Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet (16 page)

– Dr. Ron Rosedale

Watch out for carbs that you may not even realize you are consuming. A blog reader once wrote to me wondering why she wasn’t seeing the ketone production she expected when she was eating what she thought was a good low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet. I asked her to share a sample of her menus with me, and she revealed that she ate “a lot of fruit.” When I explained that fruit is high in carbohydrates, she retorted, “But I didn’t think you had to count the carbs in fruit because it’s natural!”

I hate to break it to you, but cutting carbs means cutting them from any source, no matter how natural. Yes, fruit has some great micronutrients, but the sugar content will make it next to impossible for many people to produce adequate ketones while eating fruit. As Dr. Westman prominently displays on the walls of his patient rooms, “Fruit Is Nature’s Candy.”

The most common criticisms I have heard of the ketogenic diet, none of which have any basis in science, include the question “Aren’t you missing important nutrients by excluding or severely limiting ‘healthy whole grains’ and fruit?” My response is that all the nutrients found in grains and fruit can be obtained from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while avoiding the carbohydrates and gluten that accompany grains and fruit. That said, low-sugar fruits, including berries, could be a part of the ketogenic lifestyle.

– Dr. Keith Runyan

If your carbohydrate tolerance allows for a little bit of fruit, then go for it. But it’s probably not a good idea for many. Again, pull out your glucometer and see what happens to your blood sugar when you eat fruit. If you see a large spike or sustained elevations in your blood sugar levels, then you know you probably can’t have that many carbohydrates.

Here’s something interesting you probably never thought about before. Do you know what it means if you experience intense cravings for sugary, carb-rich foods when you start eating a ketogenic diet? No, it’s not permission for you to give in to that desire for pizza, chocolate chip cookies, or whatever else you think your body wants you to consume. But at the same time, you don’t want to fight the signal your body is giving you.

Here’s the secret—when this craving hits, it’s not carbohydrates that your body really wants. It’s—surprise, surprise! —dietary fat! Don’t believe me? The next time you get a hankering for something carb-y, resist that urge and instead eat a high-fat snack. I like to roll up a slice of full-fat cheese with grass-fed butter in the middle. It may sound crazy, but don’t be surprised when your desire for carbs relaxes. We’ll talk more about why fat consumption is a critical element of ketosis in chapter 7.

There are three reasons why people fail to reach a ketogenic state: too many carbohydrates, too much protein, or not enough fat. Most people who attempt to follow this approach understand the importance of limiting carbohydrates. In my experience, when they fail to do so it’s usually because of their strong cravings for sweet or starchy foods. We now believe that these cravings are the cardinal symptom of a form of food-induced brain dysfunction that I describe as Carbohydrate-Associated Reversible Brain syndrome (CARB syndrome). Unless you suppress these cravings, you’re often doomed to failure in your pursuit of ketosis.

– Dr. Bill Wilson

Once you nail down your carbohydrate tolerance, the next important step in pursuing ketosis is determining your personal protein threshold. The idea of moderating your protein intake is probably going to be new to a lot of you because low-carb diets are often described as “high-protein.” But the reality is that they should be high in fat, and protein needs to be monitored just as carbohydrates are. We’ll explore this more in the next chapter.

DOCTOR’S NOTE FROM DR. ERIC WESTMAN: Adults have only about 1 teaspoon of sugar (5 grams) in their entire bloodstream! You can do this calculation with a little bit of high school math. First, you have to know that there are 100 milligrams of sugar in a deciliter of blood. A milligram is one thousandth of a gram; a deciliter is one tenth of a liter. Then you have to know that an adult has about 5 liters of blood. So multiply out these conversions—100 milligrams/deciliter x 1 gram/1000 milligrams x 10 deciliters/liter x 5 liters of blood—and you get 5 grams of sugar in the entire bloodstream. Half a bagel has approximately 10 grams of carbs, so from that one food you are consuming twice the amount of sugar present in your blood. It’s no wonder that the blood glucose levels go up after eating carbs!

Key Keto Clarity Concepts

• Determining your carbohydrate tolerance level is key to getting into ketosis.
  
• Each individual has a different level of carb tolerance.
  
• It takes personal experimentation to find your carb tolerance.
  
• Overweight and diabetic people tend to be more sensitive to carbs.
  
• The idea of “net carbs” doesn’t apply in pursuing ketosis.
  
• Beware of “low-carb” food marketing claims.
  
• Start your carbohydrate intake at 20 grams daily, then raise it by 5 to 10 grams daily for one week.
  
• When ketones drop, return to the previous level of carb intake.
  
• If there’s no ketone production at 20 grams, drop carbs and protein intake.
  
• Test triglycerides and aim for under 100 to determine carb tolerance.
  
• Cut out sugar, grains, and starchy foods to drop triglycerides.
  
• Get a glucometer and test your blood sugar levels often.
  
• Test blood sugar at thirty-minute intervals for two hours after meals.
  
• Metformin and supplements can help lower blood sugar.
  
• Be aware of which foods contain carbs and may be preventing ketosis.
  
• “Fruit is nature’s candy” for people who are struggling making ketones.
  
• When carb cravings hit, your body is really screaming for fat.
  
• Try a slice of full-fat cheese with grass-fed butter in the middle to satisfy cravings.
  
• There is only about one teaspoon of sugar in your entire bloodstream.