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Intro
This site is dedicated to the adoption of a low-carbohydrate or
ketogenic lifestyle which has improved my overall health since I
started exploring and adopting it.
When I started my
journey, I had a hard time finding reliable sources, so it seemed
opportune to create a new space for them.
While it
is certainly true that food
portions and exercise can play a role in weight management, I
quickly discovered that the impact of hormones cortisol and insulin
is much greater than the impact of eating less and moving more. Lowering these
hormone levels by changing what
I eat and when I eat was
key to getting my weight under control. I lost a significant
percentage of my original body weight in approximately six months,
to a level that has been stable since.
My
conclusions are as follows (see disclaimer at the bottom of the
page): Technically, three factors influence how much insulin the body needs in order
to lower blood glucose:
- 1. Digesting glucose that originates from sugary or starchy foods
- 2. Fight-or-flight response when the body must cope with a stressful situation
- 3. Sleep deprivation
When less glucose, sugary and starchy foods are consumed, the body will secrete less insulin, and weight gain will naturally be limited.
Weight gain or loss is directly related to insulin and cortisol levels: the lower these hormone levels, the easier it is to lose weight, and the higher such levels, the more difficult it will be.
Medium to higher levels of insulin make it very hard and often even impossible to burn body fat.
I also show the guidelines I have been following the past few years while I have been cutting back significantly on my dietary carbohydrate intake.
Enjoy!
This is What I do
Lifewise
I am a 50-year-old Belgian citizen with a keen interest in knowing how things work and why. This interest builds on my professional background in computer security research with over 25 years of hands-on experience, and on my relatively recently developed interest in food and nutrition.
Foodwise
- Essential
nutrients:
- I eat whole foods: non-processed and non-refined products, basically, foods that come without a label enumerating lots of ingredients. These provide the necessary dietary fat, vitamins and minerals, without overloading on dietary protein to live healthily, cf. How to go keto the easy way, tips and tricks by Dr. Eric Westman; and The Early Ancestral Connection Between Protein, Cancer, Aging and TOR by Dr. Ron Rosedale
- I pay attention
to dietary fat:
- I avoid oils from seeds, beans and nuts and products mostly made thereof: no margarine, no cottonseed oil, no safflower oil, no sunflower oil, no walnuts and walnut oil, no corn oil, no flaxseeds, and flaxseed oil, no pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, no canola (rapeseed) oil, no peanuts and peanut oil, no soybean oil and soybean products like tofu and tempeh. These oils are highly processed oils and trigger inflammation, cf. Diseases of Civilization: are seed oil excesses the unifying mechanism? by Chris Knobbe, MD; and Highly processed food, inflammation and chronic disease by Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD
- I prefer animal fats and fruit-based oils: butter, heavy cream, lard, and beef tallow, on the one hand, and olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and palm oil on the other, cf. Fraudulent nutrition guidelines? by Dr. Berry and Nina Teicholz, PhD; Financial conflicts of interest and the end of evidence-based medicine by Jason Fung, MD; and Dietary Guidelines and Scientific Evidence by Nina Teicholz
- I eat full-fat dairy. Preferably from grass-fed animals: full-fat yoghurt, heavy cream, whipping cream, greek yoghurt, plain kefir, full-fat cheeses... Regarding milk: I do not drink milk very often, but when I do, I drink full-fat milk and avoid soy-based products. Usually, I prefer unsweetened coconut or almond drinks rather than genuine full-fat milk, cf. Best and Worst Dairy (milk products) by Dr. Eric Berg, and Drinking Dairy (Good, Bad and Delicious) by Dr. Berry
- I avoid having a vitamin D deficiency by means of vitamin D supplements to boost the immune system, improve resistance against inflammatory diseases, and to optimize the absorption of of calcium and phosphorus that are necessary to maintain healthy bones and teeth, cf. Vitamin D: your missing link? by dr. Berry and Ivor Cummins, PhD
- Keeping insulin
levels low:
- I avoid carb(ohydrate)s: no potato products, no rice, no pasta, no grain products. There is no essential carbohydrate, and it is perfectly fine to live with as little carbs as possible, cf. The science behind Keto diets for obesity and type 2 diabetes by Eric Westman, MD
- I make sure to get enough sleep to fast naturally: the longer you sleep, the fewer hours you can eat 😀. Sleeping enough also permits the immune system to do its job, and to allow all nutrients to be processed optimally, cf. Fasting physiology, why it can transform healthcare, improve immunity, and more, by Jason Fung, MD
- I try to avoid stressy situations, as these increase insulin levels. Detachment and controlled apathy are your friend 😀, cf. How to go keto the easy way, by Eric Westman, MD
- I only eat when it feels necessary. When I feel a little peckish, I go for a handful of nuts, some olives, a couple of sausages, a piece of cheese, etc. I do not eat when I am not hungry, cf. Does it matter when you eat? and part 2 by Dorothy Sears, MD; and Kelly Hogan's zero carb diet, benefits and success story by Kelly Hogan, interviewed by Gary Cohen of BioHackers Lab
- I avoid eating out of habit or time-based. I eat to satiety, not until I feel full, cf. The case for Nutritional Ketosis, by Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD; and Have you hit a stall on keto?, by Amy Berger and Dr. Eric Westman, MD
Health benefits experienced
I aimed at avoiding glucose and insulin spikes
through reducing glucose intake, by not eating excessive amounts
of protein, and by drinking drinks low on calories (e.g., mineral
or tap water, diet or zero-calorie drinks).
