#you got an incurable disease? coconut oil

[daydreaming-in-daisies]

it's the middle of the night and i'm reminiscing on the great coconut oil craze of 2016

[healthyyhabitshub]

Vegetable Oil Myths: Is Vegetable Oil Healthy?

Vegetable Oil Myths: Is Vegetable Oil Healthy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySAaHqeLJKo Want to create automated professional videos? Visit the following link: https://ift.tt/ke0Zwzb Unveiling the Hidden Truth: Is Vegetable Oil Really Healthy? Dive into our eye-opening exploration of the myths surrounding vegetable oils. Contrary to popular belief and their 'heart-healthy' image, we uncover how certain unsaturated fats can do more harm than good. Discover the startling facts about omega-6 fatty acid imbalance, hazardous processing chemicals, and the unintended creation of trans fats. Plus, we'll expose the potentially serious health risks from pesticides and the oxidative damage that could accelerate aging and disease. If you're shocked by the dangers lurking in your kitchen oil, hit 'Like', 'Subscribe', and join the conversation below. Don't let misleading labels like 'light' or 'cholesterol-free' guide your hand. Learn the true cost of vegetable oils—not at the checkout, but to your health. And don't worry, we've got you covered with wholesome alternatives: olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, real butter, and fish oil are all on the menu for a truly healthful change. Embrace the good fats that truly nourish, and make the informed switch that your heart, brain, and body will thank you for. Your health journey begins with a single informed choice, so let's make it together! #VegetableOilMyth #HealthyFats #EatSmart Chapter/Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction to the Vegetable Oil Myth 0:31 - The Unhealthy Side of Unsaturated Fats 1:01 - The Processing Perils of Vegetable Oils 1:41 - Trans Fats and Heart Health 2:11 - Pesticides and Oxidation Dangers 2:51 - Cooking Risks and Weight Gain Concerns 3:31 - Misleading Marketing and Labels 4:01 - Healthy Fat Alternatives 4:41 - Conclusion and Making Informed Choices ✅ Important link to follow: 👉 Pictory AI: https://ift.tt/ke0Zwzb ✅ Stay connected to Us. 🔔Please Subscribe to our channel to get more valuable tips to live a healthy life: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyhabitshub-zk9fz ====================================== ✅ Other Videos You Might Be Interested In Watching: 👉 Transform Your Life with the top Alkaline Foods| Health Benefits of Alkaline Foods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1i-WZc4ZXU 👉 5 Ways to Stop Bloating Fast | How to get rid of Bloating Fast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVwjUdD6QF0 👉 Top 10 High-Fiber Foods for a Healthy Diet | High fiber foods list https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSfocGEFwg 👉 Joint Pain Enemies Exposed: Unveiling the 6 Worst Foods for Arthritis | Rheumatoid arthritis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90zgHZdIixo ✅ Welcome Healthy Habits Hub: Welcome to "Healthy Habits Hub" We'll share amazing facts about your body and motivate you with health shorts. You'll learn inspiring stories and helpful tips for a healthier life. Discover the secrets to balance, debunk myths, and improve your well-being. Let's start this journey with The Clear Mind and live happier and healthier! 🔔 Please Subscribe to our channel to get more insights on topics like healthy And fascinating facts about your body: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyhabitshub-zk9fz ====================================== Disclaimer: We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of reading any of our publications. You acknowledge that you use the information we provide at your own risk. Do your research. Copyright Notice: This video and our YouTube channel contain copyrighted music and images. Any public, media, and any other business usage are subject to a business license. Unauthorized usage and publications are prohibited. © Healthy Habits Hub via Healthy Habits Hub https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCauUf6FRrLX90ye_EJy6w2g November 23, 2023 at 12:00AM

[newssplashy]

Health Tips: Read this before you throw out your microwave

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

I get it. Meal prep is a huge pain in the ass. And honestly, literally no one is ever in the mood to cook a huge dinner at the end of a long day at work. 

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

But before you dive into the crudité, there are some pretty key things you should know about this majorly-hyped diet.

Okay, I'll bite: What is the raw food diet?

In a nutshell, the raw food diet is essentially a modified vegan diet that limits you to foods cooked below 116 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, you can juice, puree, soak, or sprout your meals.

“The raw food diet is based on the idea that the natural enzymes in raw foods are destroyed through the cooking process,” says Abbey Sharp, a Toronto-based dietitian and blogger at Abbey’s Kitchen. In theory, heat does indeed destroy many enzymes in food-i.e., chemicals that help us to digest and absorb our meals-along with some vitamins and phytonutrients.

Nutritionists, however, say that’s an oversimplification. “Most of the enzymes in food are destroyed in the gut with stomach acid anyway,” says Sharp. What’s more, our bodies make digestive enzymes that have the same effect as the ones found in foods, explains Robin Fourutan, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Where did it come from?

The raw food diet has been around since at least the late 1800s, according to the New York Academy of Medicine, when Swiss nutritionist and physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner advocated for it. His book, The Prevention of Incurable Disease, recommended eating 50 percent raw veggies, fruits, seeds, and nuts, and the rest “conservatively cooked” veggies, eggs, meats, and whole grain breads.

More recently, the diet got a boost when Gisele and Tom Brady’s chef told Boston.com they followed it.

What exactly can you eat on the raw food diet?

Foods that get the green light on the raw food diet include raw fruits, veggies, legumes, and grains; seeds and nuts; extra-virgin olive oil; and raw coconut oil and butter, says Sharp. Some people even eat unpasteurized milk, cheese, and honey, as well as raw fish and meats.

Anything that is cooked or heated above 118 degrees, as mentioned before, is strictly off-limits. That means you have to avoid most stuff that’s heated in your oven or microwave as well as all processed foods. A few not-so-intuitive foods that are off the menu include table salt, pasta, and pasteurized juice (since pasteurization involves heating foods to kill bacteria).

Are there any benefits to a raw food diet?

The main benefit of the raw food diet is that it cuts down on processed foods and gets you eating way more fruits and veggies that are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients. “Getting more plant foods in your diet can help reduce the risk of any condition linked to inflammation,” says Fouroutan, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

"Including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100 percent raw vegan diet."

Getting more greens works wonders for your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well, says Sharp, lowering your risk of heart disease.

Are there any downsides to eating this way?

Plenty, say nutritionists. For one, “the theory that all raw food is more nutritious than cooked is really just a myth,” says Sharp.

It’s true that heat does break down some antioxidants like vitamin C, she says. But other nutrients, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, including lycopene, potassium, and zinc-found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus-actually get a boost from cooking.

All that restriction also puts you at greater risk of nutrient deficiency. “It’s difficult to maintain a 100 percent raw food diet and get all of the nutrients you need,” says Fourutan.Missing out on meat, dairy, and fish cuts back on healthy protein sources and fats like omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins like B12, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D. And if you skip beans and grains-which are tastier when cooked-you’ll also miss out on good sources of fiber, notes Sharp.

Bloating and gas are another unpleasant side effect of the raw food diet. “A lot of raw vegetables are rich in insoluble fibers that we don’t digest, which get fermented in the gut by bacteria, causing gas. Cooking helps to soften those fibers,” says Sharp. “People with IBS especially may find that a raw diet is particularly hard on their gut and causes digestive distress.”

Adding uncooked animal foods to your diet can even be dangerous. “There’s a reason why Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization: so we don’t get sick,” says Sharp. Unpasteurized dairy can carry Listeria, while raw meat and eggs can carry other food-borne pathogens that are especially risky if you’re pregnant or have a compromised immune system.

Should you try the raw food diet?

Given all of the potential downsides of a strict raw food diet, it’s not backed by many nutritionists. “We have healthy cooking methods for a reason,” says Sharp.

With that said, the raw food diet doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. “As long as your digestion can handle it, including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100-percent raw vegan diet,” says Fourutan.

Keep in mind that some cooking methods are better than others for preserving the nutrients in plant foods. “Boiling any veggie diminishes the nutrients because they leech into the water,” explains Fourutan. Instead, lightly steam or sauté-especially notoriously gassy cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, which are easier on your digestive system when they’re cooked.

The bottom line: Eating raw fruits and veggies is always a good thing. But they shouldn't be the only thing you eat-otherwise, you risk nutrient deficiencies and other health problems. The stove, oven, and microwave really are your friends.

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/08/health-tips-read-this-before-you-throw_13.html

[toptecharena]

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

I get it. Meal prep is a huge pain in the ass. And honestly, literally no one is ever in the mood to cook a huge dinner at the end of a long day at work. 

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That’s what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

But before you dive into the crudité, there are some pretty key things you should know about this majorly-hyped diet.

Okay, I’ll bite: What is the raw food diet?

In a nutshell, the raw food diet is essentially a modified vegan diet that limits you to foods cooked below 116 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, you can juice, puree, soak, or sprout your meals.

“The raw food diet is based on the idea that the natural enzymes in raw foods are destroyed through the cooking process,” says Abbey Sharp, a Toronto-based dietitian and blogger at Abbey’s Kitchen. In theory, heat does indeed destroy many enzymes in food-i.e., chemicals that help us to digest and absorb our meals-along with some vitamins and phytonutrients.

Nutritionists, however, say that’s an oversimplification. “Most of the enzymes in food are destroyed in the gut with stomach acid anyway,” says Sharp. What’s more, our bodies make digestive enzymes that have the same effect as the ones found in foods, explains Robin Fourutan, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Where did it come from?

The raw food diet has been around since at least the late 1800s, according to the New York Academy of Medicine, when Swiss nutritionist and physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner advocated for it. His book, The Prevention of Incurable Disease, recommended eating 50 percent raw veggies, fruits, seeds, and nuts, and the rest “conservatively cooked” veggies, eggs, meats, and whole grain breads.

More recently, the diet got a boost when Gisele and Tom Brady’s chef told Boston.com they followed it.

What exactly can you eat on the raw food diet?

Foods that get the green light on the raw food diet include raw fruits, veggies, legumes, and grains; seeds and nuts; extra-virgin olive oil; and raw coconut oil and butter, says Sharp. Some people even eat unpasteurized milk, cheese, and honey, as well as raw fish and meats.

Anything that is cooked or heated above 118 degrees, as mentioned before, is strictly off-limits. That means you have to avoid most stuff that’s heated in your oven or microwave as well as all processed foods. A few not-so-intuitive foods that are off the menu include table salt, pasta, and pasteurized juice (since pasteurization involves heating foods to kill bacteria).

Are there any benefits to a raw food diet?

The main benefit of the raw food diet is that it cuts down on processed foods and gets you eating way more fruits and veggies that are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients. “Getting more plant foods in your diet can help reduce the risk of any condition linked to inflammation,” says Fouroutan, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

“Including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100 percent raw vegan diet.”

Getting more greens works wonders for your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well, says Sharp, lowering your risk of heart disease.

