Ketones are the result of burning fat for energy (as opposed to carbs) and are the body’s preferred source of fuel
Ketones are generated in the liver & other cells from medium chain oils and support cognitive health and physical performance.
Medium & Short Chain Fatty Acids are converted into ketones for energy and any excess is expelled, not stored.
- Coconut Oil is an excellent source of medium-chain fatty acids
Long Chain Fatty Acids that aren’t required for energy are packaged by our bodies as fat for storage. These long chain fatty acids come mostly from vegetable seed oils and animal fats.
Carbohydrates get turned into glucose which, if not required, gets restructured into fat. Glucose is the brain’s primary energy source but disease can stop brain cells from accepting glucose due to insulin-related problems and without glucose, cells will die. But without glucose, the brain will easily accept ketones for metabolism.
So, to summarize, a lack of carbohydrates encourages the body to create ketones from fat:
- our brains need about 50g/day of glucose which can be supplied by fat and protein through gluconeogenesis
- eat small portions of complex carbohydrates but avoid refined carbs and sugars
- there is no need to restrict calorie intake
- Protein and fat consumption must come from healthy sources (avoid trans fats, saturated fats from animal sources and vegetable oils containing high quantities of Omega 6)
- include good fats from coconut oil and products high in Omega 3
- it’s also a good idea to include a protein powder or multivatimin and mineral supplement
Here is a scale of daily carbohydrate content if you are wondering what your intake is considered:
- Ketogenic: 50 grams or less
- Low Carb: 50 – 100 grams
- Moderate Carb: 100 – 200 grams
- High Carb: 200 – 250 grams
- Standard North American diet: 250g or more
Under a Doctor’s supervision, fasting with water only for 7 days can increase keto bodies (a process that causes fat to replace glucose as the brain’s major fuel source)
Some diseases have benefited greatly from following a ketogenic diet:
- Alzheimer’s
- Autism
- Brain Cancer/Tumours
- Brain Injuries
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Lou Gerhigs’s disease
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Mitochondrial disorders
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Parkinson’s disease
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Other benefits include:
- Subclinical Inflammation
- Systemic Inflammation
- Weight Loss
Check out this link for more info on the benefits of a ketogenic diet