Day 27 of 365 - Delicious Food As Medicine - Part Two
In order to understand Dr. Mercola's Fat For Fuel approach, we need to delve a little more into the mitochondria, those little powerhouses in our cells which convert our food and air into energy. Mercola's extensive review of the medical literature, in conjunction with interviewing many experts in the field, led him to believe that nearly all chronic disease is caused by defective metabolic processes in the mitochondria. What we eat, as well as what we are exposed to in our living environment can cause these defects. When too many are damaged our health takes a downturn. However, healing can occur by carefully choosing nutrients as well as other strategies. This is why Mercola calls his approach Mitochondrial Metabolic Therapy. Because it is an emerging field, he continues to research and revise by reviewing new studies. He posts updates in his newsletter and on his website. Okay, general science lesson finished for now. Those who are interested in more depth can go to mercola.com
As you may have guessed from the book title, part of this approach is a ketogenic based diet. Yes, ketogenic diets are wildly trending now, and there is no shortage of websites and related products as well as variations in the nutritional composition of the diet. It can be overwhelming and confusing.
I personally chose to follow the approach in the Fat For Fuel book because it is clearly outlined in relation to the metabolic benefits. There are different options described, giving you a choice as to how to get started and how to keep going in relation to your own personal needs. I chose to ease into it, in order to avoid common side effects and to maintain energy.
Each individual needs to choose what will suit their needs and purposes. But, the basic rules of a ketogenic diet are that more of your nutrients come from healthy fats than from protein or carbohydrates. The reason is, that you want to train your body to burn fat for fuel more than sugar, as it is a cleaner way of burning fuel and producing energy at the cell level.
I had already introduced healthier fats like olive oil and coconut oil into my diet in earlier approaches I had tried. So, I increased my use of them in both cooking and in things like dressings. I significantly decreased my intake of sugar or various starchy foods which convert mainly to sugar. Again, I had experimented with some of this before, such as mainly eating gluten free bread and limiting my intake of grains.
One of the tools recommended, that helped me so much, is a free online nutritional tracker called Cronometer. You can find it easily in an internet search. You can use it for any dietary approach. By faithfully entering what you eat on a regular basis, it will track your daily nutrient ratios for you. Since I had a particular ratio of fat/protein/net carbs to aim for, it was immensely helpful. It also tracks your daily calories and vitamin and mineral intake as well. The huge learning for me from using this tool is that my portions could be much smaller and still provide me with satisfying nutrition. I had been eating TOO MUCH healthy food. That was a wake up call. When you start eating cleaner, it's easy to slip into the mindset that if it's good for you it's okay to eat it freely.
Another tool I use is a blood glucose meter. Blood glucose is a good indicator of levels of inflammation in the body. By measuring it on a daily basis I learned what foods tended to increase it, even within the 'healthy food' context. As I've mentioned before, it's important for me to monitor in relation to family history.
The book has lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid but does not actually have recipes. A couple of website resources are recommended. The one I used most at first is ruled.me It is an amazing free resource of every kind of ketogenic recipe you can imagine. Subsequently, I did purchase some cookbooks.
Over time I have also experimented with what is called intermittent fasting to see what effect it would have on my metabolism and blood glucose. What I have phased into doing over time is eating my foods within an eight hour window in the day and not eating in the other 16 hours. For me, this comes down to having a late breakfast, a small afternoon snack and an early dinner.
I have lost over 40 pounds and my belly fat is finally gone! Additionally, my energy is good and I feel satisfied by my food, which is all delicious. Are all my problems solved? No. Underlying chronic issues take time to develop and also take time to heal. But I feel I'm well on my way.
Once your body becomes fat adapted, as its primary fuel source, you can have a bit more flexibility and can cycle in and out of that state without harm. This means that now I have been able to add back in some of the starchier vegetables and a little grain on an occasional basis. I can also have my beloved dark chocolate in small doses. That's also why I've kept all those cookbooks. Now that I understand ratios of nutrients for my body in a better way, I can adapt recipes from those other books. It's a win/win for my enjoyment of food as well as my health and vitality.
As you may have guessed from the book title, part of this approach is a ketogenic based diet. Yes, ketogenic diets are wildly trending now, and there is no shortage of websites and related products as well as variations in the nutritional composition of the diet. It can be overwhelming and confusing.
I personally chose to follow the approach in the Fat For Fuel book because it is clearly outlined in relation to the metabolic benefits. There are different options described, giving you a choice as to how to get started and how to keep going in relation to your own personal needs. I chose to ease into it, in order to avoid common side effects and to maintain energy.
Each individual needs to choose what will suit their needs and purposes. But, the basic rules of a ketogenic diet are that more of your nutrients come from healthy fats than from protein or carbohydrates. The reason is, that you want to train your body to burn fat for fuel more than sugar, as it is a cleaner way of burning fuel and producing energy at the cell level.
I had already introduced healthier fats like olive oil and coconut oil into my diet in earlier approaches I had tried. So, I increased my use of them in both cooking and in things like dressings. I significantly decreased my intake of sugar or various starchy foods which convert mainly to sugar. Again, I had experimented with some of this before, such as mainly eating gluten free bread and limiting my intake of grains.
One of the tools recommended, that helped me so much, is a free online nutritional tracker called Cronometer. You can find it easily in an internet search. You can use it for any dietary approach. By faithfully entering what you eat on a regular basis, it will track your daily nutrient ratios for you. Since I had a particular ratio of fat/protein/net carbs to aim for, it was immensely helpful. It also tracks your daily calories and vitamin and mineral intake as well. The huge learning for me from using this tool is that my portions could be much smaller and still provide me with satisfying nutrition. I had been eating TOO MUCH healthy food. That was a wake up call. When you start eating cleaner, it's easy to slip into the mindset that if it's good for you it's okay to eat it freely.
Another tool I use is a blood glucose meter. Blood glucose is a good indicator of levels of inflammation in the body. By measuring it on a daily basis I learned what foods tended to increase it, even within the 'healthy food' context. As I've mentioned before, it's important for me to monitor in relation to family history.
The book has lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid but does not actually have recipes. A couple of website resources are recommended. The one I used most at first is ruled.me It is an amazing free resource of every kind of ketogenic recipe you can imagine. Subsequently, I did purchase some cookbooks.
Over time I have also experimented with what is called intermittent fasting to see what effect it would have on my metabolism and blood glucose. What I have phased into doing over time is eating my foods within an eight hour window in the day and not eating in the other 16 hours. For me, this comes down to having a late breakfast, a small afternoon snack and an early dinner.
I have lost over 40 pounds and my belly fat is finally gone! Additionally, my energy is good and I feel satisfied by my food, which is all delicious. Are all my problems solved? No. Underlying chronic issues take time to develop and also take time to heal. But I feel I'm well on my way.
Once your body becomes fat adapted, as its primary fuel source, you can have a bit more flexibility and can cycle in and out of that state without harm. This means that now I have been able to add back in some of the starchier vegetables and a little grain on an occasional basis. I can also have my beloved dark chocolate in small doses. That's also why I've kept all those cookbooks. Now that I understand ratios of nutrients for my body in a better way, I can adapt recipes from those other books. It's a win/win for my enjoyment of food as well as my health and vitality.
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