Are there any downsides to eating this way?

Plenty, say nutritionists. For one, “the theory that all raw food is more nutritious than cooked is really just a myth,” says Sharp.

It’s true that heat does break down some antioxidants like vitamin C, she says. But other nutrients, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, including lycopene, potassium, and zinc-found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus-actually get a boost from cooking.

All that restriction also puts you at greater risk of nutrient deficiency. “It’s difficult to maintain a 100 percent raw food diet and get all of the nutrients you need,” says Fourutan.Missing out on meat, dairy, and fish cuts back on healthy protein sources and fats like omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins like B12, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D. And if you skip beans and grains-which are tastier when cooked-you’ll also miss out on good sources of fiber, notes Sharp.

Bloating and gas are another unpleasant side effect of the raw food diet. “A lot of raw vegetables are rich in insoluble fibers that we don’t digest, which get fermented in the gut by bacteria, causing gas. Cooking helps to soften those fibers,” says Sharp. “People with IBS especially may find that a raw diet is particularly hard on their gut and causes digestive distress.”

Adding uncooked animal foods to your diet can even be dangerous. “There’s a reason why Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization: so we don’t get sick,” says Sharp. Unpasteurized dairy can carry Listeria, while raw meat and eggs can carry other food-borne pathogens that are especially risky if you’re pregnant or have a compromised immune system.

Should you try the raw food diet?

Given all of the potential downsides of a strict raw food diet, it’s not backed by many nutritionists. “We have healthy cooking methods for a reason,” says Sharp.

With that said, the raw food diet doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. “As long as your digestion can handle it, including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100-percent raw vegan diet,” says Fourutan.

Keep in mind that some cooking methods are better than others for preserving the nutrients in plant foods. “Boiling any veggie diminishes the nutrients because they leech into the water,” explains Fourutan. Instead, lightly steam or sauté-especially notoriously gassy cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, which are easier on your digestive system when they’re cooked.

The bottom line: Eating raw fruits and veggies is always a good thing. But they shouldn’t be the only thing you eat-otherwise, you risk nutrient deficiencies and other health problems. The stove, oven, and microwave really are your friends.

Go to Source Author: Women’s Health Health Tips: Read this before you throw out your microwave Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say?

[jakehglover]

How Stress Can Affect Your Blood Sugar Levels

By Dr. Mercola

Stress does not act as a singular force on your body but rather acts like a snowball rolling down a mountain, gradually building in size and speed until it’s virtually impossible to control. As stress builds in your body, it influences everything from your mood and brain function to your heart health and risk of both acute illness and chronic disease, including cancer.

When you become stressed your body also secretes cortisol and glucagon, both of which affect your blood sugar levels as well.1 On a metabolic level, when you’re stressed and your body enters “fight or flight” mode, glucose is released in order to give your muscles the energy needed to run and escape whatever is threatening you. In the modern day, there’s a good chance that threat is more mental than physical, however, which means you won’t need that extra energy after all.

The end result is that your body must produce more insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in check, and when you’re stressed out, your blood sugar levels will probably stay elevated much longer than they would otherwise, ultimately promoting weight gain and Type 2 diabetes.

Blood Sugar Levels Take Six Times Longer to Return to Normal When You’re Stressed

In a segment produced for BBC’s “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor” television series, researchers from the U.K.’s Leeds University subjected Dr. Giles Yeo, one of the show’s presenters, to what’s known as the Maastricht Acute Stress Test. First, Yeo was asked to quickly compute math problems in his head, such as subtracting 17 from 2,043. Along with the mental strain, Yeo then put his hand into a tub of ice-cold water, further stressing his body on a physical level.

Meanwhile, the researchers had measured Yeo’s blood sugar levels following a meal, both on a nonstressful day and on the day of the stress tests. Although the meal was similar both days, Yeo’s blood sugar patterns were not. On the nonstressful day, Yeo’s blood sugar levels rose after the meal and then returned to normal within 30 minutes — a healthy response. But when he was stressed, his blood sugar levels took six times longer, or a total of three hours, to fall back within the normal range.2

It shows just how easily excess stress can throw your blood sugar out of whack, with detrimental effects on your overall health. The longer your blood sugar stays elevated, the more insulin your body will produce. When your cells become resistant to insulin, glucose (sugar) stays in your blood, raising your blood sugar levels and ultimately leading to the malfunction of leptin signaling.

Leptin is a hormone produced by your fat cells. The function of leptin is to tell your brain you have enough fat stored, have eaten enough and to burn calories at a normal rate. Leptin doesn't function only with your metabolism and fat stores, however. It is also involved in your immune system, fertility and regulating how much energy you burn.

Further, elevated blood sugar levels are associated with diabetes and even prediabetes, not to mention that people with higher blood sugar levels scored lower on memory tests, even though their levels were technically still considered “normal.”3 The fact is, anything that causes your blood sugar levels to stay higher longer than necessary is something you should strive to avoid, and stress is high up on that list.

Stress, Mood and Diabetes Are Intricately Linked

When your body is under the stress response, your cortisol and insulin levels rise. These two hormones tend to track each other, and when your cortisol is consistently elevated under a chronic low-level stress response, you may experience difficulty losing weight or building muscle. Additionally, if your cortisol is chronically elevated, you'll tend to gain weight around your midsection, which is a major contributing factor to developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Research published in the journal Stress also looked into whether stress responses are associated with abnormalities in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and risk of Type 2 diabetes, concluding that there does appear to be a strong link.

“The results of the present study indicate that NDDM [newly detected diabetes mellitus] subjects display significantly higher chronic stress and stress responses when compared to subjects with NGT [normal glucose tolerance]. Chronic stress and endocrine stress responses are significantly associated with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus,” the researchers wrote.4

Not to mention, if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, stress hormones can make it more difficult to control blood sugar levels, as well as encourage less-than-healthy lifestyle choices that further add to your risk.

“[R]esearch has indicated that stressful experiences have an impact on diabetes. Stress may play a role in the onset of diabetes, it can have a deleterious effect on glycemic control and can affect lifestyle,” according to a review in Diabetes Spectrum,5 which is why it’s so important to tend to your emotional health in order to protect your physical condition.

There are a number of ways that mental health ties in to diabetes, not the least of which is that managing the condition, or worrying about complications, can lead to stress and anxiety — a condition known as “diabetes distress.” On a physical level, swings in blood sugar can also wreak havoc on your mood.

If you’re under stress and your blood sugar levels are high, for instance, it can make you feel nervous or tired or make it difficult to think clearly.6 Further, people with diabetes who have psychiatric disorders as well are more likely to have poor control of their blood sugar levels.7

Stress and Lack of Sleep Also Make You Fat

The stress-induced pattern of rising insulin levels and decreasing blood sugar can prompt you to feel hunger pains and crave high-carb comfort foods, leading to weight gain.8 In addition, stress can make it harder for you to sleep at night, another harbinger of weight gain. U.K. researchers looked into the connection between how long you sleep (sleep duration), diet and metabolic health among more than 1,600 adults.9

Past research has linked not enough sleep with an increased risk of metabolic diseases, including obesity, and this study found similar results. Sleep duration was negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, which means the longer a person slept, the smaller their waist and lower their BMI were likely to be. Specifically, people who slept for an average of just six hours a night had a waist circumference more than 1 inch (3 centimeters) larger than those who slept for nine hours a night.10

Shorter sleep was also linked to lower levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol.11 In separate research, people who were sleep deprived ate about 385 more calories than those who got enough sleep,12 while preschoolers who missed their nap and stayed up two to three hours later than normal consumed 25 percent more sugar and 26 percent more carbohydrates than they did prior to the sleep restriction.13

Like stress, lack of sleep also disrupts important hormones — like ghrelin and leptin — and metabolic function. Losing as little as 30 minutes of sleep each night can disrupt your metabolism enough to cause weight gain.

In fact, each half-hour of sleep debt incurred during weeknights raised one study’s participants’ risk for obesity and insulin resistance by 17 percent and 39 percent respectively after one year.14 It’s clearly a vicious cycle, as stress makes it difficult to get the high-quality sleep you need — and the less you sleep, the worse stress can become.

Eating Your Way to a Calmer Mood and Better Blood Sugar Levels

A diet based on real, whole foods, including fermented foods to optimize your gut flora, supports positive mood and optimal mental health, while helping you to bounce back from stress. For example, dark chocolate, berries, organic black coffee, bananas, animal-based omega-3 fats and turmeric (curcumin) tend to boost your mood, whereas sugar, wheat (gluten) and processed foods have been linked to poor mood. At the same time, what you eat can also influence your blood sugar levels for better or worse.

One of the most important dietary recommendations toward this end is to limit net carbs (total carbohydrates minus fiber) and protein, replacing them with higher amounts of high-quality healthy fats, like seeds, nuts, raw grass fed butter, olives, avocado, coconut oil, organic pastured eggs and animal fats (including animal-based omega-3s).

If you’re insulin resistant or diabetic, I also strongly suggest you limit your total fructose intake to 15 grams per day until your insulin/leptin resistance has resolved (then it can be increased to 25 grams) and start intermittent fasting as soon as possible.

Top Methods to Lower Stress for Better Blood Sugar Control

Diet and getting proper sleep are crucial for controlling both stress and blood sugar levels, but beyond this exercise is another factor that cannot be ignored. In one study, unfit but otherwise healthy middle-aged adults were able to improve their insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation after just two weeks of interval training (three sessions per week).15 A follow-up study also found that interval training positively impacted insulin sensitivity.

The study involved people with full-blown Type 2 diabetes, and just one interval training session was able to improve blood sugar regulation for the next 24 hours.16 Exercise, while acting as a form of physical stress, is also beneficial for mental health and stress relief. A study by Princeton University researchers revealed that exercising creates new, excitable neurons along with new neurons designed to release the GABA neurotransmitter, which inhibits excessive neuronal firing, helping to induce a natural state of calm.17

In addition to the creation of new neurons, including those that release the calming neurotransmitter GABA, exercise boosts levels of potent brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. This may help buffer some of the effects of stress. Mind-body exercises, such as yoga, may be particularly beneficial in warding off stress, as may meditation.

People with anxiety disorder who learned mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques like mindfulness meditation did better under stress than those who used other stress reduction methods.18 Interestingly, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is also associated with improved blood sugar control in people with Type 2 diabetes, and a “decrease in measures of depression, anxiety and general psychological distress was observed.”19

Coming full circle, MBSR may also help to improve sleep,20 which in turn will improve your stress levels and metabolic health. It’s important to address stress daily; don’t let it fester unattended until it snowballs out of control. Regular exercise, sleep and healthy eating can go a long way toward this end, but also take timeout of each day for meditation, mindfulness and other activities you enjoy, be it a long soak in the tub or a chat with a friend.

