I’ve been conducting a science experiment. On myself.
Before anyone gets alarmed, let me say this is a nutrition experiment. I’m not taking any medications or new supplements. But I’ve radically changed my current diet recently to see how my body would respond to something different. It all started with the quitting sugar experience. Did you see that post? I expected to have these horrible cravings and awful mood swings and crankiness, but it didn’t happen. Well, I didn’t feel any more cranky than usual (you’d have to ask my husband for an objective opinion!). That was just around Thanksgiving, and I haven’t had any sugar since then. When I gave up the sugar, I also gave up foods that went with the sugar, which means I gave up processed flour. Essentially, I started a low carb diet.
But in the interest of not completely losing my mind to find something to eat, I started eating more eggs and meats. While I had been eating more heavily plant based, I was flexible. I buy our eggs from a farmer and shop for the cleanest meats I can find, mainly because my husband and kids are not vegetarian and I want us to be eating safe and delicious. I also have huge issues with the way most of the meat is produced in this country, but that’s another topic for another day. Suffice it to say, I’m particular about my animal proteins! Anyway, when I started trying out new recipes for this low carb diet, I found lots on the web about the Paleo and Ketogenic diets. Now, when I was in school for holistic nutrition, each week we’d study different food theory. It was recommended that no matter what our personal philosophy on food, that we remain open to the new information, and if possible, try the food style on ourselves. So having not tried the ketogenic style of eating myself before, I thought I might give it a whirl…
Disclaimer time: I am NOT recommending that you try this eating style. This is something I decided to try on myself to see how I’d feel. The health claims surrounding this diet are compelling, and I’ve seen the dramatic weight loss in a couple of physicians I work with who have adopted this way of eating. That doesn’t mean you should do it. But, as a physician and holistic healer, I can’t very well recommend something I don’t know anything about. And the fullest way for me to learn about this style of eating was to experience it. I have lots of patients and friends who are struggling with weight and major medical problems. If this is a tool that might help someone, I wanted to have tried it so I could offer it as an option for those who need it.
In general, I think that the healthiest diets are probably not the ones that exclude entire food groups. Balance is key. BUT… I’ve also said that the more significant the medical dysfunction, the more radical the diet will need to be to reverse the dysfunction and promote healing. And, people are different. Everything will not work for everybody. Let me tell you what I’ve experienced, and you can decide for yourself.
When I quit sugar, I lost four pounds that first week. That’s not fat folks, that’s inflammation. I was retaining fluid as a side effect of the sugar I was eating (and it wasn’t much – some mini dark chocolates, and a half cookie sometimes). Sugar promotes inflammation in the body, no matter what kind or how much. We eat way too much sugar and starch in this country, especially in the form of processed foods. When I started eating low carb, I dropped one to two more pounds. Then a colleague who has lost almost 100 pounds told me she used the ketogenic diet to lose her weight. Many have reversed their diabetes, insulin resistance, PCOS (polycystic ovaries) and infertility using this diet. So I started investigating.
The ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, very low carbohydrate diet. That’s right, high fat. The concept is, that your body tends to burn carbohydrates first if given that chance. But if no carbohydrates are available, the body can burn fat as its primary fuel, and will pull from your fat stores for energy if you don’t overfeed yourself. The recipes on the web are full of MCT coconut oil, cheeses, fatty meats, avocados and nonstarchy veggies. No fruit. No bread. No root veggies (potatoes, beets, carrots). No rice or pasta. There are bread substitute recipes based on cheese and almond or coconut flours if you want to have something bread-like, but you’ll have to make it yourself.
Let me show you what I’ve been eating (in addition to the obvious eggs and meats and tuna and salads and veggies).
Cinnamon rolls…
Tom Kha Gai (chicken coconut soup) and a half keto bagel
Spicy chipotle chicken chorizo stew and a salad
Death By Chocolate ice cream. No sugar!
What’s the results of all this high-fat eating? Did I gain a ton of weight? Actually, no. I’ve lost a couple more pounds. I will say this though – if you’ve been overweight as I was, the closer you get to a normal body-mass index (Google: BMI calculator and see where you are), the harder it is to drop weight, no matter what eating style you adopt. The first week I was tired. That’s what you’re told you’ll experience as your body changes from burning carbs to burning fat (called ketosis). Some people have headaches and muscle cramps, keto breath and more. But I had all the birthdays for the kids, and I was on call and I’m generally wiped at this time of year anyway, so I’m not sure how much was the diet and how much was life. Also, all that dairy definitely slowed down the ol’ digestive tract. More gas too. TMI? Maybe, but I thought you should know. You can do the ketogenic diet without dairy – I just didn’t. A great book is The 30 Day Ketogenic Cleanse by Maria Emmerich, and she does mostly dairy free recipes. She lays out the theory and pitfalls, and it’s also a great cookbook.
Will I continue? I don’t know. In the long run, I probably will return to a more balanced flexitarian diet with some whole grains and less animal proteins. I love my veggies! Maybe I haven’t done this keto thing long enough. If I experience a huge jump in my energy in the next few weeks, maybe I’ll stick with it. One thing I’m convinced of is this: I was eating too much sugar. Even as I ate only dark chocolate, used stevia in my drinks, and ate only whole grains. Now that I’ve found some good substitutes for the sugar, I’ll fiddle with the rest to see what works for me in the long run. Everyone is different. Only you can find what works for you!
What do you think about the extreme eating styles (veganism, keto/paleo, no carb, plant based)? What have you done that works for you? Please share in the comments below!