbs or more per day. As you can imagine, making such a radical change from a carb-based diet to a fat-based one will have a massive impact on your health and energy levels. On the standard ketogenic diet, the ratio is 70:25:5 in terms of calories coming from fat, protein, and carbs. You should aim for 30 grams of carbs or fewer in a day. Targeted ketogenic diet The targeted ketogenic diet is geared toward athletes. It’s a slightly more flexible version of the keto diet because it allows you to eat more carbs around the time of your intense workouts. When you’re burning a lot of calories, the carbs you eat are consumed as fuel immediately, so your body doesn’t get “kicked out” of ketosis in the long term. As soon as you use up all the carbs during your workout, your body goes back to fat burning because there aren’t carbs left around when you’re more sedentary. This choice is good for very active people who are exercising at high levels regularly (for hours, not minutes) or training for an intense athletic challenge that requires a lot of energy, like a marathon. Regardless, this is not a free pass to eat as many carbohydrates as you would on a high-carb diet. You should consume about 20 or 25 grams of easily digestible carbs approximately 30 to 45 minutes before you exercise. After exercising, you’ll go back to the regular keto diet. Keep in mind the total number of calories (including your pre-workout carbs) when coming up with your daily energy intake. It’s critical that you only eat enough carbs to fuel your workout, so your body goes back to burning fats when you’re done exercising. Generally, you should be well adjusted to the standard ketogenic diet for a couple months at least before you switch to this targeted version. Cyclical ketogenic diet The cyclical ketogenic diet is another more flexible keto option for highly trained athletes. We’re upping the playing field here — this is the ultramarathon runner or the professional athlete, not the weekend warrior. These athletes may increase their carb intake for a short time to “fuel” themselves for the high level of performance they’re about to commit to. The increase may be for a couple of days before a major training event — and the amount of carbs they consume is in line with the amount of physical activity they’re facing. Then they go back to the standard ketogenic diet after the major event is over. Although they may be out of ketosis during these “cheat days,” their high level of performance ensures that they’re still in the low-carb range because they’re burning so many more calories than usual. Another group of people who follow the cyclical ketogenic diet are those who have a hard time sticking to the standard ketogenic diet and choose to have cheat days once in a while. This may involve going keto five days a week, with the weekends reserved for “cheat days.” For those who eat carbs on the weekend, or can’t stick to the standard ketogenic diet because of social pressures, it’s important not to go on carb-binging cycles. It’s quite a shift for the body to go from ketosis to high-carb so rapidly. Instead, increase your carbs to a “low-carb diet,” in the range of 150 to 200 grams on your cheat days. You won’t be in ketosis on those days — and it may take a while for your body to go back to ketosis even on your regular standard ketogenic diet days — but at least you’ll still have the benefits of cutting back on carbs. The cyclical ketogenic diet may be helpful for athletes and those who find it difficult to commit to the keto lifestyle. Keto is very flexible and can work with any lifestyle, as long as you make a commitment to health. High-protein ketogenic diet In the high-protein ketogenic diet, you increase the percent of calories from protein. Commonly, this breaks down as follows: Fat: 60 percent Protein: 35 percent Carbohydrate: 5 percent This option is best for people who are concerned about losing muscle or even want to bulk up, like bodybuilders or individuals who have very low lean body muscle mass. Generally, keto is a muscle neutral diet (you don’t gain or lose it), so adding protein is a great choice for those who want to gain muscle. In this diet, you’re still in ketosis, but you don’t necessarily have as high a level of ketones as someone on the standard ketogenic diet. It’s hard, but possible, to get kicked out of ketosis if you go higher than the recommended 35 percent of calories from protein. It’s also important on this type of keto diet to remember to eat a range of protein foods that are healthy and nutritious. Burning fat: Ketosis Ketosis is the process your body uses to breaks down ketone bodies for most of its energy needs. Ketones come from fatty acids regardless of whether you eat them or get them from your fat cells. Your body prefers to use glucose for energy (see the preceding section), so ketosis only occurs when you don’t have enough glucose coming in from your diet. On a keto diet, your body switches from glycolysis to ketosis as the primary energy generator. Fat, like carbohydrates, is also a source of calories, but it provides a whopping nine calories per gram, compared to the measly four calories you get from carbs and protein. This means, head to head, fat is always a more efficient source of energy than carbohydrates. On the keto diet, instead of using glycolysis for energy, fatty acids are broken down into three types of ketones that provide energy to all your body’s cells: Acetoacetate: The main ketone made by your liver. β-hydroxybutyric acid: The main ketone in your bloodstream and the source of ketones’ anti-inflammatory benefits. Acetone: The least common ketone; it doesn’t provide energy, but it is responsible for carrying waste out of the body. It’s responsible for keto breath (the fruity or moldy breath that some people have when in ketosis) because it’s ridding the body of excess acetone through the lungs. Importantly, fatty acids not only make ketones but also are able to produce glucose if you aren’t getting it from your diet. That’s why, even on the keto diet, your blood sugar levels don’t drop precipitously. They also don’t rise astronomically, as they do on a carb-rich diet, every time you take a bite of food. The liver, the workhorse of metabolism, can’t use ketones as its energy source, so it’s crucial that fat can be turned into glucose to support the liver during ketosis. Like glucose, ketones are also a source of energy for the brain and provide its fuel during ketosis. Ketones may be better brain fuel than carbohydrates because they’ve been shown to improve the health of our brain cells and may be helpful in preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The words ketosis, ketogenesis, and ketogenic are all derived from a similar root, meaning to produce and utilize ketone bodies as the primary form of energy. That’s where the names ketogenic diet and keto diet come from!