Another simple option you can use to deal with daily stress is the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), which can help reprogram your body's reactions to the unavoidable stressors of everyday life, thereby reducing your chances of experiencing adverse health effects like disrupted blood sugar levels. In the video below, EFT practitioner Julie Schiffman discusses EFT for stress relief, which you can use in combination with other stress-relief options to help your body bounce back from stress.

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/02/08/stress-blood-sugar-levels.aspx

[milenasanchezmk]

Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable?

Good morning, folks. With next week’s The Keto Reset Diet release, I’ve got keto on the mind today—unsurprisingly. I’ve had a lot of questions lately on duration. As I’ve mentioned before, a good six weeks of ketosis puts in place all the metabolic machinery for lasting adaptation (those extra mitochondria don’t evaporate if/when you return to traditional Primal eating).

But what about the other end of the issue? How long is too long?  I don’t do this often, but today I’m reposting an article from a couple of years ago on this very topic. I’ve added a few thoughts based on my recent experience. See what you think, and be sure to share any lingering questions on the question of keto timing and process. I’ll be happy to answer them in upcoming posts and Dear Mark columns.

Every day I get links to interesting papers. It’s hard not to when thousands of new studies are published every day and thousands of readers deliver the best ones to my inbox. And while I enjoy thumbing through the links simply for curiosity’s sake, they can also seed new ideas that lead to research rabbit holes and full-fledged posts. It’s probably the favorite part of my day: research and synthesis and the gestation of future blogs. The hard part is collecting, collating, and then transcribing the ideas swirling around inside my brain into readable prose and hopefully getting an article out of it that I can share with you.

A while back I briefly mentioned a paper concerning a ketone metabolite known as beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, and its ability to block the activity of a set of inflammatory genes. This particular set of genes, known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration. In other words, it’s in our best interest to avoid its chronic, pathogenic activation, and it looks like going into ketosis can probably help in that respect.

One thing led to another, and this paper got me thinking: once we “go into ketosis,” how long should we stay? If some is good, is more better? Is there a point where the benefits slow and the downsides accrue?

We absolutely know that ketones, particularly BHB, do lots of cool things for us. There’s the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, for one. There’s also the effect it has on brain health and function, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain conditions.

Brain Aging:

Whether it’s severe hypoglycemia in a live rat or direct glucose deprivation of cortical cells in a petri dish, the addition of BHB protects against neuronal death, preserves energy levels, and lowers reactive oxygen species.

In an animal model of Cockayne syndrome, a condition characterized by premature aging, short stature, and early death (about age 10 in most human children with it), increasing BHB through ketosis postpones brain aging.

Brain Disorders:

Ketogenic diets are classic therapies for epilepsy, with BHB being the most important ketone for preventing seizures. The degree of seizure control tracks almost lockstep with rising BHB levels.

There’s also evidence that patients with bipolar — a disorder sharing certain neurobiological pathways and effective therapies with epilepsy — can also benefit from ketosis. Recent case studies show complete remission of symptoms in two patients as long as they adhered to their diets (which were fairly Primal-friendly, for what it’s worth).

Parkinson’s disease patients who adhered to a ketogenic diet saw improvements in their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores.

Brain Function:

Type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function because of low blood sugar see those deficits erased by increasing BHB through dietary medium chain triglycerides (the same fats found in coconut oil).

In memory impaired adults, some with Alzheimer’s, BHB improved cognition. Scores improved in (rough) parallel with rising ketones.

A ketone-elevating agent (purified medium chain triglycerides) improved cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

A very low-carb diet improved memory in older adults. Again, ketones tracked with improvements.

Mitochondrial levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione increase on a ketogenic diet; this is likely a major reason for many of its beneficial effects.

It’s quite clear why constant ketosis is attractive to people who read about (and experience for themselves) the benefits of BHB and ketosis in general: There don’t appear to be many downsides. Improved brain health? Increased antioxidant capacity? Inhibition of an inflammatory set of genes involved in the worst kinds of degenerative diseases? What’s not to love? Why wouldn’t someone remain indefinitely ketogenic?

Ketosis also activates the NRF2 pathway — a set of genes that regulate the body’s detoxification, antioxidant, and stress response systems — by initially increasing systemic oxidative stress. If that sounds a bit like hormesis, you’d be right. Ketosis, at least in the early stages, exerts some of its beneficial effects via hormetic stress. Various other stressors also activate NRF2, like plant polyphenols from foods like blueberries and green tea, potent spices like turmeric, intense exercise, and intermittent fasting. These all improve our health by triggering our stress resistance pathways and making us grow stronger for it, but they can also be taken to an extreme and become negative stressors.

Consider intermittent fasting and exercise. While the most famous way to increase BHB is to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s not the only way. Both fasting and exercise also do the trick:

A properly-executed fast puts you into full-blown ketosis. In healthy adults, two days of fasting increases brain BHB almost 12-fold (and almost 20-fold after 3 days). Even just an eight hour fast, AKA a good night’s sleep, will put you into ketosis and increase BHB (PDF) if you have strong metabolic health.

Exercise-mediated increases of BHB are a good barometer for the amount of fat a person will lose during a workout program. The more body fat you carry, the greater the elevation in BHB and the more weight you’ll lose.

What do you notice?

These are both transient states that grow problematic when extended indefinitely.

You can’t fast forever. That’s called starvation. And, eventually, dying.

Instead, you fast for 12, 16, 24, or on the very rare occasion 36 hours, and resume your normal diet after the fasting period has ended. You introduce an acute bout of food deprivation to upregulate your fat burning, trigger cellular autophagy, and generate ketone bodies.

You can’t train every waking hour. That’s called working in a forced labor camp, and it too leads to very poor health.

Instead of training 12 hours a day, you sprint, or lift weights, swing a kettlebell really intensely, or any other type of training two or three times a week. Then, you rest and recover and eat, and grow stronger, more fit, and faster in the interim.

Ketosis isn’t fasting. It’s not starvation. You’re still eating, although your appetite may be reduced (which is why many people lose weight from ketogenic diets). You’re still taking in nutrients, even if glucose isn’t among them. And ketosis isn’t anywhere near as acutely stressful as a strong training session. But I think the principle stands: these are all stressors that exert benefits, at least in part, along the hormetic pathway. And when it comes to hormetic stressors, too much of a good thing usually isn’t very good.

What Does This Mean for Indefinite, Long-Term Ketogenic Dieting?

If you’ve got a legitimate health condition that responds well to ketosis, all bets are off. There’s evidence that people can thrive on good ketogenic diets for at least five years without incurring any serious side effects. For controlling epilepsy, there’s nothing better than a strict ketogenic diet maintained long term to quell the overexcited brain. For any of the neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, ketogenic diets look very promising and are worth trying. It even looks promising for bipolar disorder. If you’ve got a problem that ketosis helps or fixes, go for it. It’s helping you, and there’s no mistaking that.

My personal hunch (and I’ve said this for as long as I can remember) is that indefinite ketosis is unnecessary and perhaps even undesirable for most healthy people, and that occasional, even regular dips into ketosis (through fasting, very low-carb cycles, intense exercise) are preferable and sufficient. That way, you get the benefits of cyclical infusions of BHB and other ketones without running afoul of any potential unforeseen negative effects.

Plus, cycling your ketosis means you can eat berries and stone fruits when in season, and enjoy those otherworldly-delicious purple sweet potatoes without worrying. Personally, I like food too much to go full-on, indefinite keto. You may not, and that’s okay.

If you’re thriving on a ketogenic diet, and have been for some time, keep it up. No one can take that away from you, and the studies indicate it should be safe. I certainly know people who have lived a keto lifestyle for years without issue.

But if you don’t have to remain in ketosis to resolve or stave off a health condition, if you’re just doing it to do it or for yet-to-be-realized benefits, consider rethinking your stance. And if ketosis doesn’t agree with your health or your personal performance goals, then don’t consider it an obligation.

Because the goal of keto isn’t keto itself. It’s the metabolic reset that confers a potent and enduring flexibility. It’s the recalibration of inflammatory patterns along with other aforementioned benefits. How we customize our keto (or more traditional Primal) approaches should ultimately serve optimal personal health, not technically-minded dogma.

That’s it for today, folks! What about you? If anyone’s been on a long-term ketogenic diet, I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[fishermariawo]

Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable?

Good morning, folks. With next week’s The Keto Reset Diet release, I’ve got keto on the mind today—unsurprisingly. I’ve had a lot of questions lately on duration. As I’ve mentioned before, a good six weeks of ketosis puts in place all the metabolic machinery for lasting adaptation (those extra mitochondria don’t evaporate if/when you return to traditional Primal eating).

But what about the other end of the issue? How long is too long?  I don’t do this often, but today I’m reposting an article from a couple of years ago on this very topic. I’ve added a few thoughts based on my recent experience. See what you think, and be sure to share any lingering questions on the question of keto timing and process. I’ll be happy to answer them in upcoming posts and Dear Mark columns.

Every day I get links to interesting papers. It’s hard not to when thousands of new studies are published every day and thousands of readers deliver the best ones to my inbox. And while I enjoy thumbing through the links simply for curiosity’s sake, they can also seed new ideas that lead to research rabbit holes and full-fledged posts. It’s probably the favorite part of my day: research and synthesis and the gestation of future blogs. The hard part is collecting, collating, and then transcribing the ideas swirling around inside my brain into readable prose and hopefully getting an article out of it that I can share with you.

A while back I briefly mentioned a paper concerning a ketone metabolite known as beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, and its ability to block the activity of a set of inflammatory genes. This particular set of genes, known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration. In other words, it’s in our best interest to avoid its chronic, pathogenic activation, and it looks like going into ketosis can probably help in that respect.

One thing led to another, and this paper got me thinking: once we “go into ketosis,” how long should we stay? If some is good, is more better? Is there a point where the benefits slow and the downsides accrue?

We absolutely know that ketones, particularly BHB, do lots of cool things for us. There’s the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, for one. There’s also the effect it has on brain health and function, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain conditions.

Brain Aging:

Whether it’s severe hypoglycemia in a live rat or direct glucose deprivation of cortical cells in a petri dish, the addition of BHB protects against neuronal death, preserves energy levels, and lowers reactive oxygen species.

In an animal model of Cockayne syndrome, a condition characterized by premature aging, short stature, and early death (about age 10 in most human children with it), increasing BHB through ketosis postpones brain aging.

Brain Disorders:

Ketogenic diets are classic therapies for epilepsy, with BHB being the most important ketone for preventing seizures. The degree of seizure control tracks almost lockstep with rising BHB levels.

There’s also evidence that patients with bipolar — a disorder sharing certain neurobiological pathways and effective therapies with epilepsy — can also benefit from ketosis. Recent case studies show complete remission of symptoms in two patients as long as they adhered to their diets (which were fairly Primal-friendly, for what it’s worth).

