High Performance Health Is The Keto Diet Right For You?
The keto diet can be a great way to gain focus improve performance and lose weight but how can you tell if its right for you?
Angela explores in depth the ketogenic diet, it can boost mental and physical energy but for some, the keto diet may not be suitable and in this episode, Angela shares her expertise and knowledge to help anyone look at whether it’s the right diet for them.
There are those who seem to be able to eat whatever they want and those who only have to look at a cookie and put the weight on - it’s all about genetics so checking your DNA is key in understanding who you are and what diet is going to work for you. Listen in and hear about who a ketogenic diet is suitable for and why in this fascinating and informative episode.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The ketogenic diet can be very successful for many but there will be some people it might not suitable for due to the differences in the ways we process carbohydrates and fats.
- The perfect diet comes down to your genetics, gut health, metabolic demands and your lifestyle.
- Knowing about key parts of your DNA is vital when you are looking for the best diet for you -
- there is no one size that fits all.
- DNA is contained in every cell of our bodies and is ‘like an instruction manual’ for the body to produce proteins.
- Everything our body does is coded for by our genes and we all have slight variations in the code.
- You may metabolise something slightly differently from the next person
- There are also genes that are implicated in the way your body processes carbohydrates and your risk for metabolic diseases such as diabetes and if you are at a higher risk for these a ketogenic diet maybe a good option.
- You can find the type of diet that’s right for you by looking at your genetics – this will give you your sensitivity to fats, saturated fats, carbohydrates and a host of other information
- Doing the keto diet the right way - Often people get the keto flu, which typically starts 24-48 hours into the diet. As your body shifts into metabolising glucose to fatty acids, your insulin levels start to drop.
- When your glucose drops it is a signal to your kidneys to flush out toxins and you can lose significant water weight very rapidly.
- When focusing on a diet that is low in carbohydrate and high in fat individuals can often also exclude vegetables for their diet and not benefit from the fibres and vitamins they contain.
- Make sure you are consuming plenty of vegetables
- Most vegetables are keto-friendly, especially cruciferous vegetables and microgreens that are low on the glycemic register
- Make sure you are getting the right balance of minerals including sodium, magnesium, and potassium
- Any electrolyte deficiency must be addressed as it can result in long term damage
- When you start the keto diet your cortisol levels will be higher and a lighter exercise regime along with sleep hygiene will help to keep cortisol levels lower
- When you are sleeping you release leptin and this helps burn fat while in sleep it also helps stabilise your appetite the next day and with adaption to a higher fat-based diet.
- Ketones are molecules your body produces when you are in fat-burning mode
- The goal of the ketogenic diet is to get the body to produce the ketones for itself
- When you are on a keto diet you will be burning more fat for fuel
BEST MOMENTS
‘I’m a firm believer that your genes are not your destiny’
‘If you do have the FTO gene (the fatso gene) do not despair, it’s all about the expression of those genes’
‘As you are releasing your body fat during the keto diet, you are releasing toxins stored in the fat back into your body, to help counteract this you can take activated charcoal to help your body’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
High Performance Health podcast series\
The Blue Zones book by Dan Buettner
Boundless book by Ben Greenfield
ABOUT THE HOST
Angela Foster
Angela is a Nutritionist, Health and Performance Coach. She is also the Founder and CEO of My DNA Edge, an Exclusive Private Membership Site giving individuals the tools and bio hacks needed to optimise their genetic expression for optimal health and performance.
After recovering from a serious illness in 2014, Angela left the world of Corporate Law with a single mission in mind:
To inspire and educate others to live an energetic, healthful and limitless life.
Angela believes that we can truly have it all and has spent the last 5 years researching the habits and routines of high performers, uncovering age-old secrets, time-honoured holistic practices and modern science to create a blueprint for Optimal Human Performance.
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