I reduced my
overall intake of carbohydrates to about 12% of the total energy I
expend daily, about 18% of protein, and complemented the rest with
50/50 dietary fat and my own reserves.
I kept (and still
keep) a food journal to document my food intake, but there was
only one simple rule I obeyed at all times: eat and drink whatever
lower-carb foods/drinks you like.
Almost immediately
after I cut back on my dietary carbohydrate intake, I noticed
significant health improvements. This I observed almost
immediately, i.e., way before the weight loss started to become
noticeable!
The health improvements I noticed include
significant weight loss (over 20 kg over a period of 6-7 months,
stable weight since march 2018), improved quality of life, better
sleep quality, reduced blood pressure, and inflammation.
The values of all blood markers have improved, including HDL, LDL,
triglycerides, total cholesterol, A1c, HbA1c, and inflammation. If
that is what you are after, then I hope this site is the
inspirational place to be.
My low-carb experience was
really worth it!
Learn More
Feeding well is easy: I just eat whatever I like until satiety,
but I make sure that I eat (1) protein in moderation, and (2) as
little carbohydrates from starchy/sugary foods as possible.
This makes sure that my meals do not spike insulin levels.
When eating foods that are higher in starches/sugars, I add some
dietary fat in the form of butter, oil, or high-fat sauces like
mayonnaise to flatten out the impact of the carbohydrates on my
insulin levels.
In addition to these simple principles
that help me keep my insulin levels low, I also minimize/avoid the
intake of vegetable oils, as these are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids
and trigger inflammation when consumed frequently.
About Fruits and Vegetables | About Animal Products | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Avoid carbohydrates: fructose, sugars and starchy foods | 5 | Eat full-fat dairy | |
2 | Avoid all `vegetable` oils and seed oils and replace these with oils based on fruits like olives, avocados, and coconut. Avoid oxidized oils! | 6 | Eat protein in moderation | |
3 | Eat plenty of colorful and green leafy non-starchy vegetables that are low in calories contain much dietary fiber | 7 | Select durably caught or farmed fish. Prefer fresh fish over dried, smoked or processed | |
4 | Eat every day a handful of berries and nuts | 8 | Select grass-fed animal products | |
Food examples to be avoided | |
---|---|
1 | Vegetable oils. These are seed-based oils, including soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut and walnut oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil. And all products containing lots of these oils, e.g., industrially processed food and ingredients... |
2 | Grains, including wheat, corn, rice, oats, quinoa, buckwheat... And grain derivatives, including pasta, bread, crackers... |
3 | Tubers, including potatoes and sweet potatoes, and derivatives: French fries, wedges... |
4 | Processed food, including chips, crisps, cookies, cake... |
5 | Sweets, including candy, syrups, fizzy drinks... |
The following foods provide plenty of vitamins and minerals, and ensure a complete coverage of all required nutrients!
Properties of the preferred food types | Properties | ||
---|---|---|---|
Colorful and green leafy non-starchy vegetables | Rich in vitamins A, C and K, and fibers. Beautiful green vegetables are also rich in potassium and iron. Dark green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium too | ||
Avocados | Rich in good Omega-3 fatty acids. Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K and B6 | ||
Coconuts | Rich in fiber, Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), and a great source of vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6, and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous | ||
Olives | Rich in fiber, vitamin E and powerful antioxidants. Olives contain lots of healthy unsaturated fatty acids | ||
Eggs | Very good source of inexpensive, high-quality protein. Rich in selenium, zinc, iron, and copper, and vitamins D, B2, B6 and B12 | ||
Nuts | Rich in fibers and essential nutrients, including several B group vitamins, vitamin E, and minerals like calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidant minerals like selenium, manganese, and copper | ||
Berries: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries... | Rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and fibers | ||
Grass-fed animal products: dairy, meat, organ flesh... | Rich in complete amino acids, healthy fats including Omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants such as vitamin E | ||
Durably caught or farmed fish, preferably oily fish | Rich in complete amino acids and Omega-3. Both white and oily fish are good sources of lean protein. White fish only contains smaller quantities of fatty acids in the liver | ||
Poultry, including skin! | Rich in complete amino acids, very lean meat without the skin; skin contains lots of healthy fats | ||
Full-fat dairy: cheese, milk, Greek yogurt | Relatively rich in fatty acids, contains vitamins A, D, E and K. Good source of protein, calcium and phosphorous | ||
Animal fats: butter, lard, shortening, tallow... | Rich in healthy fats: saturated fats, Omega-3, and little to no Omega-6 fatty acids | ||
Important vitamins and minerals!