Parkinson’s disease patients who adhered to a ketogenic diet saw improvements in their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores.

Brain Function:

Type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function because of low blood sugar see those deficits erased by increasing BHB through dietary medium chain triglycerides (the same fats found in coconut oil).

In memory impaired adults, some with Alzheimer’s, BHB improved cognition. Scores improved in (rough) parallel with rising ketones.

A ketone-elevating agent (purified medium chain triglycerides) improved cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

A very low-carb diet improved memory in older adults. Again, ketones tracked with improvements.

Mitochondrial levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione increase on a ketogenic diet; this is likely a major reason for many of its beneficial effects.

It’s quite clear why constant ketosis is attractive to people who read about (and experience for themselves) the benefits of BHB and ketosis in general: There don’t appear to be many downsides. Improved brain health? Increased antioxidant capacity? Inhibition of an inflammatory set of genes involved in the worst kinds of degenerative diseases? What’s not to love? Why wouldn’t someone remain indefinitely ketogenic?

Ketosis also activates the NRF2 pathway — a set of genes that regulate the body’s detoxification, antioxidant, and stress response systems — by initially increasing systemic oxidative stress. If that sounds a bit like hormesis, you’d be right. Ketosis, at least in the early stages, exerts some of its beneficial effects via hormetic stress. Various other stressors also activate NRF2, like plant polyphenols from foods like blueberries and green tea, potent spices like turmeric, intense exercise, and intermittent fasting. These all improve our health by triggering our stress resistance pathways and making us grow stronger for it, but they can also be taken to an extreme and become negative stressors.

Consider intermittent fasting and exercise. While the most famous way to increase BHB is to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s not the only way. Both fasting and exercise also do the trick:

A properly-executed fast puts you into full-blown ketosis. In healthy adults, two days of fasting increases brain BHB almost 12-fold (and almost 20-fold after 3 days). Even just an eight hour fast, AKA a good night’s sleep, will put you into ketosis and increase BHB (PDF) if you have strong metabolic health.

Exercise-mediated increases of BHB are a good barometer for the amount of fat a person will lose during a workout program. The more body fat you carry, the greater the elevation in BHB and the more weight you’ll lose.

What do you notice?

These are both transient states that grow problematic when extended indefinitely.

You can’t fast forever. That’s called starvation. And, eventually, dying.

Instead, you fast for 12, 16, 24, or on the very rare occasion 36 hours, and resume your normal diet after the fasting period has ended. You introduce an acute bout of food deprivation to upregulate your fat burning, trigger cellular autophagy, and generate ketone bodies.

You can’t train every waking hour. That’s called working in a forced labor camp, and it too leads to very poor health.

Instead of training 12 hours a day, you sprint, or lift weights, swing a kettlebell really intensely, or any other type of training two or three times a week. Then, you rest and recover and eat, and grow stronger, more fit, and faster in the interim.

Ketosis isn’t fasting. It’s not starvation. You’re still eating, although your appetite may be reduced (which is why many people lose weight from ketogenic diets). You’re still taking in nutrients, even if glucose isn’t among them. And ketosis isn’t anywhere near as acutely stressful as a strong training session. But I think the principle stands: these are all stressors that exert benefits, at least in part, along the hormetic pathway. And when it comes to hormetic stressors, too much of a good thing usually isn’t very good.

What Does This Mean for Indefinite, Long-Term Ketogenic Dieting?

If you’ve got a legitimate health condition that responds well to ketosis, all bets are off. There’s evidence that people can thrive on good ketogenic diets for at least five years without incurring any serious side effects. For controlling epilepsy, there’s nothing better than a strict ketogenic diet maintained long term to quell the overexcited brain. For any of the neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, ketogenic diets look very promising and are worth trying. It even looks promising for bipolar disorder. If you’ve got a problem that ketosis helps or fixes, go for it. It’s helping you, and there’s no mistaking that.

My personal hunch (and I’ve said this for as long as I can remember) is that indefinite ketosis is unnecessary and perhaps even undesirable for most healthy people, and that occasional, even regular dips into ketosis (through fasting, very low-carb cycles, intense exercise) are preferable and sufficient. That way, you get the benefits of cyclical infusions of BHB and other ketones without running afoul of any potential unforeseen negative effects.

Plus, cycling your ketosis means you can eat berries and stone fruits when in season, and enjoy those otherworldly-delicious purple sweet potatoes without worrying. Personally, I like food too much to go full-on, indefinite keto. You may not, and that’s okay.

If you’re thriving on a ketogenic diet, and have been for some time, keep it up. No one can take that away from you, and the studies indicate it should be safe. I certainly know people who have lived a keto lifestyle for years without issue.

But if you don’t have to remain in ketosis to resolve or stave off a health condition, if you’re just doing it to do it or for yet-to-be-realized benefits, consider rethinking your stance. And if ketosis doesn’t agree with your health or your personal performance goals, then don’t consider it an obligation.

Because the goal of keto isn’t keto itself. It’s the metabolic reset that confers a potent and enduring flexibility. It’s the recalibration of inflammatory patterns along with other aforementioned benefits. How we customize our keto (or more traditional Primal) approaches should ultimately serve optimal personal health, not technically-minded dogma.

That’s it for today, folks! What about you? If anyone’s been on a long-term ketogenic diet, I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[watsonrodriquezie]

Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable?

Good morning, folks. With next week’s The Keto Reset Diet release, I’ve got keto on the mind today—unsurprisingly. I’ve had a lot of questions lately on duration. As I’ve mentioned before, a good six weeks of ketosis puts in place all the metabolic machinery for lasting adaptation (those extra mitochondria don’t evaporate if/when you return to traditional Primal eating).

But what about the other end of the issue? How long is too long?  I don’t do this often, but today I’m reposting an article from a couple of years ago on this very topic. I’ve added a few thoughts based on my recent experience. See what you think, and be sure to share any lingering questions on the question of keto timing and process. I’ll be happy to answer them in upcoming posts and Dear Mark columns.

Every day I get links to interesting papers. It’s hard not to when thousands of new studies are published every day and thousands of readers deliver the best ones to my inbox. And while I enjoy thumbing through the links simply for curiosity’s sake, they can also seed new ideas that lead to research rabbit holes and full-fledged posts. It’s probably the favorite part of my day: research and synthesis and the gestation of future blogs. The hard part is collecting, collating, and then transcribing the ideas swirling around inside my brain into readable prose and hopefully getting an article out of it that I can share with you.

A while back I briefly mentioned a paper concerning a ketone metabolite known as beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, and its ability to block the activity of a set of inflammatory genes. This particular set of genes, known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration. In other words, it’s in our best interest to avoid its chronic, pathogenic activation, and it looks like going into ketosis can probably help in that respect.

One thing led to another, and this paper got me thinking: once we “go into ketosis,” how long should we stay? If some is good, is more better? Is there a point where the benefits slow and the downsides accrue?

We absolutely know that ketones, particularly BHB, do lots of cool things for us. There’s the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, for one. There’s also the effect it has on brain health and function, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain conditions.

Brain Aging:

Whether it’s severe hypoglycemia in a live rat or direct glucose deprivation of cortical cells in a petri dish, the addition of BHB protects against neuronal death, preserves energy levels, and lowers reactive oxygen species.

In an animal model of Cockayne syndrome, a condition characterized by premature aging, short stature, and early death (about age 10 in most human children with it), increasing BHB through ketosis postpones brain aging.

Brain Disorders:

Ketogenic diets are classic therapies for epilepsy, with BHB being the most important ketone for preventing seizures. The degree of seizure control tracks almost lockstep with rising BHB levels.

There’s also evidence that patients with bipolar — a disorder sharing certain neurobiological pathways and effective therapies with epilepsy — can also benefit from ketosis. Recent case studies show complete remission of symptoms in two patients as long as they adhered to their diets (which were fairly Primal-friendly, for what it’s worth).

Parkinson’s disease patients who adhered to a ketogenic diet saw improvements in their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores.

Brain Function:

Type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function because of low blood sugar see those deficits erased by increasing BHB through dietary medium chain triglycerides (the same fats found in coconut oil).

In memory impaired adults, some with Alzheimer’s, BHB improved cognition. Scores improved in (rough) parallel with rising ketones.

A ketone-elevating agent (purified medium chain triglycerides) improved cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

A very low-carb diet improved memory in older adults. Again, ketones tracked with improvements.

Mitochondrial levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione increase on a ketogenic diet; this is likely a major reason for many of its beneficial effects.

It’s quite clear why constant ketosis is attractive to people who read about (and experience for themselves) the benefits of BHB and ketosis in general: There don’t appear to be many downsides. Improved brain health? Increased antioxidant capacity? Inhibition of an inflammatory set of genes involved in the worst kinds of degenerative diseases? What’s not to love? Why wouldn’t someone remain indefinitely ketogenic?

Ketosis also activates the NRF2 pathway — a set of genes that regulate the body’s detoxification, antioxidant, and stress response systems — by initially increasing systemic oxidative stress. If that sounds a bit like hormesis, you’d be right. Ketosis, at least in the early stages, exerts some of its beneficial effects via hormetic stress. Various other stressors also activate NRF2, like plant polyphenols from foods like blueberries and green tea, potent spices like turmeric, intense exercise, and intermittent fasting. These all improve our health by triggering our stress resistance pathways and making us grow stronger for it, but they can also be taken to an extreme and become negative stressors.

Consider intermittent fasting and exercise. While the most famous way to increase BHB is to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s not the only way. Both fasting and exercise also do the trick:

A properly-executed fast puts you into full-blown ketosis. In healthy adults, two days of fasting increases brain BHB almost 12-fold (and almost 20-fold after 3 days). Even just an eight hour fast, AKA a good night’s sleep, will put you into ketosis and increase BHB (PDF) if you have strong metabolic health.

Exercise-mediated increases of BHB are a good barometer for the amount of fat a person will lose during a workout program. The more body fat you carry, the greater the elevation in BHB and the more weight you’ll lose.

What do you notice?

These are both transient states that grow problematic when extended indefinitely.

You can’t fast forever. That’s called starvation. And, eventually, dying.

Instead, you fast for 12, 16, 24, or on the very rare occasion 36 hours, and resume your normal diet after the fasting period has ended. You introduce an acute bout of food deprivation to upregulate your fat burning, trigger cellular autophagy, and generate ketone bodies.

You can’t train every waking hour. That’s called working in a forced labor camp, and it too leads to very poor health.

Instead of training 12 hours a day, you sprint, or lift weights, swing a kettlebell really intensely, or any other type of training two or three times a week. Then, you rest and recover and eat, and grow stronger, more fit, and faster in the interim.