Step by Step / Updated 07-28-2022

When eaten on a regular basis, foods with anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce inflammation in the body, helping to prevent the long-term health consequences associated with it — but only if you also eliminate the foods that cause inflammation. When inflammation is under control, not only will you have more energy and feel better overall, but you’ll also find that weight loss and reduction of belly fat both become easier! Try adding anti-inflammatory foods into your meal plan on a daily basis. The more often you eat these foods, the less inflammation that will be present in your body. The following foods and nutrients can fight inflammation.

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

Keto flu is one of the most frequently experienced consequences of implementing a keto diet plan, but it can be overcome quite easily if you’re prepared with a few tricks up your sleeve. Symptoms of keto flu You’ll know you are going through the keto flu if you have Muscle aches and weakness Brain fog and difficulty concentrating Headaches Intense fatigue Insomnia Gut issues like indigestion, constipation, and even diarrhea Your body is making a significant change in its basic mode of operation, and the keto flu and other symptoms are just signs that the kinks are getting worked out. As your glucose stores drop and your body turns to fat as the primary source of energy, the many genes, enzymes, and proteins needed to accomplish this goal must come out of hibernation and ramp up to do the job. Your body has to go through the transition period of getting used to these new processes before it can become efficient at using fat as fuel. When does keto flu hit? The keto flu is a common speedbump that, if it happens, will begin a few days into starting the keto journey. The first thing you’ll need is patience. Your body is doing its best to keep up with your good intentions — give it time and remember to be gentle with yourself and your body. Make sure that you won’t be preparing for a major exam, gearing up for an intense work deadline, or having a slew of social activities around the time of your keto transition. If you have a break from work or school, use that time to start the keto diet. Or, if you can’t afford that luxury, at least make sure it’s at a time of relative calm in your life. You need to remove as many obstacles as you can to ensure you stay on keto; trying to completely change your eating style while going through other life transitions or periods of stress can be overwhelming. If you don’t have any downtime to transition, or you’re trying to go keto a second or third time because of roadblocks in the past, a good suggestion is to slowly decrease your carb intake instead of jumping headfirst into a diet where you’re suddenly restricted to 25 grams of carbs per day. You’ll still get to ketosis if your journey takes a little longer. If you’re on the standard American diet, you’re likely consuming 150 to 200 grams of carbs per day; over a few weeks, slowly drop down to less than 50 grams of carbs per day. This will help decrease your risk of going through severe keto flu. The authors keto flu experience When we first started the keto journey, we were ready to go all in. We fasted for two days, drinking water often and walking around a local park for an hour and a half each day to burn up our excess glycogen stores. We thought, “Faster is always better, right?” Not so fast. When day three hit, just as we began to get excited about digging into our avocado and coconut oil stores, the keto flu hit — and it hit hard. To say we felt like we had been run over by a truck was an understatement. We found it difficult to get out of bed, not only from fatigue, but also because as soon as we tried, the room immediately would go in and out of focus. Nausea hit like a ton of bricks, and we spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Both blood and urine tests showed that we were fully in ketosis, but being chained to the toilet put a damper on our celebration. Remedies for the keto flu If you do end up experiencing symptoms of keto flu, you can decrease the severity — or eliminate it altogether — by following a few simple steps. In no particular order, here are five remedies to get you through the keto flu: Take an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate crystals, and they’re great for relaxing sore muscles and decreasing pain. We recommend putting 1 or 2 cups of Epsom salts in a warm (not scalding) bath and soaking for at least 20 minutes. For an added benefit, choose a lavender and Epsom salt combo or add a few drops of lavender oil to your bath. Lavender is also known for its ability to relieve tight muscles and will add a relaxing and soothing quality to your experience. Eat (and drink) your minerals (salt, potassium, and magnesium). You can quickly lose salt and potassium on the ketogenic diet, so it’s vital that you replace them. Losing these essential minerals can cause the symptoms of keto flu, so if you replace them before they get too low, you may save yourself a challenging few days. Additionally, magnesium helps mitigate symptoms like constipation and muscle aches. To replenish these lost minerals, drink electrolyte water or bone or vegetable broth, and eat potassium-rich foods like avocado. Another good option is to take a potassium and magnesium supplement during your transition and get friendly with the salt shaker. Stay hydrated. You should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be drinking 100 ounces of water, but that’s just a baseline. Ditch the coffee and alcohol. If you’re addicted to your morning latte, then at least try to decrease your intake. Both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, meaning they make you urinate more and can worsen the dehydration that often occurs as you transition to keto (as glucose and glycogen leave your body, they carry three to four times their weight in water with it). Try reducing your intake of both beverages as you’ll be chasing after your own tail — and getting nowhere fast — if you continue with the double espressos or after-dinner cocktails during your transition. Don’t be afraid to take a rain check. If you have the keto flu, you’re probably not going to feel like going anywhere. Don’t be afraid to let friends and family know that you’ll have to reschedule something for another time. Relaxation and rest are very important — don’t underestimate them! While going full bore will get you to ketosis faster, it isn’t necessarily the healthiest — or most sustainable — way to go. If you’re planning on kicking off ketosis with an intermittent fast and you’re physically prepared and able, then go for it. But stay well hydrated and add some electrolyte water or even a bit of bone broth to your hydration regimen. If you start noticing symptoms or begin feeling unwell, make sure to have your favorite electrolyte replacement within easy reach. If you get a nasty case of keto flu, you’ll be happy that you took some time to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-28-2022

Living a wheat-free lifestyle means eliminating wheat from your diet. To get the most health benefits, you should also cut back on the amount of processed sugar you consume. When you follow these guidelines, you return to a low-to-no-grain, low-sugar, high-fat diet that was far more common many decades ago. The idea is to enjoy real food and limit the foods you eat from a box or a drive-through window. When you do need to grab a meal on the go or pick up some groceries, use the following lists to make smart choices.