Common deficiency | Why we need it | Foods highest in nutrient | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vitamin A | Eye health | Organ meat, fish, meat, dairy; beta carotene in produce | |||
Vitamin D | Skin, mental health, metabolism, immune health, bone health, gut health | Organ meat, fish, eggs, sunshine | |||
Vitamin E | Antioxidant, brain health, normalizes cholesterol | Green leafy vegetables, broccoli, nuts and seeds | |||
Vitamin K1 | Blood clotting | Green vegetables, fish, eggs | |||
Vitamin K2 | Bone health, heart health | Ferments, liver, eggs, dairy | |||
B vitamins | Metabolism, energy, immune health, mood | Leafy greens, nuts, meat/chicken, fish, eggs, avocado | |||
Calcium | Bone health, nervous system | Leafy greens, sardines, bone broth, diary | |||
Choline | Cell membranes, nervous system, brain health | Organ meat, fish, dairy, eggs | |||
Iodine | Thyroid health | Sea vegetables, yoghurt, cheese | |||
Magnesium | Involved in +300 enzymatic reactions in the body | Green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados, fish, chocolate | |||
Omega 3 fatty acids | Heart, brain and eye health, helps balance cholesterol | Fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, grass fed beef | |||
Selenium | Thyroid health, antioxidant | Brazil nuts, seafood, turkey, eggs | |||
Zinc | Multiple reactions in the body | Oysters, lamb, grass fed beef, chocolate | |||
Recipe sites
Language | Author | Type | Started | Site | Description | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
English | Maria Emmerich | Ketogenic, low-carb and carnivore | 2007 | Maria Mind-Body Health and Maria Emmerich's recipes at diet doctor | Lots of original recipes | ||||||
Dutch | Jeroen Meus, professional chef who presents the daily show called `dagelijkse kost` (accessible meals) on Belgian national television | 400+ allround low-carb recipes | 2010 | Dagelijkse kost (unselected higher-carb ingredients) | Excellent portal site with typically Belgian dishes | ||||||
English | Toronto/Canada born Italian/half Canadian who turned low-carb/ketogenic | Many allround low-carb recipes | 2017 | Italian goes Keto | Excellent portal site with low-carb twists of Italian dishes | ||||||
English | Diet Doctor | Allround low-carb | 2011 | Diet Doctor's recipes collection | Lots of ideas for all meal types | ||||||
English | Wine Folly | Low-carb wines | 2018 | Excellent wine guide | Many wine recommendations | ||||||
English | Linda Genaw | Low-carb and ketogenic | 2012 | Linda's low-carb menus and recipes | Excellent recipes for all dish types: snacks, soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, breads, desserts and miscellaneous dishes | ||||||
English | Caroline Levens | Low-carb and ketogenic | 2015 | Caroline's keto kitchen | Focuses on baking and provides also many gluten free recipes | ||||||
French | Régime Keto | Low-carb and ketogenic | 2015 | Régime Keto | Many allround low carb recipes | ||||||
French | Sophie Gironi, publishes low-carb recipes | Low-carb and ketogenic | 2016 | Les assiettes de Sophie | Low-carb and ketogenic recipes | ||||||
English | Rivere Foundation, recipes to converge to the ideal fasting blood sugar level below 83 mg/dl | Low-carb and ketogenic | 2017 | Let me be 83 | Advocates for an alternative diabetes management regimen with lots of lowcarb and ketogenic recipes | ||||||
Dutch | Vlaams Instituut Gezond Leven, institute responsible for the Flemish food triangle | 1000+ allround recipes | 2020 | Zeker gezond | Portal site promoting dishes consistent with the Belgian Food Triangle, provides an excellent source of inspiration from which you can omit the high-carb ingredients | ||||||
All healthcare professionals should see these videos
The following videos give a very comprehensive overview of the
benefits and background on lowcarb and ketogenic diets
Author | Professional background | Published | Presentation | Bottom line |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Unwin, MD | Family physician = general practitioner in England (UK) | 10 October 2017 | Low carb for doctors, an introduction | Dr. David Unwin is involved in educating doctors and has been treating patients with low-carb diets since 2012. The results of treating type 2 diabetics with low-carb are great and make the drugs budget necessary to treat these people on average 40.000 GBP less. |
Eric Westman, MD | Internal medicine doctor, Medical weight management specialist, Primary care doctor, Associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center (US) | 5 Feb 2020 | Doctors, listen up! | Introducing ketogenic diets for the treatment and prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes |
Eric Westman, MD | Internal medicine doctor, Medical weight management specialist, Primary care doctor, Associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center (US) | 7 November 2019, Metabolix | The science behind keto diets for obesity and type 2 diabetes | Illustrating why