Ketosis isn’t fasting. It’s not starvation. You’re still eating, although your appetite may be reduced (which is why many people lose weight from ketogenic diets). You’re still taking in nutrients, even if glucose isn’t among them. And ketosis isn’t anywhere near as acutely stressful as a strong training session. But I think the principle stands: these are all stressors that exert benefits, at least in part, along the hormetic pathway. And when it comes to hormetic stressors, too much of a good thing usually isn’t very good.

What Does This Mean for Indefinite, Long-Term Ketogenic Dieting?

If you’ve got a legitimate health condition that responds well to ketosis, all bets are off. There’s evidence that people can thrive on good ketogenic diets for at least five years without incurring any serious side effects. For controlling epilepsy, there’s nothing better than a strict ketogenic diet maintained long term to quell the overexcited brain. For any of the neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, ketogenic diets look very promising and are worth trying. It even looks promising for bipolar disorder. If you’ve got a problem that ketosis helps or fixes, go for it. It’s helping you, and there’s no mistaking that.

My personal hunch (and I’ve said this for as long as I can remember) is that indefinite ketosis is unnecessary and perhaps even undesirable for most healthy people, and that occasional, even regular dips into ketosis (through fasting, very low-carb cycles, intense exercise) are preferable and sufficient. That way, you get the benefits of cyclical infusions of BHB and other ketones without running afoul of any potential unforeseen negative effects.

Plus, cycling your ketosis means you can eat berries and stone fruits when in season, and enjoy those otherworldly-delicious purple sweet potatoes without worrying. Personally, I like food too much to go full-on, indefinite keto. You may not, and that’s okay.

If you’re thriving on a ketogenic diet, and have been for some time, keep it up. No one can take that away from you, and the studies indicate it should be safe. I certainly know people who have lived a keto lifestyle for years without issue.

But if you don’t have to remain in ketosis to resolve or stave off a health condition, if you’re just doing it to do it or for yet-to-be-realized benefits, consider rethinking your stance. And if ketosis doesn’t agree with your health or your personal performance goals, then don’t consider it an obligation.

Because the goal of keto isn’t keto itself. It’s the metabolic reset that confers a potent and enduring flexibility. It’s the recalibration of inflammatory patterns along with other aforementioned benefits. How we customize our keto (or more traditional Primal) approaches should ultimately serve optimal personal health, not technically-minded dogma.

That’s it for today, folks! What about you? If anyone’s been on a long-term ketogenic diet, I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[cristinajourdanqp]

Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable?

Good morning, folks. With next week’s The Keto Reset Diet release, I’ve got keto on the mind today—unsurprisingly. I’ve had a lot of questions lately on duration. As I’ve mentioned before, a good six weeks of ketosis puts in place all the metabolic machinery for lasting adaptation (those extra mitochondria don’t evaporate if/when you return to traditional Primal eating).

But what about the other end of the issue? How long is too long?  I don’t do this often, but today I’m reposting an article from a couple of years ago on this very topic. I’ve added a few thoughts based on my recent experience. See what you think, and be sure to share any lingering questions on the question of keto timing and process. I’ll be happy to answer them in upcoming posts and Dear Mark columns.

Every day I get links to interesting papers. It’s hard not to when thousands of new studies are published every day and thousands of readers deliver the best ones to my inbox. And while I enjoy thumbing through the links simply for curiosity’s sake, they can also seed new ideas that lead to research rabbit holes and full-fledged posts. It’s probably the favorite part of my day: research and synthesis and the gestation of future blogs. The hard part is collecting, collating, and then transcribing the ideas swirling around inside my brain into readable prose and hopefully getting an article out of it that I can share with you.

A while back I briefly mentioned a paper concerning a ketone metabolite known as beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, and its ability to block the activity of a set of inflammatory genes. This particular set of genes, known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration. In other words, it’s in our best interest to avoid its chronic, pathogenic activation, and it looks like going into ketosis can probably help in that respect.

One thing led to another, and this paper got me thinking: once we “go into ketosis,” how long should we stay? If some is good, is more better? Is there a point where the benefits slow and the downsides accrue?

We absolutely know that ketones, particularly BHB, do lots of cool things for us. There’s the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, for one. There’s also the effect it has on brain health and function, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain conditions.

Brain Aging:

Whether it’s severe hypoglycemia in a live rat or direct glucose deprivation of cortical cells in a petri dish, the addition of BHB protects against neuronal death, preserves energy levels, and lowers reactive oxygen species.

In an animal model of Cockayne syndrome, a condition characterized by premature aging, short stature, and early death (about age 10 in most human children with it), increasing BHB through ketosis postpones brain aging.

Brain Disorders:

Ketogenic diets are classic therapies for epilepsy, with BHB being the most important ketone for preventing seizures. The degree of seizure control tracks almost lockstep with rising BHB levels.

There’s also evidence that patients with bipolar — a disorder sharing certain neurobiological pathways and effective therapies with epilepsy — can also benefit from ketosis. Recent case studies show complete remission of symptoms in two patients as long as they adhered to their diets (which were fairly Primal-friendly, for what it’s worth).

Parkinson’s disease patients who adhered to a ketogenic diet saw improvements in their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores.

Brain Function:

Type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function because of low blood sugar see those deficits erased by increasing BHB through dietary medium chain triglycerides (the same fats found in coconut oil).

In memory impaired adults, some with Alzheimer’s, BHB improved cognition. Scores improved in (rough) parallel with rising ketones.

A ketone-elevating agent (purified medium chain triglycerides) improved cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

A very low-carb diet improved memory in older adults. Again, ketones tracked with improvements.

Mitochondrial levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione increase on a ketogenic diet; this is likely a major reason for many of its beneficial effects.

It’s quite clear why constant ketosis is attractive to people who read about (and experience for themselves) the benefits of BHB and ketosis in general: There don’t appear to be many downsides. Improved brain health? Increased antioxidant capacity? Inhibition of an inflammatory set of genes involved in the worst kinds of degenerative diseases? What’s not to love? Why wouldn’t someone remain indefinitely ketogenic?

Ketosis also activates the NRF2 pathway — a set of genes that regulate the body’s detoxification, antioxidant, and stress response systems — by initially increasing systemic oxidative stress. If that sounds a bit like hormesis, you’d be right. Ketosis, at least in the early stages, exerts some of its beneficial effects via hormetic stress. Various other stressors also activate NRF2, like plant polyphenols from foods like blueberries and green tea, potent spices like turmeric, intense exercise, and intermittent fasting. These all improve our health by triggering our stress resistance pathways and making us grow stronger for it, but they can also be taken to an extreme and become negative stressors.

Consider intermittent fasting and exercise. While the most famous way to increase BHB is to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s not the only way. Both fasting and exercise also do the trick:

A properly-executed fast puts you into full-blown ketosis. In healthy adults, two days of fasting increases brain BHB almost 12-fold (and almost 20-fold after 3 days). Even just an eight hour fast, AKA a good night’s sleep, will put you into ketosis and increase BHB (PDF) if you have strong metabolic health.

Exercise-mediated increases of BHB are a good barometer for the amount of fat a person will lose during a workout program. The more body fat you carry, the greater the elevation in BHB and the more weight you’ll lose.

What do you notice?

These are both transient states that grow problematic when extended indefinitely.

You can’t fast forever. That’s called starvation. And, eventually, dying.

Instead, you fast for 12, 16, 24, or on the very rare occasion 36 hours, and resume your normal diet after the fasting period has ended. You introduce an acute bout of food deprivation to upregulate your fat burning, trigger cellular autophagy, and generate ketone bodies.

You can’t train every waking hour. That’s called working in a forced labor camp, and it too leads to very poor health.

Instead of training 12 hours a day, you sprint, or lift weights, swing a kettlebell really intensely, or any other type of training two or three times a week. Then, you rest and recover and eat, and grow stronger, more fit, and faster in the interim.

Ketosis isn’t fasting. It’s not starvation. You’re still eating, although your appetite may be reduced (which is why many people lose weight from ketogenic diets). You’re still taking in nutrients, even if glucose isn’t among them. And ketosis isn’t anywhere near as acutely stressful as a strong training session. But I think the principle stands: these are all stressors that exert benefits, at least in part, along the hormetic pathway. And when it comes to hormetic stressors, too much of a good thing usually isn’t very good.

What Does This Mean for Indefinite, Long-Term Ketogenic Dieting?

If you’ve got a legitimate health condition that responds well to ketosis, all bets are off. There’s evidence that people can thrive on good ketogenic diets for at least five years without incurring any serious side effects. For controlling epilepsy, there’s nothing better than a strict ketogenic diet maintained long term to quell the overexcited brain. For any of the neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, ketogenic diets look very promising and are worth trying. It even looks promising for bipolar disorder. If you’ve got a problem that ketosis helps or fixes, go for it. It’s helping you, and there’s no mistaking that.

My personal hunch (and I’ve said this for as long as I can remember) is that indefinite ketosis is unnecessary and perhaps even undesirable for most healthy people, and that occasional, even regular dips into ketosis (through fasting, very low-carb cycles, intense exercise) are preferable and sufficient. That way, you get the benefits of cyclical infusions of BHB and other ketones without running afoul of any potential unforeseen negative effects.

Plus, cycling your ketosis means you can eat berries and stone fruits when in season, and enjoy those otherworldly-delicious purple sweet potatoes without worrying. Personally, I like food too much to go full-on, indefinite keto. You may not, and that’s okay.

If you’re thriving on a ketogenic diet, and have been for some time, keep it up. No one can take that away from you, and the studies indicate it should be safe. I certainly know people who have lived a keto lifestyle for years without issue.

But if you don’t have to remain in ketosis to resolve or stave off a health condition, if you’re just doing it to do it or for yet-to-be-realized benefits, consider rethinking your stance. And if ketosis doesn’t agree with your health or your personal performance goals, then don’t consider it an obligation.

Because the goal of keto isn’t keto itself. It’s the metabolic reset that confers a potent and enduring flexibility. It’s the recalibration of inflammatory patterns along with other aforementioned benefits. How we customize our keto (or more traditional Primal) approaches should ultimately serve optimal personal health, not technically-minded dogma.

That’s it for today, folks! What about you? If anyone’s been on a long-term ketogenic diet, I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[cynthiamwashington]

Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable?

Good morning, folks. With next week’s The Keto Reset Diet release, I’ve got keto on the mind today—unsurprisingly. I’ve had a lot of questions lately on duration. As I’ve mentioned before, a good six weeks of ketosis puts in place all the metabolic machinery for lasting adaptation (those extra mitochondria don’t evaporate if/when you return to traditional Primal eating).

But what about the other end of the issue? How long is too long?  I don’t do this often, but today I’m reposting an article from a couple of years ago on this very topic. I’ve added a few thoughts based on my recent experience. See what you think, and be sure to share any lingering questions on the question of keto timing and process. I’ll be happy to answer them in upcoming posts and Dear Mark columns.

