A Brief Overview of the Ketogenic Diet

By Marcus J Michael  |   Submitted On April 08, 2019

The ketogenic diet, colloquially called the keto diet, is a popular diet containing high amounts of fats, adequate protein and low carbohydrate. It is also referred to as a Low Carb-High Fat (LCHF) diet and a low carbohydrate diet.

It was primarily formulated for the treatment of epilepsy that did not respond to medications for the disease.

The diet was originally published in 1921 by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Wilder discovered that putting epileptic patients on a fast helped to reduce the frequency of the symptoms. At the time of its publication, there were few other options available for the treatment of epilepsy.

The ketogenic diet was widely used for the next several decades in treating epilepsy both in children and adults. In several epilepsy studies, about 50% of patients reported having at least 50% reduction in seizures.

However, the arrival of anticonvulsant drugs in the 1940s and afterward relegated the ketogenic diet to an "alternative" medicine. Most health care givers as well as patients, found it a lot easier to use the pills compared to adhering to the strict ketogenic diet. It was subsequently ignored in the treatment of epilepsy by most specialists.

In 1993, a renewed interest in the ketogenic diet was sparked by Hollywood producer Jim Abrahams. Abraham had his 2 years old son, Charlie, brought to the Johns Hopkins Hospital for epilepsy treatment. Charlie experienced rapid seizure control within days of using the ketogenic diet.

Jim Abrahams created the Charlie Foundation in 1994 which helped to revive research efforts. His production of the TV movie called "First Do No Harm" starring Meryl Streep also helped to greatly promote the ketogenic diet.

The meals were designed to provide the body with the right amount of protein it needs for growth and repair. The calculation of the amount of consumed calories was done to provide adequate amounts that will be able to support and maintain the proper weight necessary for the child's height and weight.

Underlying Concepts of the Ketogenic Diet

The classic ketogenic diet has a "fat" to a "combination of protein and carbohydrates" ratio of 4:1.

The general daily calorie breakdown of the ketogenic diet is as follows:

• 60-80% of calories from fat
• 20-25% from proteins
• 5-10% from carbohydrates

The ratio of the foods in a ketogenic diet is formulated to help the body induce and maintain a state of ketosis.

However, the ketogenic landscape has expanded considerably both in its application and implementation. While the classical ketogenic diet is still extensively used today, it has now formed the basis for the development of several alternative ketogenic protocols.

Ketogenic diets basically encourage the intake of about 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Protein consumption is moderate and mostly depends on factors such as the gender, height and activity levels of the individual. Essentially, the overall calorie of the diet is balanced primarily based on the amount of consumed fat.

The Fat and Protein Ratios in a Ketogenic Diet

Increased healthy fat consumption is the main focus of the ketogenic diet. Also, the purpose is to maintain the state of ketosis at all times thus allowing your body to use more body fat for fuel.

The body digests fat and protein differently. Fat is arguably the body's best source of energy and in a state of ketosis, the body can make use of body fat and dietary fat equally well.

In general, fats have very limited effect on blood sugar levels and insulin production in your body. However, protein affects both of these levels if consumed in large amounts beyond what your body requires.

About 56% of the excess ingested protein is converted to sugar. This has the effect of upsetting the ketosis state of far burning as a result of the body reacting to the glucose created from the protein breakdown.

Depending on the type and source of ingested fats, a high fat diet can be much healthier. Reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing your consumption of more saturated fats from mostly medium-chain fatty acids will greatly improve your body's fat profile.

The ketogenic diet increases HDL (good) cholesterol levels while at the same time reduces triglyceride levels. These two factors are the main markers for heart disease.

A ratio of less than 2.0 in your Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio means that you are doing well. However, the closer this ratio is to 1.0 or lower, the healthier your heart.

This kind of fat profile is associated with increased protection against heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.

Consumption of increased lean protein in the absence of adequate of amounts of fats in the diet can cause "rabbit starvation." Rabbit starvation is a condition where there is an insufficient amount of fats. This condition is seen in diets that mostly consist of lean proteins.