keto is safe and effective for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and
why it may be useful for many other medical conditions. Keto works for virtually everyone when done right, and like any lifestyle change, it may require behavioral support to do it right. Caution is required when comparing lab results for those in nutritional ketosis to "normal values" obtained from people who eat carbohydrates: high-fat diets reduce blood triglycerides, increase HDL and reduce small LDL, but may increase LDL and total cholesterol readings. |
David Unwin, MD | Award-winning general practitioner (GP), pioneering low-carb approach in the UK | 8 February 2020 | Why black swans matter: the difference that N=1 and noticing success can make | As the solution to the diabetes type 2 epidemic is known with LCHF (cf. the fact that the Australian and American Diabetic Associations have confirmed that low-carb and very low-carb diets provide the best evidence to treat and even reverse diabetes type 2), it is now time to move on to the next issue: solving essential high blood pressure. While living low-carb, insulin is low, and when insulin is low, the kidneys release salt. If one has a high type 2 diabetes, one tends to have a high insulin level, and this makes the kidneys hold on to salt. And with that salt comes fluid held up in the body. More fluid in the system is increasing pressure. Insulin causes you to retain sodium (salt). If you go low carb, your insulin levels drop, and suddenly, the kidneys are releasing all the sodium that built up, taking with it lots of fluid. This explains why a higher sodium (salt) intake is necessary, and this is underpinned by physiology. |
Richard Bernstein, MD | General Practitioner | 2014 | Why the American Diabetics Association advocates high-carb diets for everybody, and especially for diabetics | A group of cardiologists gave their opinion around 1958 and said that everybody should be on low fat, high carbohydrate diets, but we realize we have no evidence for this. Subsequently, the whole world eventually jumped aboard. People got fatter, the incidence of type 2 diabetes increased, the frequency of heart disease and heart attacks increased, and so on. There is now enough in the scientific literature, hundreds of studies, disproving the fat hypothesis that dietary fat is the cause of heart disease, and demonstrating that it is dietary carbohydrate. Eating a lot of carbohydrate for non-diabetics can throw them over the hill where they were almost diabetic and now become diabetic. That is with type 2 diabetic, mostly, but it can also cause many problems, obesity, heart disease, etc. If you have diabetes, whether it is type 1 or type 2, carbohydrate is your enemy. |
Robert Cywes, MD | Bariatric surgeon | 22 May 2019 | Understanding and treating (childhood) obesity | Bariatric surgery is often prescribed for the management of morbid obesity in children. As a bariatric surgeon I realized that the key to the management of obesity in children just as in adults requires the control of their abnormal hunger and the influence of that hunger on their eating behaviour. Our modern management of morbid obesity in children seeks to return the control of hunger to the proper biological controls and away from addictive choices driven by other (endorphin) pathways. We achieve this through the promotion of low carbohydrate diets and psychological interventions individualized for each child based in part on the manner in which they have been raised. The remarkable success of this program in reversing morbid obesity and in some cases type 2 diabetes in our cohort of children will also be reported. |
Tim Noakes, MD | Scientist and emeritus professor in in Exercise science and sports medicine, university of Cape Town (South Africa) | 1 Feb 2020 | Part two of the series on why it is all about insulin resistance | Explaining the rationale behind today's medical treatment and dietary guidelines for the treatment and prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes and why the lowcarb and ketogenic diets have been demonized the past 30 years, and why 2019 has been a turning point. Full transcripts of all parts of this series are available from the archives of The Noakes Foundation: Parts 1-3, and Parts 4-11 |
Robert Lustig, MD | Pediatric endocrinologist, Specialized in neuroendocrinology and childhood obesity, Professor emeritus of pediatrics, division of endocrinology at University of California, San Francisco | 23 Apr 2015 | Is a calorie a calorie? | Discussing (1)
processed foods that is fiberless and consists of refined
carbohydrates; (2) the addictive nature of fructose, and (3)
the observation that some calories cause disease more than
others, as different calories are metabolized differently in
the human body. The increased consumption of processed foods and sweets is responsible for the increased occurrence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, as the consumption of fats and meats have decreased over the same period! Conclusion: a calorie is not a calorie. Replacing fats with carbohydrates is responsible for these diseases. Additional reference: Is a calorie a calorie? |
