The Benefits of a Ketogenic and Paleo Diet- Yummy and Healthy

What are the benefits of a Ketogenic and Paleo diet?
I got lots of questions about the difference between the Ketogenic( Keto) and the Paleo diet, which I try to explain in this blog.
Both diets are low in carbohydrates, actually low in high-glycemic carbohydrates. The only carbs which are allowed in both diets are vegetables. And they are relatively low in glycemic index.

So this means they don’t have much sugar. And this makes both diets very important for healing an ill body.

The typical modern diet has high glycemic sugar content because of a very high percentage of carbohydrates.

People eat many processed carbohydrates, which contain sugar, salt, and fat, mostly made out of grains and unhealthy oils, like cakes, pasta, pizza, bread, chips (also made from potatoes and oils).

Nearly all processed food has grain compounds combined with harmful oils. People who consume this modern high in processed carbs diet eventually might become ill. We are human beings, and our cells, the whole body, are not made to handle this so-called food.

People are getting weak, and their natural shield, our defense, our immune system breaks down. All kinds of chronic diseases, including cancer, can develop. It is time for people to see where they are coming from, what they are doing wrong, and support their health by buying healthy food, taking responsibility to reheal their body. This process needs a lot of education.

What does the Ketogenic diet mean?

Now, what is the Keto diet? This diet contains no high-glycemic sugar. The body normally thrives on sugar for energy. Sugar is stored in the liver and the muscles as glycogen. The body can always take from these stores to produce energy. It breaks the sugars down into simple sugars. That is glucose, which fuels the cells. Glucose gives energy.

If we eat too much of the carbs described above, the body gets more sugar than it needs. There is too much sugar in the blood, and the pancreas now produces the hormone insulin to reduce blood sugar.

Too much sugar is life-threatening. It is responsible for inflammation in the body. The cells are becoming resistant to insulin. The pancreas becomes exhausted, producing only a little or no insulin at all. Diabetes may start. People might get overweight.

When you start with the Keto diet, the body does not get any sugar for energy. This diet focuses on eating healthy fats like coconut oil and olive oil. The goal is to enter a ketosis state, where the body begins to burn fat for weight loss. Ketosis is the state of the body using fat instead of sugar. It is a metabolic process.

This results in the building up of acids called ketones within the body, which commonly occurs in people with diabetes because they do not have enough insulin or are not using insulin correctly.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is more likely to develop in people with type 2 diabetes. This is why people with diabetes have another form of diet plan. They need to be observed very tight, following the plan of their dietist.

These people already have a damaged pancreas and need to adjust their lifestyle and better control their diabetes. If the pancreas still works, people with diabetes from type 2 can recover their chronic disease by changing their lifestyle.

In the Keto diet, the body is not getting enough glucose to provide energy. It will adopt an alternative strategy by breaking down fat.
Because of the breaking down fat stores in the body, people love this diet to lose weight. The diet is high in fat. About 70 -80 % is fat, 10 -15 % is protein, and 5-10 % are low carbs.

Researchers and doctors claim that this diet could reduce the risk of developing several health conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. It may also improve cholesterol and other hormones. Many dietitians recommend this diet for people with type 2 diabetes. The body then still produces some insulin.

What kind of food is allowed to consume in the Keto diet?

The most important part of the ketogenic diet is healthy fats. These are coconut oils, olive oils, and grass-fed butter. Everything in this diet should be organic, which means farmers using healthy soil and no pesticides and herbicides.

The proteins should come from organically raised animals who live a life that belongs to their sort. Cows should eat grass in the field; the chicken should also be outside, eating worms and beetles.

Fish should be wild-caught. The best fish is fatty fish as salmon, sardines, anchovies. Heavy metals, especially mercury, very often contaminate bigger fish—the need to be avoided. Aso, an excellent fat supply is nuts and seeds. All organic.

In the Keto diet, people are allowed to eat milk products, desirably raw. I think it is better not to eat any milk products if the gut and body are still ill and not working properly. They should disappear completely out of the list of foods you are allowed to consume.

The only carbohydrates which are allowed are non – starchy leafy vegetables, like broccoli. They have a low glycemic index. Also, berries are allowed, and citrus fruits, melons, peaches, and nectarines.

Avocado is an excellent fruit that has a very high-fat content. If all the foods are organic, you get a good amount of nutrition.

You cannot consume any high-glycemic carbs anymore in this diet, like bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta, chips, pizzas, potatoes, and all grains that help to inflame your body’s tissues.

What is Paleo diet – what to eat?

The Paleo diet is also a diet that thrives on low carbohydrate intake. Both diets are similar to each other, but there are some differences. Paleo means consuming food in its very natural condition, not processed or cultivated, as our ancestors have collected and hunted their food. It has to be a very high standard, meaning all organic food.

This is the best way to provide high nutrition. Carbohydrates are coming from all sorts of vegetables, also roots, as long they are not processed but in their natural form.

In this diet, you can eat all fruits and sugar like raw honey or organic maple syrup, but no artificial sugars; they don’t belong in this diet. 80% of this diet are vegetables and fruits. 20-25 % is protein from natural grass-fed animals, wild animals, deer, buffalo, and wild-caught fish. 5-10 % are healthy fats like olive oil, nuts oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, seeds and nuts., and avocados.

Grains and dairy products don’t belong here, as well as legumes.

I think this is really a very healthy diet. The anti-inflammatory effect is in both diets, the Keto diet and the Paleo diet. You will not gain weight, and your immune system will be stronger. Many diseases will disappear. But I think that the Paleo diet is the most natural.

Of course, some people advocate the consumption of grains like millet or buckwheat. I myself sometimes eat rice. When the gut and body are healed, maybe try to introduce some food again and see what is happening.

The Importance of Organic Food

I believe that we shouldn’t use pesticides and herbicides anymore. We destroy our planet. So many insects and animals did already disappear. We use them in our gardens and kill the bees and humble-bees and other insects.

But these insects are so essential for us, for the plants, for the birds. So much can be done in our environment, in our garden, surrounding. It starts there in farming and our garden. The soil needs, after years of massive abuse, to recover again.

There are enough farmers who grow vegetables and fruits organically, who keep their animals as God has it intended to be. We profit a lot by eating organically. Our bodies will thank us; we can think clearer. Most forms of diseases will disappear.

Conclusion

We could start to support farmers where we live. And begin to live more healthily. As we get in balance again, our world is becoming more balanced also. Nothing stands on its own. We all belong together. In this world, we connect so easily using social media; let’s stand up together and start to be healthy again. It is our responsibility to live healthily and to heal ourselves and the environment.

Please let me know what you think about the article. I would love to hear your opinion.

To your health,

Sylvia