FAT

Any amount of research on the internet reveals many types of ketogenic diets.  These diets have the common trait that they cause your body to create ketones by limiting carbohydrate intake.  The number that induces ketosis is different for everyone, but it is commonly agreed that less than 50g per day will cause ketosis in the majority of people.

Some of these diets do not limit a person's protein intake.  We experienced the problem with this first hand.  My wife was definitely below 50g of carbohydrate per day, but she was eating protein at will.  The problem is that any protein you eat that your body does not need for tissue maintenance is converted to glycogen by your liver.  Again, this number is different for every person, but for a fairly active person not engaging in heavy weight training, a place to start is 0.5g to 0.6g per pound of body weight.

Last weekend, my wife was at her wits end and ready to quit.  She was not producing ketones at the same rate I was and didn't feel very good.  She was completely frustrated and tired of working so hard for no results.  After talking through what she has been eating, we agreed on a hypothesis that she was eating too much protein.  She cut back immediately and was producing ketones like crazy two days later.  Today, she commented how much she feels like she is adapting to this new lifestyle and feeling pretty good.

The natural next question is, "I can't eat carbs; I can't eat protein; what can I eat?"  The simple answer is FAT.  That is not an acronym.  It is a macronutrient group that we have been told to never eat.  That is where Dr. Peter Attia comes in.  Check out http://www.eatingacademy.com/.  Dr. Attia puts a fair amount of time in his blog dealing with the myth that fat makes us fat.  He also has a great series called The Straight Dope an Cholesterol.  The series is a little technical, but gives in-depth details on why we don't need to worry about eating fat on ketgenic diet.  In fact, there is sufficient evidence that a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet can actually improve your cholesterol.  However, "improve" can be subjective.

I would love to write more on this subject, but I think I want to refer you to Dr. Attia's blog.  As I began to write more, I realized how complex the subject is and realized that I can not do it justice.  I will leave the subject for now, but I will share that I had an advanced lipid profile before I started the diet.  My plan is to have another after 2 months on the diet to be sure that I am not at an higher risk.  We will see.

Food Talk
We have had some great meals in the last couple of weeks.  I have kept us stocked up on almond bread and started making pumpkin bread.  I have been disappointed with how my quick breads are rising, but I think that might be due to using old baking powder.  Due to the lack of leavening, the pumpkin bread has come out more like pumpkin pie, but it makes a great breakfast with a big dollop of softened cream cheese.  The best part is that one serving is 170 cal (as though I care), 4.4g net carbs, and only 5.8g of protein.  The kids and I love it.  A link to the recipe will be at the end.

We have had some phenomenal dinners thanks to my wife's creativity.  She made a fantastic taco salad a couple of nights ago and I grilled up some salmon for Caesar salads tonight.


Additionally, I found a recipe for 3 minute chocolate cake.  I whipped up some cream and folded in some softened cream cheese for frosting.  The kids and I loved it.  My wife, however, found it lacking.  Next time around, we will try icing it with our favorite chocolate mousse.

Recipes
Dottie's Pumpkin Pound Cake
3 Minute Chocolate Cake
   sub almond meal for soy flour
   I also use 4 sweetener packs
Chocolate Mousse
   I like to shave 100% cocao into the mousse