What I've learnt | Joseph Everett Wil | 25 September 2018 | Can you cure Diabetes? Does fat cause type 2 diabetes? (transcript is available from this link) | Debunks 6 myths
about diabetes:
|
Doron Sher, MD | Orthopedic surgeon and biochemical engineer | 10 August 2018 | Arthritis and weight loss | Discussing the impact of bariatric surgery arthitis and the effects of weight loss. Living low-carb results in permanent weight loss without requiring lifelong medical followup and without risking malabsorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals |
Vicky Kuriel, RD | Master of Nutrition and Dietetics, Graduate certificate in Sports Nutrition (US) | 3 Jan 2015 | Case reports from an LCHF dietician | Switched to LCHF when she realized that the default advice does not work. Since she became a Low-Carb High-Fat (LCFH) dietician, her patients do get results, become leaner and healthier following her advise |
Nadir Ali, MD | Interventional cardiologist, chairman of cardiology at Clear lake Regional Mecial Center (US) | 3 May 2019 | Why LDL cholesterol goes up with low-carb diets, and is it bad for health? | Explaining the context why LDL cholesterol may rise while other biomarkers of health improve (higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower insulin) |
Sheila Cook, MD | Endocrinologist | 9 November 2018 | Back to the future: a low carbohydrate diet in type 1 diabetes | Dr. Sheila Cook has an endocrinology background and gives insights on how her classicly trained colleagues refute the health-improving effects of low-carbohydrate for type 1 diabetics. She also elaborates on how she got into applying low-carbohydrate and very-low-carbohydrate diets to type 1 diabetics. |
Low-carb References
I based the information on this site on the recommendations, books, presentations, and publications of the experts(*) and sites(*) focusing on the following disciplines:
Registered nurse, assisted Dr. Robert Atkins since 1973
Jacqueline Eberstein
- Site: Jacqueline A. Eberstein
- Registered nurse with more than 40 years of experience in low-carb approaches to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity
Bariatric surgeon turned low-carb promotor since 2002
General, pediatric, weight management and bariatric surgery
Jacksonville, Florida (US)
Robert Cywes
- Site: Obesity Understood
- Bariatric surgeon who has come to the conclusion that surgery is the worst thing you can do to fix the problems of obesity or diabetes
Low-carb publications since 2014
Virta Health
- Aims at reversing type 2 diabetes in 100 million people by 2025
Initiative started in 2014
Authoritative source for evidence-based, scientific
information about sugar and its impact on health
SugarScience
- SugarScience is the authoritative source for evidence-based, scientific information about sugar and its impact on health
Interesting presentations and publications by the experts
Dr. Chris Knobbe, MD
- Diseases of Civilization: are seed oil excesses the unifying mechanism?, Low Carb Denver, 2020, Diseases of Civilization: are seed oil excesses the unifying mechanism?
Jim/James McCarter, MD, Phd
- The top myths about ketosis debunked by clinical trials, 25 december 2019, Debunking common keto myths (transcribed here, slides available here). All of the following claims are false: 1 Keto is unsustainable. 2 Keto will cause diabetic ketoacidosis. 3 Keto will cause hypoglycemia. 4 Keto will deprive the brain of required glucose. 5 Keto will impair the heart and cause vascular damage. 6 Keto will worsen the blood lipid profile. 7 Keto will cause inflammation. 8 Keto will cause hypothyroidism. 9 Keto will harm the liver and increase liver fat. 10 Keto will harm the kidneys. 11 Keto will cause muscle loss. 12 Keto will cause loss of bone mineral density. 13 Keto is just a fad. 14 Keto is not the standard of care. 15 Keto benefits are limited to weight loss. 16 Keto weight loss is just water. 17 Keto will cause “keto flu.” 18 Keto will cause constipation. 19 Keto will require too much sodium. 20 Keto sodium will cause hypertension. 21 Keto will cause adrenal fatigue. 22 Keto will cause gallstones and requires a gallbladder. 23 Keto increases mortality in nutritional epidemiology studies. 24 Keto requires meat consumption. 25 Keto will increase cancer risk. 26 Keto increases circulating saturated fat. 27 Keto provides inadequate dietary fiber. 28 Keto interferes with the gut microbiome. 29 Keto is environmentally unsustainable. 30 Keto foods are too expensive. 31 Keto will interfere with exercise. 32 Keto will deplete muscle glycogen. 33 Keto will raise long-term risk of gout. 34 Keto will increase long-term risk of kidney stones. 35 Keto will cause “keto crotch.” 36 Keto will cause “keto bloat.” 37 Keto will confuse the public. 38 Keto will undermine science. 39 Keto will cause diabetes. 40 It’s better just to stay with usual care for diabetes management.