Article / Updated 04-14-2022

Sticking to a regular high-intensity workout that’s short in duration — about 15 to 30 minutes daily — reduces your risks of obesity and therefore your risks of metabolic syndrome. Physical exercise is also associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular and heart disease and improved cognition and brain function. Exercise also acts as a natural antidepressant. Exercise promotes the release of feel-good endorphins, helps the immune system (when you don’t overdo it), helps with weight loss and maintenance, and relieves stress. Increased blood flow and sweating enhance detoxification, and exercise helps your body use sugars instead of storing them in the liver, which helps improve problems with insulin resistance. Furthermore, building and maintaining lean muscle mass helps your metabolism to function optimally and reduce inflammation. Lean muscle mass, rather than fat, helps with inflammation because excess fat cells cause toxicity and inflammatory disruption in the signals of the endocrine system. In this article, explore ways you can get the blood flowing and build a little muscle in the process. Remember to stretch before and after every workout. Stretching has a way of fooling your muscles into thinking they’re already or still working, enhancing the benefits of your workout by up to 20 percent. Stretching also helps your muscles begin to contract more smoothly, alleviating some of the pain you may feel early on. Start off simply with walking and swimming Walking is the best place to start, particularly because it’s something you likely do to some degree every day. Walking is an easy and excellent way to boost your heart rate, it’s easier on your joints than running, and it’s something you can do at any time. Walk around the house in inclement weather, or go up and down the stairs a few times. Better yet, get a treadmill and walk for miles, even when it’s raining. The best way to make an exercise routine stick is to make it enjoyable. When you’re walking, find a pleasant route with great things to see or one that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. With other exercises, try playing some upbeat music or exercising with friends. Integrate more walking into your routine by doing so gradually. Watch a step-tracking app, use a smart fitness device, or keep a pedometer handy, and work weekly to boost the number of steps you take each day. If you’re walking 2,000 steps now, for example, shoot for 2,500 next week. Keep that up for a week and then shoot for another 500-step boost. Swimming is another great way to get your heart pumping. The water works to soothe the joints rather than put extra stress on them, so swimming is therapeutic as well as aerobic. If you have access to a pool, try to incorporate 30 minutes of swimming into your routine three to four times a week. When you get your body ready, you can step the workout up a notch, being sure to incorporate 30 minutes of exercise into your day at least three times a week. Get it going: stimulating exercises The following sections guide you through a few moves that are sure to get your heart going. Be sure to have an exercise mat, some water, and plenty of room to get the most out of your workout. Doing these exercises in sequence is a great start to a good fitness routine, and altogether you’ll have about a 20-minute workout. Don’t be afraid to do each exercise a little longer or find another to add to the routine if you want to stretch your workout to 30 minutes. Squat thrusts These squat thrusts are a great way to start your exercise routine and get your heart rate nice and high while working your entire body. