Chapter 1 The Keto Reset Diet 101--ÂWhat, Why, and How I''ve been familiar with the ketosis aspect of ancestral eating for nearly two decades, but I always considered keto to be an extreme and temporary practice, perhaps suitable only for brief periods of fasting for aggressive fat reduction or as a last-Âditch strategy for the obese to right the ship and protect against a medical catastrophe. In the past few years, though, there has been renewed interest in keto, both in the sciences and among the most adventurous in the ancestral health movement, as a strategy with broad application to promote the esteemed goal of metabolic flexibility. Inspired by the thought leaders whom you''ll meet in this book, I started fooling around with keto several years ago, and I noticed some immediate, discernible benefits, especially increased mental clarity and reduced hunger. As my writing partner, Brad, and I maintained states of nutritional ketosis for sustained periods of time during the research and writing of this book, we both experienced significant health and athletic performance breakthroughs. Indeed, The Keto Reset Diet book is powered by ketones! As I''ll detail throughout the book, regulating appetite and developing the ability to survive--Âand thrive--Âon fewer calories is key to optimum health and maximum longevity. Owning this insight, though, requires a massive shift in mindset from the flawed "furnace will burn" thinking that represents one of the most destructive concepts in conventional dietary and exercise wisdom (details in Chapter 2). What Is Keto? "Keto" is a catch-Âall nickname for anything pertaining to the metabolic state of ketosis, the burning of ketones, a.k.
a. ketone bodies, or the dietary macronutrient composition (ultra-Âlow-Âcarb, moderate-Âprotein, high-Âfat) that promotes the attainment of this delicate metabolic state. Ketones are a source of caloric energy in the body that are used by the brain, heart, and muscles in the same manner as is glucose (sugar). They are produced in the liver as a by-Âproduct of fat metabolism when--Âowing to extreme restriction of dietary carbohydrates--Âinsulin, blood sugar, and liver glycogen levels are very low. Most people go through life never getting anywhere near this state, and never experiencing the almost magical effects of this natural superfuel. Ketones and fat (since the burning of these two caloric energy sources always go hand in hand) help minimize the inflammation and oxidative damage that come from eating the modern grain-Âbased high-Âcarbohydrate diet. Keto awareness arises from the primal/paleo/low-Âcarb dietary movement that has become wildly popular over the past decade, but it is more specific with respect to required dietary macronutrient ratios; and it can be even more effective for weight loss, disease protection, and peak cognitive and athletic performance than a standard low-Âcarb diet. By comparison to the Standard American Diet (SAD), the modern ketogenic diet is very high in natural nutritious fats, moderate in protein, and ultra-Âlow in carbohydrates.
Out on the street (which I guess today means the Internet), terms like "keto," "ketone-Âburning," "ketogenic," and "ketotic" are used indiscriminately to describe the burning of ketones for energy and the pursuit of (or existence in) a fat-Â and keto-Âadapted state. You''ll learn about the differences along the way in this book, but it''s particularly important to understand the distinction between ketosis (a metabolic state quantified by blood or breath meter values) and ketoacidosis. The latter is a potentially life-Âthreatening condition that almost always occurs only in Type 1 diabetics who can''t produce insulin or in alcoholics with poorly functioning livers (insulin immediately shuts down ketone production; that''s why a high-Âcarb meal knocks you out of ketosis). Unfortunately, ketoacidosis is often confused with ketosis, even among nutrition and medical professionals who should know better but have only vague exposure to the concepts related to ketone production in the liver. Owing to this common misconception, you may encounter inaccurate Internet articles from dieticians, and even doctors, who react to anything "keto" with alarm because of the severity of ketoacidosis. The exact definition of ketosis is that of being in a metabolic state whereby your body is accumulating ketones in the bloodstream faster than they are being burned. Being in ketosis may not be indicative of your ability to burn ketones for fuel, however. People who have an acute illness or who are on calorie-Ârestricted crash diets while carbohydrate dependent can get into a state of ketosis in a few days, but they may not be burning ketones for energy.