Peter Brukner, MD
- Low carb guidelines and position statements, 11-13 October, 2019, Low-carb guidelines and position statements from the UK, Australia and the US as issued by their national diabetes associations, heart associations and dieticians associations : lowcarb is certainly on the agenda of all these organizations. All of them feel the need to confirm the existance of the lowcarb trends. All of these associations are prepared to admit that lowcarb diets are safee and may be effective, but they claim lowcarb diets are not shown to be safe in the long term and may have potential health risks related to the kidneys and cardiovascular diseases. They are still concerned about saturated fats, and claim there is no evidence for type 1 diabetes. Living lowcarb may even be dangerous for children.
Jacqueline Eberstein, RN
- Women's Health and Keto, 10 January 2020, part 1 and part 2: risks associated with high-carb intake that can be avoided/mitigated when using low-carb: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), gestational diabetes, etc.
- KetoCon 2017 Barriers to Weight Loss: Worried about breaching through a plateau? What might interfere with weight loss? What about a yeast infection? Why monitor all thyroid values, i.e., including TSH, free T3 and free T4? Bottom line: have realistic expectations! Follow inches, not the scale! Living low-carb is not a diet, but a lifestyle. If you want to enhance your health, just do it!
Robert Cywes, MD
Interview, 2 July 2019
Personal weight-loss story: Fat is a very good source of energy. If you eat enough fat, you will eat enough protein. Carbohydrates are not essential for life.
Understanding carb addiction
- Part 1, 22 October 2019: one does not get fat by eating real food, only by eating carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are not essential for human consumption and are a non-essential food for life. Carbohydrates are a highly endorphin-activating drug
- Part 2, 25 October 2019: why we are addicted to carbohydrates: obesity is a substance abuse problem. Obesity is not a calorie problem. Obesity is a substance abuse problem that should fall in the same category as opioids and alcohol, nicotin and opioids. We crave for carbohydrates, not for the nutrition value, but simply for the carbohydrate high.
Focusing on type 1 diabetes
Robert Cywes, MD
- Understanding diabetes, focusing on treating type 1 diabetes, 26 January 2020
- Understanding type 1 diabetes, 25 January 2019 Chapter 6 of the series "Diabetes understood" focusing on type 1 diabetes: A type 1 diabetic can lead a normal life!
Ken D. Berry, MD
5 steps for type 1 diabetics to start a low-carb diet, 15 November 2019: low-carb, ketogenic and carnivore diets are very safe for both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. The 5 steps: (1) go see your knowledgeable doctor and inform him/her to get their advice on a lowcarb/ketogenic diet; (2) get a continuous glucose monitor; (3) download a chronometer or a macronutrient tracking app on your phone to determine the number of carbs grams and protein grams in your food; (4) transition to a lowcarb/ketogenic/carnivore diet slowly. Count on a 1-3 months transition. Decrease your total carb intake with, e.g., 10% a week and adjust your insulin dose as you go; (5) read Dr. Bernstein's book. Dr. Bernstein himself is a type 1 diabetic and provides hands-on recipes to stabilize blood glucose evolutions; (6) join the TypeOneGrit facebook group
Andrew Koutnik, PhD
- Low carbohydrate diet for type 1 diabetes, 11 October 2019: patient and research perspective. The available evidence today indicates that the very low carbohydrate diets with less than 50 grams of carbs per day improves the glycemic control better than any other currently available therapy.
Jake Kushner, MD
- A practical guide to low-carb nutrition for type 1 diabetes, 3 March 2019
Jessica Turton, RD, PhD
- Low-carbohydrate diets for type 1 diabetes, 2 August 2018: her experience with introducing a low-carb diet to type 1 diabetics from a nutritionists/dietician's point of view. The answer to the question "Why should one go for low-carb?" is very simple: "Big inputs make big mistakes, small inputs make small mistakes", as quoted by the oldest surviving type 1 diabetic Kanji Ishikawa in Japan, until 2009.
Zoë Harcombe, PhD
- Low-carb Denver, 2019, 19 March 2019, What about fiber?: If enough protein and fat are consumed, there is no need for dietary fiber. De-facto, fiber is non-essential. There is no evidence-base for the dietary guideline targets for 14g of dietary fiber per kcal food.
Erynn Kay, physician assistant
- Low-carb Breckenridge 2017, 16 July 2017, Does
fiber make you fat? The gut's effect on weight and metabolism:
Researchers can predict with 90% accuracy whether a person is
obese or lean by looking at the gut flora. The gut bacteria are
fed by dietary fiber. They can only predict with a 58% accuracy
by looking at your own genetic material.
