Study: Keto diet might boost efficacy of chemo

Sticking to a ketogenic diet or using a diabetes drug to keep your blood sugar under control could help you beat certain cancers by boosting the efficacy of standard chemotherapy, according to Medical News Today.

A ketogenic diet is a dietary approach that focuses on minimal carbohydrates, moderate amounts of protein and high healthy fat consumption — the three keys to achieving nutritional ketosis.

The keto approach to food improves metabolic health, decreases insulin levels and is slowly gaining traction as an effective method to control weight, reduce inflammation and lessen your risk of cancer. Other benefits include optimizing your body and mind and lowering your risk of developing such disorders as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

On a keto diet, the bulk of your daily calorie consumption (around 70%) should come from healthy fats. This will help your body switch from burning sugar to fat for energy in the long run because you’re removing the majority of carbohydrates from your system. Healthy fats include:

• Coconut oil;
• Ghee;
• Raw cacao butter;
• Avocados;
• Organic pastured eggs;
• Olives and olive oil (make sure they are third-party certified because most olive oils are diluted with vegetable oils);
• Raw nuts, such as macadamia, almonds and pecans;
• Seeds such as pumpkin, sesame, cumin and hemp.

Even the U.S. military has discovered the benefits of a keto diet. Several branches of the services are investigating a new approach in regard to nutrition for U.S. troops.

The keto low-carb/high-fat approach to food was shown to help reduce the “respiratory quotient,” or the amount of carbon dioxide the body produces relative to the amount of oxygen it consumes in soldiers. That potential for Navy SEALs and other “elite operators” on dives has proven that going keto may even prevent seizures for divers who need to remain hidden underwater for long periods of time.

For all military, it would mean adopting a low-carb/high fat approach to food — burning fat instead of glucose for energy — instead of the other way around. As a result, the current military menus could be overhauled and the high-carb/high-sugar content of MREs (meals ready to eat) could be switched out for a high protein/low carbon option.

It may not be as hard as you think to give up the pastas, breads and pastries you crave, especially when weighed against the devastating health effects caused by a high-carb, sugary and processed food diet. There are healthy and satisfying alternatives to pasta and sugar and after you give up the processed and fast foods, the cravings for them will disappear. You don’t have to give up sweet-tasting treats, though: for example, even strawberries and keto chocolate bonbons can be part of your menu.

With the popularity of the keto diet exploding, there’s to no shortage of tasty keto meals and keto snacks, such as thyme and onion crackers, latkes, chocolate-almond bonbons and more.

yogaesoteric

November 10, 2019

 

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