Every day I get links to interesting papers. It’s hard not to when thousands of new studies are published every day and thousands of readers deliver the best ones to my inbox. And while I enjoy thumbing through the links simply for curiosity’s sake, they can also seed new ideas that lead to research rabbit holes and full-fledged posts. It’s probably the favorite part of my day: research and synthesis and the gestation of future blogs. The hard part is collecting, collating, and then transcribing the ideas swirling around inside my brain into readable prose and hopefully getting an article out of it that I can share with you.

A while back I briefly mentioned a paper concerning a ketone metabolite known as beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, and its ability to block the activity of a set of inflammatory genes. This particular set of genes, known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration. In other words, it’s in our best interest to avoid its chronic, pathogenic activation, and it looks like going into ketosis can probably help in that respect.

One thing led to another, and this paper got me thinking: once we “go into ketosis,” how long should we stay? If some is good, is more better? Is there a point where the benefits slow and the downsides accrue?

We absolutely know that ketones, particularly BHB, do lots of cool things for us. There’s the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, for one. There’s also the effect it has on brain health and function, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain conditions.

Brain Aging:

Whether it’s severe hypoglycemia in a live rat or direct glucose deprivation of cortical cells in a petri dish, the addition of BHB protects against neuronal death, preserves energy levels, and lowers reactive oxygen species.

In an animal model of Cockayne syndrome, a condition characterized by premature aging, short stature, and early death (about age 10 in most human children with it), increasing BHB through ketosis postpones brain aging.

Brain Disorders:

Ketogenic diets are classic therapies for epilepsy, with BHB being the most important ketone for preventing seizures. The degree of seizure control tracks almost lockstep with rising BHB levels.

There’s also evidence that patients with bipolar — a disorder sharing certain neurobiological pathways and effective therapies with epilepsy — can also benefit from ketosis. Recent case studies show complete remission of symptoms in two patients as long as they adhered to their diets (which were fairly Primal-friendly, for what it’s worth).

Parkinson’s disease patients who adhered to a ketogenic diet saw improvements in their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores.

Brain Function:

Type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function because of low blood sugar see those deficits erased by increasing BHB through dietary medium chain triglycerides (the same fats found in coconut oil).

In memory impaired adults, some with Alzheimer’s, BHB improved cognition. Scores improved in (rough) parallel with rising ketones.

A ketone-elevating agent (purified medium chain triglycerides) improved cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

A very low-carb diet improved memory in older adults. Again, ketones tracked with improvements.

Mitochondrial levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione increase on a ketogenic diet; this is likely a major reason for many of its beneficial effects.

It’s quite clear why constant ketosis is attractive to people who read about (and experience for themselves) the benefits of BHB and ketosis in general: There don’t appear to be many downsides. Improved brain health? Increased antioxidant capacity? Inhibition of an inflammatory set of genes involved in the worst kinds of degenerative diseases? What’s not to love? Why wouldn’t someone remain indefinitely ketogenic?

Ketosis also activates the NRF2 pathway — a set of genes that regulate the body’s detoxification, antioxidant, and stress response systems — by initially increasing systemic oxidative stress. If that sounds a bit like hormesis, you’d be right. Ketosis, at least in the early stages, exerts some of its beneficial effects via hormetic stress. Various other stressors also activate NRF2, like plant polyphenols from foods like blueberries and green tea, potent spices like turmeric, intense exercise, and intermittent fasting. These all improve our health by triggering our stress resistance pathways and making us grow stronger for it, but they can also be taken to an extreme and become negative stressors.

Consider intermittent fasting and exercise. While the most famous way to increase BHB is to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s not the only way. Both fasting and exercise also do the trick:

A properly-executed fast puts you into full-blown ketosis. In healthy adults, two days of fasting increases brain BHB almost 12-fold (and almost 20-fold after 3 days). Even just an eight hour fast, AKA a good night’s sleep, will put you into ketosis and increase BHB (PDF) if you have strong metabolic health.

Exercise-mediated increases of BHB are a good barometer for the amount of fat a person will lose during a workout program. The more body fat you carry, the greater the elevation in BHB and the more weight you’ll lose.

What do you notice?

These are both transient states that grow problematic when extended indefinitely.

You can’t fast forever. That’s called starvation. And, eventually, dying.

Instead, you fast for 12, 16, 24, or on the very rare occasion 36 hours, and resume your normal diet after the fasting period has ended. You introduce an acute bout of food deprivation to upregulate your fat burning, trigger cellular autophagy, and generate ketone bodies.

You can’t train every waking hour. That’s called working in a forced labor camp, and it too leads to very poor health.

Instead of training 12 hours a day, you sprint, or lift weights, swing a kettlebell really intensely, or any other type of training two or three times a week. Then, you rest and recover and eat, and grow stronger, more fit, and faster in the interim.

Ketosis isn’t fasting. It’s not starvation. You’re still eating, although your appetite may be reduced (which is why many people lose weight from ketogenic diets). You’re still taking in nutrients, even if glucose isn’t among them. And ketosis isn’t anywhere near as acutely stressful as a strong training session. But I think the principle stands: these are all stressors that exert benefits, at least in part, along the hormetic pathway. And when it comes to hormetic stressors, too much of a good thing usually isn’t very good.

What Does This Mean for Indefinite, Long-Term Ketogenic Dieting?

If you’ve got a legitimate health condition that responds well to ketosis, all bets are off. There’s evidence that people can thrive on good ketogenic diets for at least five years without incurring any serious side effects. For controlling epilepsy, there’s nothing better than a strict ketogenic diet maintained long term to quell the overexcited brain. For any of the neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, ketogenic diets look very promising and are worth trying. It even looks promising for bipolar disorder. If you’ve got a problem that ketosis helps or fixes, go for it. It’s helping you, and there’s no mistaking that.

My personal hunch (and I’ve said this for as long as I can remember) is that indefinite ketosis is unnecessary and perhaps even undesirable for most healthy people, and that occasional, even regular dips into ketosis (through fasting, very low-carb cycles, intense exercise) are preferable and sufficient. That way, you get the benefits of cyclical infusions of BHB and other ketones without running afoul of any potential unforeseen negative effects.

Plus, cycling your ketosis means you can eat berries and stone fruits when in season, and enjoy those otherworldly-delicious purple sweet potatoes without worrying. Personally, I like food too much to go full-on, indefinite keto. You may not, and that’s okay.

If you’re thriving on a ketogenic diet, and have been for some time, keep it up. No one can take that away from you, and the studies indicate it should be safe. I certainly know people who have lived a keto lifestyle for years without issue.

But if you don’t have to remain in ketosis to resolve or stave off a health condition, if you’re just doing it to do it or for yet-to-be-realized benefits, consider rethinking your stance. And if ketosis doesn’t agree with your health or your personal performance goals, then don’t consider it an obligation.

Because the goal of keto isn’t keto itself. It’s the metabolic reset that confers a potent and enduring flexibility. It’s the recalibration of inflammatory patterns along with other aforementioned benefits. How we customize our keto (or more traditional Primal) approaches should ultimately serve optimal personal health, not technically-minded dogma.

That’s it for today, folks! What about you? If anyone’s been on a long-term ketogenic diet, I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

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The post Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Article source here:Marks’s Daily Apple

[multiracialmedia-blog]

Uncombable Hair Syndrome: The Plight of a White Parent with a Multiracial Child

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMailAust/videos/1921806078054453/

Child with so-called Uncombable Hair Syndrome.

Revised April 12, 2017: The father of Lyla-Grace Barlow contacted us through Facebook to tell us his daughter really has a genetic condition and is very upset because he feels we’ve implied his daughter is mixed race. At no time have we and we invited him to read the article in its entirety, and if he is so moved, write one in response.

Revised April 6, 2017: Although the various sources used to research this article never linked to a credible source indicating Uncombable Hair Syndrome is a real condition that is indeed rare, the editors of Multiracial Media have learned that Uncombable Hair Syndrome is in fact a real and rare genetic condition, and has nothing to do with race.  Unfortunately the only people who are at fault here are the publications that never cited a credible source indicating this was indeed a rare genetic condition. We regret the unnecessary drama this has caused, however, the underlying message hasn’t changed. Many of the same issues the Barlow family deal with in their daughter are ones that people of color have dealt with for centuries.

This morning I came across this video in one of the Facebook groups I belong to for women who are multiracial with Black ancestry. The title of the video had me both annoyed and laughing at the same time: “She has Uncombable Hair Syndrome.” I had this feeling I was going to find myself knee-deep in some cult film from the 1950s and 1960s (also called B movies), like the “Creature From the Black Lagoon.”

At the center of this now-viral video is sweet Lyla-Grace Barlow, an English girl who “suffers” from this “genetic mutation.” The Sun, a daily periodical in England, ran this story two days ago and the title makes it seem like this poor child is suffering from an incurable disease:

Five-year-old’s rare condition means it’s AGONY to brush her untamed hair (and Albert Einstein was a sufferer): She is one of 100 living sufferers of Uncombable Hair Syndrome.

Did this newspaper just refer to this child as a sufferer? A little dramatic, no? Perhaps for some White people this is the end of the world. For someone who’s lived with frizzy hair since I hit puberty and my hair went from straight to wavy and eventually curly, I have just learned how to work with my hair. I admit it’s taken me a while to find the right products to use (which I had to re-evaluate when my husband and I moved to the tropics and the products I used in a dry, arid climate no longer worked), but I’d hardly characterize myself as suffering from anything. I certainly never imagined someone would dream up a name for this: Uncombable Hair Syndrome is really making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Once I stopped laughing, I thought about four things:

Welcome to the world of most PoC and Jewish people worldwide, as well as Mediterranean people

Maybe she’s got some sistah in her

Surely there are salons that cater to Black, Hispanic or Multiracial hair this girl’s parents can take her to. She lives in England, after all, where there are many Multiracial kids.

Ditch the comb and brush (that’s her parents’ first problem) and with the right products, this girl can transform that frizz into some gorgeous locks

Judging From the Comments, I’d Say Mine Aren’t the Only Ones to Suggest This Idea of Suffering From Uncombable Hair Syndrome Is Ridiculous

Nora is White and Jewish. I have known her for years and those beautiful curls are ones she’s figured out how to keep from frizzing.

From a Black friend of mine living in England who prefers to remain anonymous.

Tina, also from England, is White.

Thanks to this person who commented but prefers to remain anonymous, I now know that Mediterranean people deal with frizzy hair, too.

  Nice for a man to weigh in, a White man at that.

It was my own comment that made me see the light of day on this topic.

Although people of color, Jewish and Mediterranean people have been dealing with this issue for as long as we’ve been alive, it’s not much of an issue for White people who frequently (not always) have straight hair. Looking at the products available in beauty supply stores and pharmacies for White people and PoC, it’s clear marketing is very different. For White people, shampoos that promise volume are wildly popular. Volume is the very last thing PoC, Mediterranean and Jewish people, with what friends of mine call their “Jew-Fro,” want. I like my hair to hang down not out, which is what my hair wants to do naturally.