Whether you are lean or obese paleo and lowcarb diets are relatively low on fiber. Enough fibre to keep your intestins healthy is best. Zero fiber is only good for few people.
If you want to have a healthy gut, you should eat your vegetables! Vegetables are high in prebiotic fiber to feed your gur flora: artichoke, onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, avocado, zucchini, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, asparagus, fennel, celery, brussel sprouts, mushrooms.
It is also best to: count total carbs, not net carbs; avoid antibiotics unless really necessary, including in food and water; avoid c-sections unless necessary; breastfeed whenever possible over using formula; avoid a sterile environment! - Low-carb Breckenridge 2018, 8 September 2018, Is
lowcarb enough?: A look at food quality and ancestral
principles. The hygiene hypothesis: a low dose exposure to a
wide variety of bacteria is beneficial to help balance our
immune system. So it is best to not be overly hygienic.
The balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3 oils should be 1:1.
You are what you eat eats. If what you eat eats healhy foods, you will eat healthy food. Grass-fed animals have more vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants than grain fed animals.
Organ meats are by far better nutrient sources than vitamin and mineral supplements. Also do not fear raw food, as the cooking process reduces the effectiveness of nutrients.
Become nutrient seekers: pay attention to food quality. Incorporate more organic food, more pasture-raised, more grass-fed, more raw. Sprout something ferment something, drink more broth and eat more organ meat!
- Low-carb Breckenridge 2017, 16 July 2017, Does
fiber make you fat? The gut's effect on weight and metabolism:
Researchers can predict with 90% accuracy whether a person is
obese or lean by looking at the gut flora. The gut bacteria are
fed by dietary fiber. They can only predict with a 58% accuracy
by looking at your own genetic material.
Ivor Cummins, PhD
- Dublin, 19 July 2016, Wanna know how to collapse yhour heart disease risk? Ok then...: the huge fructose intake drives insulin resistance
- 16 Aug 2018, Want to
fix your heart disease? Okay then -- here you go!: you can
resolve the progressive disease of atherosclerosis by focusing
on key factos to reduce a high CAC score. The most important
driver for high CAC scores is high insulin. Lower your insulin
levels, and your CAC score will drop significantly.
Make sure you get a CAC scan. It only takes 5 minutes and learns you a lot. If you get a high score, you should check your blood lab reports to identify the reasons and take real action! Living lowcarb is very likely to reduce your CAC score. Have this score checked every couple of years.
Peter Attia
- 14 January 2020, Introductory video on a framework for nutrition and fasting: discussing the Standard American Diet (SAD), Time Restricted Fasting (TRF), Dietary Restriction (DR), in relation to Intermittend Fasting (IF) and Calorie Restriction (CR)
- Interview, 11 September 2018 How it all got started with dr. Peter Attia: how he got into practicing low-carb and longevity research
Nina Teicholz
- 6-8 October 2017, Low Carb Down Under The real food politics
- 6-8 October 2017, Low Carb Down Under Vegetable oils: the unknown story: vegetable oils are not made of vegetables, but are really bean oils. Vegetable oils are very unstable and very prone to oxidation. They were never intended for human consumption but as machine lubricants and fuel.
Eric Westman, MD
- Low-carb Denver, 19 March 2019, Keto Medicine, the practice of carbohydrate restriction: introducing how he got interested in low-carb research; illustrating results of ongoing research and sketching why poeple might fail when they try the ketogenic lifestyle. Bottom line: living low-carb works fine when it is done well. When people fail, this is largely due to unrealistic expectatinos, misinformation and bad advice, carb pushing friends and family, stress or physiological reasons
- Adapt your Life, 11 July 2018, Long term effects of a keto/low carb diet
- KetoCon 2017, Scientific support for ketogenic lifestyles: proven uses of low-carb high fat (LCHF) and ketogenic lifestyles: obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, type 1 diabetes mellitus (improved glycemic control), gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), epilepsy. Promising uses of LCHF/keto lifestyles: cancer (adjuvant therapy, prevention), Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, glycogen storage disease (McCardie's disease). Since 2000, the evidence for "Keto" has surpassed the evidence required to approve a new drug. An LCHF or ketogenic lifestyle is healthy, and can be used as a therapy for chronic medical conditions. Individuals with medical conditions (e.g., heart failure) require special consideration and medical monitoring.
Chris Kresser, MS
- Personal website, 22 February 2019, Shaking up the Salt Myth: the dangers of salt restriction: The Intersalt Study of 1988 was designed to resolve contradictions in ecological and epidemiological studies, but failed to demonstrate any linear relationship between salt intake and blood pressure. When eating a whole foods diet, most people tend to consume the appropriate amount of salt that lowers the mortality risk.
