What is a Keto Diet?

What is a Keto Diet?

In the world of weight-loss diets, high-protein and low-carb have ruled for a decade. South Beach, Paleo, and Atkins diets are often considered “ketogenic” or “keto” diets.

True keto diets differ from the most popular high-protein diets because a keto diet is based on fat instead of protein. Fat supplies up to 90% of the calories in a “true” keto diet.

How Does It Work?

A keto diet is designed to force your body into burning a fuel that the liver produces from stored fat instead of using the normal sugars it derives from carbs.

This fuel from your liver is called “ketone bodies.”

To force your body to use this fuel, you must eat fewer than 50 grams of carbs per DAY. (One slice of bread, for example, contains 15 grams of carbs). After a few days, your body may reach a state of “ketosis,” where it is creating and burning ketone bodies. However, too much protein can also interfere with the process (usually limited to 75 grams per day).

Keto Risks

Recent research suggests that specific genetic markers can make a keto diet unsafe. (Read THE KETO DIET CAN BE DANGEROUS IF YOU HAVE THIS GENE)

A typical person on a keto diet will eat 170 grams of fat, 50 grams of carbs, and 75 grams of protein. And yes, that is a LOT of fat! Your fruits are restricted to a few berries, and your vegetables are very limited.

This can lead to heart disease risks and nutritional deficiencies. Other potential problems are stress on your liver and kidneys, constipation, and brain fog from the low-carb diet.

The Upside to Keto Foods

I send many of my patients to a local keto bakery. This is not because I want them to go on a keto diet, but because I want them to stop eating sugar.

Keto cookies, cakes, and sweet rolls have almost NO sugar OR carbs! It’s like a miracle! Not everyone likes them, but most people can find some great substitutes to be able to eat a cookie when they want to without messing up their immune system.  (See “Sugar and Your Immune System)

The Problem with Keto (And Other Weight-Loss Diets)

Everyone’s body is different. A diet that works for someone else may fail for you, or even damage your health.

Many patients who come to me for weight loss don’t need a diet. Their weight is coming from hormones, digestive problems, or allergies.

My Advice:

Stop trying to lose weight or improve your health based on trial and error. Stop reading about some “great, new thing” on the internet and thinking, “Hey, I should try this out and see if it works!”

Honestly, what are the chances that any given product or diet would work on your particular body? Also, what does “work” mean? If you lose 10 pounds and then gain it back but now will have much more difficulty losing weight in the future, was this a “success?”

Printout from Heart Rate Variability Testing, shows nervous system function

Testing, An (Apparently) New Idea

I can’t think of any single food, supplement, or treatment that would be appropriate for every patient I’ve had in the past year except for maybe clean water.  Every person is unique in many ways and needs different solutions.

You might ask, “But, how can you tell specifically what I should do?”

In health care today, the concept of TESTING is almost foreign. Most treatments, supplements, and drugs are recommended on a “try it and see if it works” basis.

But if you could accurately test someone to determine what foods, supplements, diets, and treatments would be effective and safe for them—why would anyone make any decisions without testing first?

My Universal Answer

I always have the same answer when asked about diets, supplements, or treatments:

“Why don’t you come in and let me test you to find out?”

After all, the only other option would be to GUESS.

So:

Why don’t you come in and let me test you?

The Gene That Makes the Ketogenic Diet Dangerous

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

With all the craze about the ketogenic diet it would behoove one to know if they are a candidate for this type of diet.

First for those not familiar with the ketogenic diet here is a short summary:

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children. Here are 8 additional benefits:

1. Triglycerides Tend to Drop Drastically
2. Increased Levels of ‘Good’ HDL Cholesterol
3. Reduced Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels
4. May Lower Blood Pressure
5. Effective Against Metabolic Syndrome
6. A Greater Proportion of Fat Loss Comes From Your Abdominal Cavity
7. Improved ‘Bad’ LDL Cholesterol Levels
8. Therapeutic for Several Brain Disorders (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease)

Now with all of these benefits the scientific literature has investigated if indeed this type of diet is beneficial for all people.

Well it may ultimately come down to your genes. Most specifically, your APOE genotype.

The three different types of APOE genes are as follows:

APOE2 – Best suited to a High Fat / Low Carb Diet (saturated fats are good)
APOE3 – Suitable For Both
APOE4 – Best Suited For A High Monounsaturated Fat / Low Carb Diet (Avoid Saturated Fats)

Research studies have shown that APOE4 carriers are most effected by high cholesterol, and benefit more from a low saturated fat diet, instead using monounsaturated fats,  low carb diet, whereas APOE 2 carriers suit a high fat low carb diet, regardless of the saturated fats.

So what should you do?

Ask your doctor to order the APOE genotype blood test and see if you are in fact a carrier of the APOE4 gene.

If you are a carrier of the APOE4 gene, I recommend decreasing your consumption of saturated fats and focus more on monounsaturated fats.