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Squat to the floor, placing your hands directly in front of you and about shoulder-width apart. With your weight on your arms, very quickly jump your feet behind you so that you’re in a push-up position; then jump back and stand up. Try to do 10 repetitions within a minute. Pause for 30 seconds and then do another set of 10. Pause for another 30 seconds and do a third set of 10. If your inflammation is in your knees or hips, be sure to consult a physician before trying squat thrusts, and start with shorter, slower repetitions. Mountain climbers As with squat thrusts, mountain climbers raise your heart rate rather quickly. Begin in a push-up position with your legs out straight. Bring your right knee in to your chest, resting your foot on the floor. Quickly jump and switch legs, returning the right leg to a straight line and bringing the left knee up. Continue alternating legs as quickly as you can for a full minute. Pause for 30 seconds and repeat for another minute. Take another 30-second break before doing a final minute of mountain climbers. Be sure to consult a physician if your inflammation is in your legs, because mountain climbers may exacerbate rather than relieve some of the pain. Deep squat lunges These lunges are great for raising your heart rate without the added pressure on your knees and hips. If you have inflammation in your legs, these lunges will aid in the healing process without risking re-injury. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Step your left foot out to the left, bending your left knee and extending your right leg in a side lunge. As you lunge to the left, raise your right arm over your head and reach left. Bring your left arm across your hips and reach right, as shown in the following figure (A). Be careful not to let your left knee extend past your toes. Return to your starting position, with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. Repeat Step 2, this time lunging to the right and reaching your left arm up and over your head, as shown in the following figure (B). Return to your starting position. Continue lunges for 5 minutes, alternating sides. Try to stretch a little farther with each lunge. Invisible jump rope This exercise raises your heart rate and lets you control how quickly it climbs based on how fast you jump. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping elbows at your sides, pretend you’re holding a jump rope. Begin twirling “the rope” and jumping. Continue for five minutes, varying speeds. Be careful if you’re having trouble with your knees, because the bouncing can create a painful impact. Slow it down: relaxing moves Not quite ready for moving fast, or need something to help you cool down? Here are a few moves that keep your heart rate up without putting strain on your joints. Intermittent leg lifts These leg lifts are a much less aerobic move than some exercises and therefore shouldn’t cause additional strain on any of your joints. It’s a great starter move for people who suffer inflammation pain in the hips and/or knees. Lie on your back on your exercise mat, arms at your sides with hands flat. Keeping your legs together, raise your feet 6 inches; hold them up for 10 seconds. Pressing your hands to the floor for support, raise your feet another 6 inches and hold for 10 seconds. Again, pressing your hands to the floor for support, raise your feet one more time, this time so your legs and torso form a right angle; hold for 10 seconds. Slowly begin lowering your feet, holding your feet 12 inches off the ground for 10 seconds and at 6 inches for 10 seconds. When your feet are back on the floor, rest for 15 seconds and repeat. Perform this exercise four times. After you get this move mastered, add some variation by holding a ball between your feet as you raise your legs. First use a playground ball, and then up in size until eventually you work with a stabilizer ball. Stabilizing ab crunch This ab crunch is a great exercise to help reduce some of that dangerous belly fat while at the same time increasing your heart rate. The stability ball provides support to your lower back. Get out your stability ball and put it on the center of your exercise mat. Stand in front of the ball with your feet at shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself so that you’re sitting on the ball. Cross your arms over your chest or clasp your hands gently behind your head and lie back, letting your back curve slightly with the ball. Slowly rise so that your shoulders come up off the ball, as shown. Repeat. Do 10 crunches, slowing increasing by 5 crunches over time.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-12-2022