One of the major symptoms of rabbit starvation is diarrhea. The diarrhea can often become serious and may lead to death. This often occurs within the first 3 days to one week of pure lean protein diets. If adequate amounts of fats are not consumed in the succeeding days, the diarrhea can worsen and may lead to dehydration and possible death.

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When Serotonin's Good and When It's Bad

By Joan Kent  |   Submitted On May 01, 2019  

Serotonin is a complex neurochemical that has several functions. Below are just a few of these.

What Do We Need to Make Serotonin?

We need protein for the amino acid tryptophan that it contains. And we need carbohydrates to trigger insulin, which helps transport tryptophan to the brain.

Serotonin production is pretty linear. More insulin brings more tryptophan to the brain. Then the brain uses the tryptophan to make serotonin. More tryptophan means more serotonin.

How Is Serotonin Good? 3 Examples

1. Serotonin is the precursor of melatonin, the "sleep hormone." Melatonin is a powerful anti-inflammatory that helps with recovery from athletics and more.

2. Serotonin helps us control appetite by making us feel we've had enough food, both generally and specifically around carbs. If you eat a high-carb lunch, for example, you'll probably want fewer carbs at dinner.

3. Serotonin helps to prevent or eliminate cravings, especially for sugar.

How Is Serotonin Bad? 3 Examples

1. High serotonin can raise blood pressure (BP) by causing vasoconstriction. Everyone says high BP is caused by salt, but carbs that promote high insulin can increase serotonin production and worsen vasoconstriction. That means higher blood pressure.

2. Serotonin can make us want to quit exercise sooner because it brings on fatigue. This serotonin/fatigue connection holds true for both endurance and high-intensity training.

3. Too much serotonin can make us feel lethargic, lazy, or sleepy.

Best strategies for optimal serotonin:

• Eat protein with each meal to provide tryptophan for serotonin production.

• Avoid "big insulin" triggers. Stay away from sugar and other junky carbs, like white flour. Don't combine "big insulin" carbs with saturated fats (like butter on potatoes or on white bread).

• Manage the insulin/serotonin impact of your meals by eating protein, healthful fats, and vegetables, too. Avoid starches alone.

• Eat healthful starches to prevent sugar cravings. Examples are lentils, quinoa, squash, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and turnips.

Serotonin can be key in managing moods, workouts, appetite, food preferences, blood pressure, sleep, and cravings. For help with any of these, visit http://www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free Empowered Eating Consult. Find out how easy it is to make small changes that translate to health and food freedom.

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.

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Levers? Brain Chem? What's the REAL Addiction Stimulus?

By Joan Kent  |   Submitted On May 11, 2019  

A woman whose knowledge and expertise I greatly respect was recently interviewed on a podcast about sugar addiction.

At some point, the interviewer asked what makes some people more "addictable" to sugar.

I'm paraphrasing everything, but she said animal studies have shown that "addictable" rats develop greater attachment to the cue for food (sugar) delivery than non-addictable rats. Addictable rats nuzzled the lever that signaled the food delivery, for example, as opposed to simply waiting for the food, as non-addictable rats did.

Is That All There Is?

I felt something was missing. Attachment to the cue (lever) is behavioral, and doesn't necessarily get to the underlying facts in sugar addiction. What made these rats develop the attachment in the first place?

I wanted the brain chem piece.

To my knowledge, here it is - and this is more about alcoholism and sugar addiction than about food addiction generally. It's based partly on work by the brilliant Christina Gianoulakis, PhD, at McGill University.

Alcoholics have a genetic trait that spans several generations. They have low levels of certain brain chemicals, so they feel 'less good' on a day-to-day basis than non-addicts. And when they consume alcohol or sugar, they show an exaggerated release of those same chemicals.

That makes sugar and alcohol extra reinforcing for addictable types. They feel lousy without sugar and Beyond Great with it.

What About the Rats?

I submit that the lever-nuzzling of the addictable rats in the study is based on this trait. For clarity, every addiction involves release of the brain chemical dopamine.

In the study, a lever appeared in the cage and signaled the arrival of food (sugar). The sugar delivery was both consistent and quick (within seconds). That created 2 events that need to occur for dopamine to be released in large quantities:
1) anticipation of a pleasurable experience.
2) a realistic chance that the experience will occur.