Instead, they excrete these valuable energy sources in their urine and breath as they remain addicted to carbohydrates. If you have done the work to escape carbohydrate dependency and trend toward fat burning, being in ketosis may indeed be representative of your ability to manufacture and burn ketones for energy. Consequently, fat-Â and keto-Âadapted is the best term to describe eating and living in a state where you are enjoying the benefits of burning fat and ketones as your preferred fuel sources. When you are fully adapted, your muscles burn mostly fat for fuel, while the ketones produced by the liver are prioritized for use by the brain. The brain is a huge energy-Âdemand organ (it''s around 2 percent of your total bodyweight, but the brain burns 20 to 25 percent of your daily calories!) that cannot burn fat and must burn either glucose or ketones. Experts suggest that maintaining a state of nutritional ketosis requires a dietary macronutrient composition of approximately 65 to 75 percent fat, 15 to 25 percent protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbs. With carb intake, experts recommend a hard limit of 50 grams per day for active folks, and 20 grams per day for the inactive. To adhere to the stringent ketogenic carbohydrate intake limit and obtain maximum benefits, you must completely eliminate all forms of sugars, sweetened beverages, and grains from your diet, and even pass on starchy tubers like sweet potatoes.
Eating an energy bar or enjoying a fresh-Âsqueezed juice (even a modest 8-Âounce glass) can bump you out of ketosis for 24 hours and possibly much longer. Testing for Ketosis The metabolic state of ketosis can be quantified with established parameters for blood, breath, or urine testing. Urine test strips are cheap and notoriously inaccurate--Âdon''t bother with them. Someone celebrating the darkening of a urine test strip into ketosis color is likely excreting lots of ketones instead of burning them. Breath test technology came to market in early 2017 and is believed to deliver accurate results with an expensive (about $300 for Ketonix brand made in Sweden) portable and reusable device. Handheld blood meters are also accurate. They work just like the glucose meters (popular with diabetics), whereby you prick your finger and apply a droplet of blood to a test strip. Precision Xtra is a good blood meter you can order online for ~$30; single-Âuse testing strips are $2-Â$4 each--Ânot cheap! A blood ketone value of 0.
5 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) represents the beginning of a mild state of nutritional ketosis. Therapeutic benefits of ketone burning improve up to a level of 3.0 mmol/L, although most enthusiasts are happy to land in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mmol/L. It''s pretty difficult to sustain levels higher than 3.0 mmol/L (e.g.
, you''d have to engage in long-Âterm severe calorie restriction/starvation or slam an excessive amount of exogenous supplemental ketones), and there do not appear to be any additional benefits at higher levels. (Note: Ketoacidosis occurs when blood levels rise to above 10 mmolâL-- Âvirtually impossible to attain if you have normal liver function.) We''ll discuss testing in later chapters, including the idea that numbers may not be an accurate indicator of your keto fitness. It''s likely that you may be better off with subjective evaluations of how well you can think and perform when you skip a meal or adhere to a moderate-Âprotein, ultra-Âlow-Âcarb keto-Âstyle eating pattern; feeling great without regular high-Âcarb meals is a sign of being fat-Â and keto-Âadapted, and the ultimate goal of the The Keto Reset Diet journey. Practically speaking, 50 grams of daily carbs afford substantial consumption of vegetables, along with small amounts of incidental carbohydrates from nuts, seeds, and their butters, high-Âcacao percentage dark chocolate, and perhaps occasional servings of fresh seasonal berries. If you are a high-Âcalorie-Âburning athlete or very carefully space your carbohydrate intake to consume no more than 10 to 15 grams (40-Â60 calories) at any one sitting, experts believe that you may be able to consume a bit more than 50 grams per day and still remain in the metabolic state of nutritional ketosis. By the way, I''m talking gross carbs, not net--Âmainly for simplification. We''ll discuss the difference in Chapter 6.
If you''re familiar with extreme carb-Ârestriction weight-Âloss diets like Atkins, The Keto Reset Diet has comparable macronutrient guidelines and a shared goal of lowering insulin to mobilize stored body fat for energy. However, The Keto Reset Diet places greater emphasis on choosing the most nutrient-Âdense sources of fats, protein, and carbs, as well as avoiding unhealthy processed foods--Âeven if they might meet ketogenic macronutrient standards. On the carbohydrate front, The Keto Reset Diet allows for and encourages varied and abundant intake of fresh, colorful vegetables even during the most hard-Âcore keto phases. Consequently, The Keto Reset Diet should be viewed as a healthy lifelong.