Counting calories is a time-tested method for reducing food intake, which leads to weight loss and other health benefits. Counting calories can be part of making sure you eat a well-balanced diet as well. Eating out can be troublesome for the most committed dieter, but some helpful hints can steer you safely through even that dangerous landscape.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-28-2022

Dieting needn’t mean you have to resort to bland food or strange food combinations. The glycemic load diet is a low-carb diet plan that makes healthy eating easier than it has ever been.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Sticking to an acid alkaline diet may seem overwhelming at first, but the health benefits are worth it. Figuring out how to make better choices for your pH — with food and lifestyle — is a great start. It’s beneficial to know which ingredients to embrace and which ones to avoid, as well as identifying the alkalinizing super foods that can help you regain balance quickly. Although you don’t have to test your pH, it’s a handy tool to measure your success on this diet.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Adopting a vegan lifestyle is definitely rewarding, but it’s not without challenges — especially in the beginning. While you’re still getting used to this new diet and lifestyle, you can definitely benefit from some help. When you go out, be sure to take a guide that you can use to direct restaurant servers and chefs, and when you eat at home, utilize menu ideas to ensure variety, proper nutrition, and success.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Eating a raw food diet means consuming fresh, nutrient-rich plant foods that have not been heat processed. When foods are cooked, much of their important disease-preventing nutrients are lost. Conversely, a raw diet provides you with a greater degree of health and vitality, slows aging, and promotes healing. By making the majority of your diet healthy raw foods and avoiding unhealthy alternatives, you can improve your health and reduce your risks of suffering from a degenerative disease. Getting started with this nutritious lifestyle is easy.