The lever was event #1. The consistent, quick delivery was event #2. Result: big dopamine.

Yet There's More!

Scientists now call dopamine the "anticipation molecule" because research shows it's released in large quantities when those 2 events occur. So all of the rats probably got a big dopamine hit when the lever appeared.

But what made the addictable rats nuzzle the lever - to the point of sometimes missing the food delivery?

I would add a 3rd factor: the genetic trait uncovered by Dr. Gianoulakis - low dopamine plus exaggerated release in response to a stimulus.

My take on the rats-and-lever experiment is that the addictable rats nuzzled the lever because of their lower-than-normal level of dopamine, plus their exaggerated dopamine release when the lever appeared.

The lever-nuzzlers became as addicted to the anticipation as to the sugar. Or even more so. That can happen with foods - and with people. Due to the brain chemical similarities between alcoholism and sugar addiction, I've connected the dots on this. (Blast me if you must.)

I love the neurochemical explanation of addiction because it removes all the blame from us. It makes no more sense to blame your brain for its response to sugar than to blame your eyes for their color. We got what we got.

The good news is we can do something to reverse the effects. It's about food and it's easy, so you can do it.

If you feel stuck on sugar or other foods, I'd love to help. Just visit http://www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your free Empowered Eating Consult. Find out how easy it is to start moving things forward and feeling great - and great about you.

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.

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Change Your Diet To Change Your Life

By Carmen Gilfillan  |   Submitted On June 20, 2019  

Balancing your diet and your busy professional life can be a difficult task. Considering how you're spending most of your time at work, you have little time for your nutrition and diet. But good health is necessary to live; how can you then make time to pay attention on your diet?

Actually you don't need to, not much anyway as there are a few ways that you can modify your diet. These are very small and it takes almost no time to make these changes. Here are three small but very useful dietary modifications you can make:

Avoid Cooked Breakfasts

First thing in the morning the body is still in cleanse mode. As such it is important to avoid heavy, cooked breakfasts first thing as this is going against what your body naturally wants to do. Eat light breakfasts such as fruit first thing in the morning, which lines your stomach and may result in you eating less.

Alternatively, try eating something like porridge with flaxseeds or pumpkin seeds. Both of these seeds are a good source of omega-3 (another source of which is fish) which is good for the joints and can help prevent depression, and brain conditions such as Alzheimer's and Dementia. So avoid cooked breakfasts in the mornings and opt for something that's easier on your digestive system.

Reduce your portion sizes

You tend to lose track of what you eat and how much you eat when your mind is preoccupied. You're worried about deadlines, presentations and meetings at work, so you don't pay attention to how much you're eating. You can, however, easily rectify this by simply reducing your portions sizes. Reducing your food intake means you don't overeat, and you'll be consuming only what your body really needs.

Overeating is one of the most common causes of obesity, acidity, high cholesterol and diabetes. By eating smaller portions you reduce the risk exponentially of ending up with one or more these conditions. In addition to reducing your portion sizes, try to eat more slowly so you can more easily recognize when you're full, as well savouring the flavour of your food.

Drink more water

While caffeine may be beneficial in the short term by keeping you awake and alert, the extra sugar dosage you get from it is not. Avoid coffee if you can as it is an artificial stimulant. If you absolutely need it, try to skip the sugar or reduce the amount. In addition, increase the amount of water you consume throughout the day by keeping a water bottle with you and taking periodic sips from it. The water will keep you hydrated and refreshed throughout the day and reduce the need for coffee and other stimulants.

These small but simple dietary modifications will allow you to live a much healthier and more nutritious lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, the key to a healthy lifestyle does not require big changes. Small modifications, much like the ones discussed in this article, can make a huge difference to the quality of your health and life. The challenge is to stick with them, not give in to temptation and be consistent.

Carmen Gilfillan is the founder of Stimulus Development & Training. Stimulus specialises in helping people overcome emotional trauma, experience emotional breakthroughs and live their best lives. We do this through Life & Wellness Coaching, Emotional Freedom consultations and training in the areas of personal, professional and spiritual growth. Check out our website at http://www.stimulus.uk.com to book your free Emotional Breakthrough consultation.