When White people encounter this anomaly, because products that are marketed to PoC, Mediterranean and Jewish aren’t marketed to White people, they’re lost. They’re traveling in uncharted territory. Of course I could go on the Internet, talk with a hair dresser or ask my friends to see if there’s a solution to my problem. Maybe it’s possible White people feel isolated. Not knowing other PoC, they’re left to their own devices. And in this family’s final frustrated hour, sharing their plight with news media was their way to deal.

So this got me thinking. If White people who’ve married another White person are at their wit’s end, what of the White mother who marries a Black man and who gives birth to a multiracial child with curly, frizzy, textured hair? If she doesn’t have friends or other family members to go to, maybe she’s embarrassed to walk in to a Black hair salon or a beauty supply place that caters to PoC and ask for help.

How Does the White Parent of a Multiracial Child Deal with Textured, Frizzy, Curly and So-Called Uncombable Hair Syndrome?

People the world over have been dealing with frizzy and what my mother used to call “unruly” hair for as long as there have been people. Before there were products lining the shelves of stores, indigenous people used products found in nature: Jojoba, coconut oil, olive oil, tea tree oil and myriad others. Nowadays companies have figured out that while they can synthetically manufacture some tincture to combat frizz, it’s useful to once again look to nature to tame the frizz.

I do have some suggestions that, no matter where in the world you live, can help.

First of all, ditch the comb and brush. Both cause static and with static, frizz is soon to follow.

Find a product that doesn’t weigh hair down, works with your child’s hair and brings out shine and curl, not dull frizz. For kids—even within the same family—with multiple ethnicities and at least two races inside them, there is no one-product-fits-all. What works for my older brother, who’s got an Afro, is too heavy on my hair.

Learn to braid your child’s hair (also referred to as corn rows and plaiting—pronounced platting). It’s one way to minimize frizz, which many PoC throughout the world, including England, Europe and the United States, have figured out. Looks like the parents of Lyla-Grace Barlow figured out this age-old trick now too.

Stop fighting Mother Nature. Accept what your child’s hair is and learn to work with it.

Stop using terms like “Good hair” and “Bad hair.” Nobody has either. These are common terms to describe straight and manageable (“good”) and textured and curly (“bad”) hair, and they’re extremely damaging to kids and will stigmatize your Multiracial child. When kids at school poke fun at your child’s hair, teach your child to love his or her hair and to take pride in how both his or her parents’ beautiful blending are represented in him or her.

Keep in mind Multiracial kids’ hair changes. Mine started out fine, straight and what my mother used to call “see through.” Until I reached puberty, my mother kept my hair very short because when it grew, it would break, it was so fine. I hit puberty and all those hormones curled my hair (very common for Multiracial people) and made it extremely thick. It was then I stopped using a comb or a brush. My mother tried getting both through my “unruly” hair, which she sometimes also called “a bird’s nest,” but all that happened is I’d end up in tears and she’d call me tender-headed.

Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to go to a salon that caters to other ethnicities for guidance. Nobody is expecting you to know how to work with your child’s hair if you have straight hair. 99 times out of a 100, both the people who work in the salon and the patrons will be happy to offer suggestions. Don’t be scared. Remember, we’re all people.

If you opt to chemically straighten your daughter’s hair, please read up on the pros and cons. Chemical relaxers come with prices: broken hair and unhealthy hair, for example, and there are also many political implications you’re exposing your daughter to.

I can’t stress this enough: please instill pride in your child. You married your spouse because you fell in love, and both of your genes will show up in your child/children. Don’t fall into the habit of referring to your child’s hair as good or bad, and don’t let relatives on either side do this. And if someone brings up the ridiculous notion of Uncombable Hair Syndrome, tell them, “Thanks! But I love my child’s hair and it’s beautiful.”

Uncombable Hair Syndrome: The Plight of a White Parent with a Multiracial Child if you want to check out other voices of the Multiracial Community click here Multiracial Media

[newssplashy]

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

I get it. Meal prep is a huge pain in the ass. And honestly, literally no one is ever in the mood to cook a huge dinner at the end of a long day at work. 

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

But before you dive into the crudité, there are some pretty key things you should know about this majorly-hyped diet.

Okay, I'll bite: What is the raw food diet?

In a nutshell, the raw food diet is essentially a modified vegan diet that limits you to foods cooked below 116 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, you can juice, puree, soak, or sprout your meals.

“The raw food diet is based on the idea that the natural enzymes in raw foods are destroyed through the cooking process,” says Abbey Sharp, a Toronto-based dietitian and blogger at Abbey’s Kitchen. In theory, heat does indeed destroy many enzymes in food-i.e., chemicals that help us to digest and absorb our meals-along with some vitamins and phytonutrients.

Nutritionists, however, say that’s an oversimplification. “Most of the enzymes in food are destroyed in the gut with stomach acid anyway,” says Sharp. What’s more, our bodies make digestive enzymes that have the same effect as the ones found in foods, explains Robin Fourutan, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Where did it come from?

The raw food diet has been around since at least the late 1800s, according to the New York Academy of Medicine, when Swiss nutritionist and physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner advocated for it. His book, The Prevention of Incurable Disease, recommended eating 50 percent raw veggies, fruits, seeds, and nuts, and the rest “conservatively cooked” veggies, eggs, meats, and whole grain breads.

More recently, the diet got a boost when Gisele and Tom Brady’s chef told Boston.com they followed it.

What exactly can you eat on the raw food diet?

Foods that get the green light on the raw food diet include raw fruits, veggies, legumes, and grains; seeds and nuts; extra-virgin olive oil; and raw coconut oil and butter, says Sharp. Some people even eat unpasteurized milk, cheese, and honey, as well as raw fish and meats.

Anything that is cooked or heated above 118 degrees, as mentioned before, is strictly off-limits. That means you have to avoid most stuff that’s heated in your oven or microwave as well as all processed foods. A few not-so-intuitive foods that are off the menu include table salt, pasta, and pasteurized juice (since pasteurization involves heating foods to kill bacteria).

Are there any benefits to a raw food diet?

The main benefit of the raw food diet is that it cuts down on processed foods and gets you eating way more fruits and veggies that are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients. “Getting more plant foods in your diet can help reduce the risk of any condition linked to inflammation,” says Fouroutan, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

"Including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100 percent raw vegan diet."

Getting more greens works wonders for your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well, says Sharp, lowering your risk of heart disease.

Are there any downsides to eating this way?

Plenty, say nutritionists. For one, “the theory that all raw food is more nutritious than cooked is really just a myth,” says Sharp.

It’s true that heat does break down some antioxidants like vitamin C, she says. But other nutrients, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, including lycopene, potassium, and zinc-found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus-actually get a boost from cooking.

All that restriction also puts you at greater risk of nutrient deficiency. “It’s difficult to maintain a 100 percent raw food diet and get all of the nutrients you need,” says Fourutan.Missing out on meat, dairy, and fish cuts back on healthy protein sources and fats like omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins like B12, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D. And if you skip beans and grains-which are tastier when cooked-you’ll also miss out on good sources of fiber, notes Sharp.

Bloating and gas are another unpleasant side effect of the raw food diet. “A lot of raw vegetables are rich in insoluble fibers that we don’t digest, which get fermented in the gut by bacteria, causing gas. Cooking helps to soften those fibers,” says Sharp. “People with IBS especially may find that a raw diet is particularly hard on their gut and causes digestive distress.”

Adding uncooked animal foods to your diet can even be dangerous. “There’s a reason why Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization: so we don’t get sick,” says Sharp. Unpasteurized dairy can carry Listeria, while raw meat and eggs can carry other food-borne pathogens that are especially risky if you’re pregnant or have a compromised immune system.

Should you try the raw food diet?

Given all of the potential downsides of a strict raw food diet, it’s not backed by many nutritionists. “We have healthy cooking methods for a reason,” says Sharp.

With that said, the raw food diet doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. “As long as your digestion can handle it, including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100-percent raw vegan diet,” says Fourutan.

Keep in mind that some cooking methods are better than others for preserving the nutrients in plant foods. “Boiling any veggie diminishes the nutrients because they leech into the water,” explains Fourutan. Instead, lightly steam or sauté-especially notoriously gassy cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, which are easier on your digestive system when they’re cooked.

The bottom line: Eating raw fruits and veggies is always a good thing. But they shouldn't be the only thing you eat-otherwise, you risk nutrient deficiencies and other health problems. The stove, oven, and microwave really are your friends.

via NewsSplashy - Latest Nigerian News,Ghana News ,News,Entertainment,Hot Posts,sports In a Splash.

[newssplashy]

Health Tips: Read this before you throw out your microwave

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

I get it. Meal prep is a huge pain in the ass. And honestly, literally no one is ever in the mood to cook a huge dinner at the end of a long day at work. 

Which is why a diet that involves zero cooking has obvious appeal. No ovens or stoves, you say? That's what the raw food diet is essentially-no foods that were cooked on high heat.

But before you dive into the crudité, there are some pretty key things you should know about this majorly-hyped diet.

Okay, I'll bite: What is the raw food diet?

In a nutshell, the raw food diet is essentially a modified vegan diet that limits you to foods cooked below 116 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, you can juice, puree, soak, or sprout your meals.

“The raw food diet is based on the idea that the natural enzymes in raw foods are destroyed through the cooking process,” says Abbey Sharp, a Toronto-based dietitian and blogger at Abbey’s Kitchen. In theory, heat does indeed destroy many enzymes in food-i.e., chemicals that help us to digest and absorb our meals-along with some vitamins and phytonutrients.

Nutritionists, however, say that’s an oversimplification. “Most of the enzymes in food are destroyed in the gut with stomach acid anyway,” says Sharp. What’s more, our bodies make digestive enzymes that have the same effect as the ones found in foods, explains Robin Fourutan, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Where did it come from?

The raw food diet has been around since at least the late 1800s, according to the New York Academy of Medicine, when Swiss nutritionist and physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner advocated for it. His book, The Prevention of Incurable Disease, recommended eating 50 percent raw veggies, fruits, seeds, and nuts, and the rest “conservatively cooked” veggies, eggs, meats, and whole grain breads.

More recently, the diet got a boost when Gisele and Tom Brady’s chef told Boston.com they followed it.

What exactly can you eat on the raw food diet?

Foods that get the green light on the raw food diet include raw fruits, veggies, legumes, and grains; seeds and nuts; extra-virgin olive oil; and raw coconut oil and butter, says Sharp. Some people even eat unpasteurized milk, cheese, and honey, as well as raw fish and meats.

