The Power of Ketogenic Eating

In this blog, we delve into the power of ketogenic eating. Most people adopt this lifestyle to lose weight. But the benefits extend much further. Your health reaches a new dimension. Everything revolves around healing insulin resistance.

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance is the precursor to diabetes and indicates that the cells in your body no longer, or greatly reduced, allow insulin. As a result, your pancreas produces even more insulin, causing blood sugars to rise and cells to no longer absorb nutrients. Insulin not only lowers blood sugar but also acts as a key to open cells for nutrients. The cells do not receive sufficient nutrients and signal your brain to consume more sugars and other carbohydrates. The sad part is that if you have insulin resistance, you have 5-7 times more insulin in your blood than normal, but it no longer functions properly.

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance

• Belly fat
• Strong cravings for sugar and fast carbohydrates
• Not feeling satisfied after a meal
• Frequent need to eat
• Bad mood when you have to wait too long for food
• Tired after a meal
• Blurry vision
• Poor memory
• Brain fog
• Fatty liver
• Fatigue
• Easily irritated
• High blood pressure
• Fluid retention
• Frequent nighttime urination
• PCOS
• Weight gain

Treatment of Insulin Resistance

There is essentially only one solution that helps with insulin resistance, which is to ensure minimal insulin production. You can achieve this by drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, replacing carbohydrates with fat and protein, and maintaining this consistently for several months (or longer).

When the body receives no carbohydrates to burn, it switches to fat burning, which requires little to no insulin. The pancreas no longer needs to work overtime, gets a rest, your cells recover, and so does the rest of your body. Fat burning is a much more stable energy source. No more dips after eating. Your mind becomes clear, ailments disappear, sleep improves, and you feel great.

Increasing research shows that consuming fewer carbohydrates and more healthy fats significantly improves health. Even severe diseases like MS and diabetes can be completely or partially cured by this method and it is essential for maintaining a healthy weight. Endurance athletes increasingly switch to fat burning instead of carbohydrate burning.
 

Can I Do This a Few Days a Week?

It doesn’t make much sense to be strict for 5 days and then indulge during the weekend with sugar, pasta, or alcohol. This lifestyle is sustainable once insulin resistance has disappeared, but not before.

The body needs consistency in the first months to recover. The duration depends on the severity of the insulin resistance.

Six weeks is the absolute minimum to switch your body from carbohydrate burning to fat burning. It takes about 3 months for your body to easily switch between fat burning and carbohydrate burning (so you can occasionally eat more carbohydrates without starting from scratch). Recovery from insulin resistance can take up to a year. It’s easiest to fully commit. Doing something 100% is much easier than 95% because at 95%, you constantly debate with yourself. One cigarette a day doesn’t work, as anyone who has quit smoking knows. One cookie usually doesn’t either. That one cookie is no longer an option. You might crave it for a few minutes, but then you’re glad you didn’t give in.

The beginning can be tough. The call of carbohydrate addiction can be strong. Eat some fat instead. Some butter, a piece of crispy bacon, a boiled egg. Remember that you are letting go of an addiction and that freedom is the reward for your hard work. You’ll notice that you’ll soon feel much less hungry. Your body becomes calmer. Be aware of your challenging moments, such as when you’re tired or stressed, or in social situations.

Eventually, eating twice a day is ideal for optimal health progress. But if your blood sugar fluctuates too much, this might be difficult. Some people don’t want this at all.

When starting with low-carb (ketogenic) eating, your blood sugar levels might still fluctuate, causing low blood sugar when you don’t eat. This improves over time as your blood sugar stabilizes.

How Many Carbohydrates Should I Eat Per Day?

The amount of carbohydrates you should consume daily varies from person to person. If you can't figure it out on your own, book a ½ hour session with me and we’ll look at it together.
 

Tips on How to Approach This

• Download an app like FatSecret to track your daily intake for a while.
• Start with around 50 grams of net carbohydrates (subtracting fiber) per day and see how it goes.
• If you’re not losing weight, still feel hungry, or aren’t progressing in your health after a few weeks, reduce the intake.
• Around 20 grams of carbohydrates per day often gives the best results.

It may take a few weeks to enter ketosis. The first days might be tough with low energy and poor sleep as your body switches from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. But after about 2 weeks, you’ll feel fantastic.

Primarily get your carbohydrates from green vegetables. There’s hardly room for foods like rice or potatoes.

Try to consume your carbohydrates preferably during dinner or even afterward. Starting your day with carbohydrates triggers insulin production, causing blood sugar dips throughout the day, leading to cravings and overeating.

Eating some carbohydrates before bed can help you fall asleep due to the energy dip.

Different types of carbohydrates have different effects on your body. A chocolate bar affects your body differently than blueberries.

This also applies to grains. Most grains contain molds, and eating bread introduces additional substances that are hard for your body to process. Even regular potatoes can cause an inflammatory reaction due to the lectins they contain. If you already have complaints, it's best to avoid these foods.

Dietary Composition

• About 20% of your intake should be protein. Examples include beef, lamb, (fatty) fish, organic chicken, or eggs. If you’re not lactose intolerant, you can also consume brie or other cheeses. Protein powders are also an option, but choose those with only 2-3 ingredients and avoid sweeteners like maltitol.
• 70% of your intake should be healthy fats. Avocado, grass-fed butter, MCT oil, coconut oil, etc. Don’t fear fat; it makes you fit and lean.
• The remaining 10% should be carbohydrates.

Basic Eating Guidelines

• Eat protein 3 times a day in the form of meat, fish, and eggs. Choose fatty variants. You need fat to enter fat burning. Additionally, consume vegetables. You can have a small amount of carbohydrates once a day. Blueberries, a cookie made from almond or coconut flour, a piece of 90% chocolate. Be cautious with these treats to avoid overconsumption.
• Nuts (almonds and pecans) or seeds are also options but don’t eat too much as the carbohydrates can add up.
• Most importantly, eat and drink only what your body tolerates well. Most people don’t tolerate nightshades well. If you do well on tomatoes and peppers, that’s fine, but be alert.

The main goals of ketogenic eating are to reverse insulin resistance and switch to fat burning.

Some people with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) can’t digest all those vegetables and feel bloated and unwell. In such cases, consider a carnivore diet for a few weeks, eating only animal protein, butter, and salt. This can calm the intestines. Contact me if you want to try this, and I’ll guide you.

Be cautious with dairy. Many people can’t digest it well, and dairy (including cheese) can significantly impact blood sugar, hindering weight loss.

If it seems too complicated to figure it all out on your own, there are ready-made online programs available. For example, a starter guide for low-carb eating. However, these often include a lot of dairy. It’s a good introduction, but listen to your body.

Ensure your hormones are balanced as they significantly affect insulin resistance. Keep applying topical hormone treatments twice a day.

Choose yourself and your health.