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Benefits of Nutritionally Assisted Detox Therapy

By Barbara Odozi

Addiction is a serious brain disorder. It can ruin every aspect of a person's life. Therefore, the decision to get sober is a life-transforming one. Generally, the first step of addiction treatment is detoxification. One of the processes that is gaining popularity is nutritionally assisted detox (NAD).

NAD therapy involves supplementation of mind and body with micronutrients, amino acids, minerals and vitamins through daily intravenous infusions. It helps in alleviating the distress caused by painful and unbearable withdrawal symptoms, and regulating mood and mental clarity.

In some cases, withdrawal symptoms can be challenging and life-threatening. With the help of carefully monitored NAD, a lot of patients get sufficient relief and achieve a sense of overall well-being. Additionally, NAD therapy helps patients recover from malnutrition, which is a side effect of addiction.

NAD assists patients naturally detox from alcohol or addictive drugs taking care of agonizing withdrawal symptoms effectively. It is a natural process in which there is no need to use any opioid receptor blocker drugs or general anesthesia. Instead, it makes use of NAD supplements.

With the help of NAD therapy, drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms are reduced by 50 to 60 percent in the initial three days and by 70 to 80 percent fourth day onwards. The intravenous infusion is given for three to 14 days, followed by an oral maintenance dose. The therapy is provided at various affordable detox centers.

Things to expect from NAD therapy

NAD combines neurotransmitter restoration and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to help patients navigate through the withdrawal phase. The nutritionally-rich combination is used for the production of coenzyme adenosine triphosphate, an energy molecule in the cells. The therapy speeds up the healing process by filling the brain and body with essential nutrients.

Some of the benefits of NAD therapy are:

• During the natural IV detox and brain restoration process, a person might feel less anxious, depressed and tired - the classic symptoms caused by continuous substance abuse.
• NAD considerably reduces the painful withdrawal symptoms, increasing the chance of recovery and decreasing the chance of relapse.
• Once complete brain restoration is achieved, NAD leads to a significant reduction in cravings for alcohol or drugs.
• NAD helps an individual to restore his/her normal brain chemistry that existed before substance use.
• It leads to better stress management and improved thinking process. This can help a patient develop essential coping skills.
• Pharmacological medicines are also available if and when required.

It is recommended to opt for credible detox inpatient programs at certified centers. The process is carried out under the strict guidance of a multidisciplinary team available 24/7. Some people opt for self-detox at home without understanding its implications, thus jeopardizing their chances of long-term recovery.

Do not hesitate to seek support

As part of NAD program, a team of physicians, nurses and other support staff administer the intravenous infusion by working closely with each other. Confidentiality, safety, healing and comfort are the main objectives of NAD. The infusion is generally administered during the day. Once it starts, every effort is made to relax the patients by providing proper bedding and meals. Some detox centers even offer private rooms equipped with a personal computer and Wi-Fi facility.

If you or a loved one is exhibiting signs of substance abuse and may need detox assistance, do not hesitate to call the Colorado Detox Helpline to get connected to some of the finest detox treatment centers in Colorado. You can call our 24/7 helpline (866) 730-5807 to know more.

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Daily Dose: Omega-3

It’s good for your joints, skin, vision, brain, heart, helps lower bad cholesterol levels and even boosts fertility. It’s an anti-ager and an anti-inflammatory. It’s found naturally in a variety of delicious foods including walnuts, salmon, tuna, olive oil and avocados. It’s omega-3 – and it’s time you got to know the daily dose that’s good for just about every single part of your body.

learn more>>>https://www.doctoroz.com/article/daily-dose-omega-3

17 Science-Based Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Written by Freydis Hjalmarsdottir, MS on October 15, 2018  

Omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly important.

They have many powerful health benefits for your body and brain.

In fact, few nutrients have been studied as thoroughly as omega-3 fatty acids.

Here are 17 health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids that are supported by science.

learn more>>>https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-health-benefits-of-omega-3