Jason Fung, MD
- Private seminar series, 2013, The Aetiology of Obesity:
- The Aetiology of Obesity, Part 1: A New Hope
- The Aetiology of Obesity, Part 2: The New Science of Diabesity
- The Aetiology of Obesity, Part 3: Trial by Diet
- The Aetiology of Obesity, Part 4: The Fast Solution
- The Aetiology of Obesity, Part 5: Diet and Disease
- The Aetiology of Obesity, Part 6: Dietary Villains, Fat Phobia
- Private seminar series, 2013, The Aetiology of Obesity:
John Schoonbee, MD
- Who benefits from LCHF?: Who benefits from LCHF financially?: LCHF
from an insurer's view. Who benefits? 1. The people who produce
and sell the food; 2. the people who treat obese and chronic
illnesses: drugs, medical devices, medical doctors, private
hospitals, the food industry, the diet industry; 3. the pension
fund and the annuity business. If everyone would become very
very healthy, they would have to pay large amounts of money
before people die.
Who will benefit if the world shifted to lowcarb? 1. Certain food segments: the vegetable and fruit based oil companies; 2. people who write books on LCHF; 3. state health funders, like the social security insurance services; 4. the life and health insurance industry; 5. everybody on earth would benefit from living lowcarb.
- Who benefits from LCHF?: Who benefits from LCHF financially?: LCHF
from an insurer's view. Who benefits? 1. The people who produce
and sell the food; 2. the people who treat obese and chronic
illnesses: drugs, medical devices, medical doctors, private
hospitals, the food industry, the diet industry; 3. the pension
fund and the annuity business. If everyone would become very
very healthy, they would have to pay large amounts of money
before people die.
Roger Unger, MD
- Introducing a glucagon-centric view on diabetes: insulin is not essential for life, 21 May 2014, Prize lecture by Professor Roger Unger, Rolf Luft Award 2014 Event: Insulin does not directly regulate glucose tolerance in mice without functioning beta cells. The interaction with glucagon is extremely important!
Rachel Roberts
- Very informative video introducing the ketogenic diet with a full transcription with illustrations.
Recent Pro Low-carb News
Statement in favor of low-carb issued by the Education and Health Standing Committee of the parliament of Australia, published in April 2019
The Food Fix report on the role of diet in type 2 diabetes prevention and management states literarly:
- Finding 5 Page 28: There is convincing evidence to support the use of dietary interventions such as the very low calorie diet and the low carbohydrate diet in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes.
- Recommendation 3 Page 28: The Department of Health ensure that guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes reflect the success of dietary interventions – such as the very low calorie diet and the low carbohydrate diet – in treating the disease. These approaches should be formally offered as management options.
- Recommendation 4 Page 29 The Department of Health commence a campaign to ensure that healthcare professionals, and general practitioners in particular, are aware of the alternative (dietary) approaches for treating type 2 diabetes.
Statement very much in favor of low-carb and very low-carb issued by the American Diabetes Association published in Diabetes Care #42(5) in May 2019
The consensus report on Nutrition Therapy for Adults With Diabetes or Prediabetes, cf. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci19-0014
- Reducing overall carbohydrate intake for individuals with diabetes has demonstrated the most evidence for improving glycemia and may be applied in a variety of eating patterns that meet individual needs and preferences.
- For select adults with type 2 diabetes not meeting glycemic targets or where reducing antiglycemic medications is a priority, reducing overall carbohydrate intake with low- or very low-carbohydrate eating plans is a viable approach.
- An eating pattern represents the totality of all foods and beverages consumed. An eating plan is a guide to help individuals plan when, what, and how much to eat on a daily basis and applies to the foods emphasized in the individual’s selected eating pattern.
- Evidence suggests that there is not an ideal percentage of calories from carbohydrate, protein, and fat for all people with or at risk for diabetes; therefore, macronutrient distribution should be based on individualized assessment of current eating patterns, preferences, and metabolic goals.
- When counseling people with diabetes, a key strategy to achieve glycemic targets should include an assessment of current dietary intake followed by individualized guidance on self-monitoring carbohydrate intake to optimize meal timing and food choices and to guide medication and physical activity recommendations.
- People with diabetes and those at risk for diabetes are encouraged to consume at least the amount of dietary fiber recommended for the general public; increasing fiber intake, preferably through food (vegetables, pulses [beans, peas, and lentils], fruits, and whole intact grains) or through dietary supplement, may help in modestly lowering A1C.
- A variety of eating patterns (combinations of different foods or food groups) are acceptable for the management of diabetes.
- Until the evidence surrounding
comparative benefits of different eating patterns in specific
individuals strengthens, health care providers should focus on
the key factors that are common among the patterns:
- Emphasize nonstarchy vegetables.
- Minimize added sugars and refined grains.
- Choose whole foods over highly processed foods to the extent possible.
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