Anything that is cooked or heated above 118 degrees, as mentioned before, is strictly off-limits. That means you have to avoid most stuff that’s heated in your oven or microwave as well as all processed foods. A few not-so-intuitive foods that are off the menu include table salt, pasta, and pasteurized juice (since pasteurization involves heating foods to kill bacteria).

Are there any benefits to a raw food diet?

The main benefit of the raw food diet is that it cuts down on processed foods and gets you eating way more fruits and veggies that are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and phytonutrients. “Getting more plant foods in your diet can help reduce the risk of any condition linked to inflammation,” says Fouroutan, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

"Including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100 percent raw vegan diet."

Getting more greens works wonders for your cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well, says Sharp, lowering your risk of heart disease.

Are there any downsides to eating this way?

Plenty, say nutritionists. For one, “the theory that all raw food is more nutritious than cooked is really just a myth,” says Sharp.

It’s true that heat does break down some antioxidants like vitamin C, she says. But other nutrients, phytochemicals, and antioxidants, including lycopene, potassium, and zinc-found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and asparagus-actually get a boost from cooking.

All that restriction also puts you at greater risk of nutrient deficiency. “It’s difficult to maintain a 100 percent raw food diet and get all of the nutrients you need,” says Fourutan.Missing out on meat, dairy, and fish cuts back on healthy protein sources and fats like omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins like B12, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin D. And if you skip beans and grains-which are tastier when cooked-you’ll also miss out on good sources of fiber, notes Sharp.

Bloating and gas are another unpleasant side effect of the raw food diet. “A lot of raw vegetables are rich in insoluble fibers that we don’t digest, which get fermented in the gut by bacteria, causing gas. Cooking helps to soften those fibers,” says Sharp. “People with IBS especially may find that a raw diet is particularly hard on their gut and causes digestive distress.”

Adding uncooked animal foods to your diet can even be dangerous. “There’s a reason why Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization: so we don’t get sick,” says Sharp. Unpasteurized dairy can carry Listeria, while raw meat and eggs can carry other food-borne pathogens that are especially risky if you’re pregnant or have a compromised immune system.

Should you try the raw food diet?

Given all of the potential downsides of a strict raw food diet, it’s not backed by many nutritionists. “We have healthy cooking methods for a reason,” says Sharp.

With that said, the raw food diet doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. “As long as your digestion can handle it, including raw fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fermented foods is really healthy without committing to a 100-percent raw vegan diet,” says Fourutan.

Keep in mind that some cooking methods are better than others for preserving the nutrients in plant foods. “Boiling any veggie diminishes the nutrients because they leech into the water,” explains Fourutan. Instead, lightly steam or sauté-especially notoriously gassy cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, which are easier on your digestive system when they’re cooked.

The bottom line: Eating raw fruits and veggies is always a good thing. But they shouldn't be the only thing you eat-otherwise, you risk nutrient deficiencies and other health problems. The stove, oven, and microwave really are your friends.

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/08/health-tips-read-this-before-you-throw.html

[cynthiamwashington]

Is Constant Ketosis Necessary – Or Even Desirable?

Good morning, folks. With next week’s The Keto Reset Diet release, I’ve got keto on the mind today—unsurprisingly. I’ve had a lot of questions lately on duration. As I’ve mentioned before, a good six weeks of ketosis puts in place all the metabolic machinery for lasting adaptation (those extra mitochondria don’t evaporate if/when you return to traditional Primal eating).

But what about the other end of the issue? How long is too long?  I don’t do this often, but today I’m reposting an article from a couple of years ago on this very topic. I’ve added a few thoughts based on my recent experience. See what you think, and be sure to share any lingering questions on the question of keto timing and process. I’ll be happy to answer them in upcoming posts and Dear Mark columns.

Every day I get links to interesting papers. It’s hard not to when thousands of new studies are published every day and thousands of readers deliver the best ones to my inbox. And while I enjoy thumbing through the links simply for curiosity’s sake, they can also seed new ideas that lead to research rabbit holes and full-fledged posts. It’s probably the favorite part of my day: research and synthesis and the gestation of future blogs. The hard part is collecting, collating, and then transcribing the ideas swirling around inside my brain into readable prose and hopefully getting an article out of it that I can share with you.

A while back I briefly mentioned a paper concerning a ketone metabolite known as beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, and its ability to block the activity of a set of inflammatory genes. This particular set of genes, known as the NLRP3 inflammasome, has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration. In other words, it’s in our best interest to avoid its chronic, pathogenic activation, and it looks like going into ketosis can probably help in that respect.

One thing led to another, and this paper got me thinking: once we “go into ketosis,” how long should we stay? If some is good, is more better? Is there a point where the benefits slow and the downsides accrue?

We absolutely know that ketones, particularly BHB, do lots of cool things for us. There’s the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, for one. There’s also the effect it has on brain health and function, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain conditions.

Brain Aging:

Whether it’s severe hypoglycemia in a live rat or direct glucose deprivation of cortical cells in a petri dish, the addition of BHB protects against neuronal death, preserves energy levels, and lowers reactive oxygen species.

In an animal model of Cockayne syndrome, a condition characterized by premature aging, short stature, and early death (about age 10 in most human children with it), increasing BHB through ketosis postpones brain aging.

Brain Disorders:

Ketogenic diets are classic therapies for epilepsy, with BHB being the most important ketone for preventing seizures. The degree of seizure control tracks almost lockstep with rising BHB levels.

There’s also evidence that patients with bipolar — a disorder sharing certain neurobiological pathways and effective therapies with epilepsy — can also benefit from ketosis. Recent case studies show complete remission of symptoms in two patients as long as they adhered to their diets (which were fairly Primal-friendly, for what it’s worth).

Parkinson’s disease patients who adhered to a ketogenic diet saw improvements in their Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale scores.

Brain Function:

Type 1 diabetics who experience reduced cognitive function because of low blood sugar see those deficits erased by increasing BHB through dietary medium chain triglycerides (the same fats found in coconut oil).

In memory impaired adults, some with Alzheimer’s, BHB improved cognition. Scores improved in (rough) parallel with rising ketones.

A ketone-elevating agent (purified medium chain triglycerides) improved cognition in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

A very low-carb diet improved memory in older adults. Again, ketones tracked with improvements.

Mitochondrial levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione increase on a ketogenic diet; this is likely a major reason for many of its beneficial effects.

It’s quite clear why constant ketosis is attractive to people who read about (and experience for themselves) the benefits of BHB and ketosis in general: There don’t appear to be many downsides. Improved brain health? Increased antioxidant capacity? Inhibition of an inflammatory set of genes involved in the worst kinds of degenerative diseases? What’s not to love? Why wouldn’t someone remain indefinitely ketogenic?

Ketosis also activates the NRF2 pathway — a set of genes that regulate the body’s detoxification, antioxidant, and stress response systems — by initially increasing systemic oxidative stress. If that sounds a bit like hormesis, you’d be right. Ketosis, at least in the early stages, exerts some of its beneficial effects via hormetic stress. Various other stressors also activate NRF2, like plant polyphenols from foods like blueberries and green tea, potent spices like turmeric, intense exercise, and intermittent fasting. These all improve our health by triggering our stress resistance pathways and making us grow stronger for it, but they can also be taken to an extreme and become negative stressors.

Consider intermittent fasting and exercise. While the most famous way to increase BHB is to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s not the only way. Both fasting and exercise also do the trick:

A properly-executed fast puts you into full-blown ketosis. In healthy adults, two days of fasting increases brain BHB almost 12-fold (and almost 20-fold after 3 days). Even just an eight hour fast, AKA a good night’s sleep, will put you into ketosis and increase BHB (PDF) if you have strong metabolic health.

Exercise-mediated increases of BHB are a good barometer for the amount of fat a person will lose during a workout program. The more body fat you carry, the greater the elevation in BHB and the more weight you’ll lose.

What do you notice?

These are both transient states that grow problematic when extended indefinitely.

You can’t fast forever. That’s called starvation. And, eventually, dying.

Instead, you fast for 12, 16, 24, or on the very rare occasion 36 hours, and resume your normal diet after the fasting period has ended. You introduce an acute bout of food deprivation to upregulate your fat burning, trigger cellular autophagy, and generate ketone bodies.

You can’t train every waking hour. That’s called working in a forced labor camp, and it too leads to very poor health.

Instead of training 12 hours a day, you sprint, or lift weights, swing a kettlebell really intensely, or any other type of training two or three times a week. Then, you rest and recover and eat, and grow stronger, more fit, and faster in the interim.

Ketosis isn’t fasting. It’s not starvation. You’re still eating, although your appetite may be reduced (which is why many people lose weight from ketogenic diets). You’re still taking in nutrients, even if glucose isn’t among them. And ketosis isn’t anywhere near as acutely stressful as a strong training session. But I think the principle stands: these are all stressors that exert benefits, at least in part, along the hormetic pathway. And when it comes to hormetic stressors, too much of a good thing usually isn’t very good.

What Does This Mean for Indefinite, Long-Term Ketogenic Dieting?

If you’ve got a legitimate health condition that responds well to ketosis, all bets are off. There’s evidence that people can thrive on good ketogenic diets for at least five years without incurring any serious side effects. For controlling epilepsy, there’s nothing better than a strict ketogenic diet maintained long term to quell the overexcited brain. For any of the neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, ketogenic diets look very promising and are worth trying. It even looks promising for bipolar disorder. If you’ve got a problem that ketosis helps or fixes, go for it. It’s helping you, and there’s no mistaking that.

My personal hunch (and I’ve said this for as long as I can remember) is that indefinite ketosis is unnecessary and perhaps even undesirable for most healthy people, and that occasional, even regular dips into ketosis (through fasting, very low-carb cycles, intense exercise) are preferable and sufficient. That way, you get the benefits of cyclical infusions of BHB and other ketones without running afoul of any potential unforeseen negative effects.

Plus, cycling your ketosis means you can eat berries and stone fruits when in season, and enjoy those otherworldly-delicious purple sweet potatoes without worrying. Personally, I like food too much to go full-on, indefinite keto. You may not, and that’s okay.

If you’re thriving on a ketogenic diet, and have been for some time, keep it up. No one can take that away from you, and the studies indicate it should be safe. I certainly know people who have lived a keto lifestyle for years without issue.

But if you don’t have to remain in ketosis to resolve or stave off a health condition, if you’re just doing it to do it or for yet-to-be-realized benefits, consider rethinking your stance. And if ketosis doesn’t agree with your health or your personal performance goals, then don’t consider it an obligation.

Because the goal of keto isn’t keto itself. It’s the metabolic reset that confers a potent and enduring flexibility. It’s the recalibration of inflammatory patterns along with other aforementioned benefits. How we customize our keto (or more traditional Primal) approaches should ultimately serve optimal personal health, not technically-minded dogma.

That’s it for today, folks! What about you? If anyone’s been on a long-term ketogenic diet, I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

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