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

Introduction:

“I believe humans get a lot done, not because we’re smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee.” – Flash Rosenberg

Yes, I truly love coffee.

Yes, coffee contains caffeine, which is a drug.

Starbucks says that its espresso shots contain 75mg of caffeine, and 8 ounces of Pike Place medium roast contains 155 mg (of course, Starbucks doesn’t sell Pike in less than a 12-ounce size. Does anyone drink from 8-ounce cups anymore?).

So two espresso shots = the caffeine in one small cup of drip coffee.

Let’s be reasonable

I have had many patients who are caffeine abusers. They stimulate themselves awake in the mornings, drink more coffee to stay alert all day, and stay up late to work or play by consuming even more caffeine. Especially if your adrenal glands are stressed (this is probably most of us after the pandemic), this much caffeine is not healthy.

But, assuming that you have no allergies to coffee or caffeine, you can probably drink a 12-ounce cup in the morning and an occasional second 8-ounce cup later in the day without damaging your health.

Be observant: if drinking coffee past a certain time in the afternoon keeps you awake, listen to your body! If you feel jittery or anxious soon after drinking coffee, that’s your clue to cut back. Caffeine can have adverse effects on the adrenal glands, breast tissue, and other organs and health conditions.

Many of us go to a lot of trouble to become healthy and stay that way to enjoy our lives. Know your body and enjoy this beverage in moderation. Coffee, like so many things, is wonderful when not consumed in excess.

Dr. Melodie Billiot

Coffee-The Pros and Cons

onald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

Coffee is considered one of the most beloved beverages in the world.

Coffee specialty shops are everywhere.

People love coffee, and most people can’t start their day without their cup (or more) of coffee.

Yes, there are pros well documented showing the benefits of drinking coffee.

Here are just a few:

1: Can Improve Energy Levels
2: Can Help You Burn Fat
3: May Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
4: May Protect You From Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
5: May Lower Your Risk of Parkinson’s
6: May Protect Your Liver
7: Can Fight Depression
8: May Lower Risk of Certain Types of Cancer
9: May Help You Live Longer

With all of these benefits, is there a downside?

The answer is YES!

Coffee is made from roasted seeds and contains a chemical called acrylamide. Acrylamide is classified as a group 2A carcinogen and extremely hazardous. Acrylamide has been shown to cause multiple types of cancers, including renal, endometrial, and ovarian cancers.

Coffee crops are also sprayed with pesticides like glyphosate and 2-4-D. These two chemicals are associated with different cancers and disrupt human biochemistry.

If you drink a lot of coffee, I suggest asking your physician to order a glyphosate test. If your levels are high, it may be wise to re-consider that daily cup of coffee.

One important option to minimize some of these downsides to coffee consumption is to drink only organic and non-roasted coffee.

Do you have severe, long-term, or frustrating health problems?

• Are you exhausted, depressed, anxious, or unable to sleep?
• Do you feel anxious, depressed or overwhelmed?
• Do you have digestive disturbances, joint pain, headaches, hair loss and weight gain?

Do you wonder how you got here? One day you woke up in a complete mess, but can’t for the life of you figure out how it happened?

It’s not your fault, but you CAN fix it.

Here is a way you can start to get your life back—with energy and vitality no matter the stage of your life.

Dr. Melodie Billiot is a doctor who has lived through her own exhaustion and illness, and discovered the answers to her own health.

As a result, she has helped thousands of people just like you to regain their health.

Get Started: Do a complimentary Health Analysis and Consultation

Does Milk Really Make a Body Good? The Other Side of Story

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

I have to wonder how the government dietary guidelines still recommend consuming three glasses of milk a day. 

Where is there any evidence to support this recommendation?

A 2020 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., and David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D. reviewed over 100 top studies on milk. They found that milk consumption is associated with the risks of fracture, obesity, cardiovascular disease, allergies, and various cancers.

This information may be a hard pill to swallow, but the scientific literature proves otherwise.

In other studies, milk consumption has been found to increase insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) which has been associated with several major health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive function in the elderly.

If you absolutely love milk, then I recommend consuming only A2 casein milk products. Most milk products have high levels of the protein A1 casein, which may lead to increased inflammation, allergies, and other health challenges

Populations, which consume milk containing high levels of β-casein A2 variant, have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and type-1 diabetes.

To find sources of A2 milk, go to: https://www.a2milk.com

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

Other Milk Issues:

From my experience of 27 years helping severe cases of chronic health conditions, I have found that eating dairy is second only to sugar in stressing the immune system and slowing the healing process.

• Dairy causes mucous and enhances bacteria and virus growth.
• Dairy contains large amounts of sugar (lactose, milk sugar). Eight ounces of milk contains 13 grams of sugar (the equivalent of over three teaspoons of white sugar) which can raise blood sugar and reduce immune system efficiency by 60%.
• Unless it’s organic, milk tends to contain hormones. Studies show that this is dangerous.

Substitute coconut, almond, oat, or hemp milk, and stay healthier!