Thank you for taking an interest in what I'll call my lifelong health journey.
It was my current cardiologist that suggested I reduce carbohydrates to reduce my triglycerides which it did dramatically. An added benefit was my A1c dropped from 5.9 to 5.0, which my family doctor can't wrap his head around.
The late Dr Atkins was the first to report that triglycerides are apparently related to carbohydrates because when his patients limited their carbs, their triglyceride numbers came way down. I did a lot of research before beginning this diet change. Keto gets a bad rap because so many think it's only red meat, bacon, eggs and butter. Additionally, there's an exponentially growing market of "keto friendly" junk foods ranging from frozen desserts, candy bars, to breakfast cereals to further confuse people. I have found it best to simply tell people I'm eating low carb rather than keto to avoid the raised and furrowed brows.
It's interesting because while 20g or so of daily carbohydrates sounds spartan, I'm actually eating more vegetables and as much fruit as before I started. The caveat is which vegetables and fruits I eat. Dark green leafy salads of arugula, romaine, spinach etc., the keto ABC's-asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower are staples. Then there's cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, olives, peppers, green beans and spinach. For fruits it's one cup of either strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries. Also, I eat one, sometimes two, large avocados daily. I like to make a dessert or breakfast of three parts plain whole milk yogurt, one part sour cream, some berries, chia seeds, half an avocado, allulose and stevia to taste, processed until smooth in the food processor.
Wonderful. The fruit/vegetable part of your diet is close to what the Medical Medium writing suggests that everyone should be eating. The glucose in fruits is bonded to a myriad of nutrients and they suggest many other fruits besides the super-healthy berries, e.g. apples, bananas, pears, apricots, papaya, mango, dates, figs, lemons and limes, etc.
Yes, I do eat red meat. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where I can buy local pasture raised and locally processed beef. But, I also eat chicken and fish from Costco. For cooking oils I use avocado, EVOO, occasionally ghee and coconut oil. For sweetener I use Sweet Leaf brand liquid stevia for coffee and tea, along with allulose and erythritol-monk fruit blend for baking. For baking almond flour, coconut flour, egg white powder, psyllium husk, ground flaxseed and chia seed.
From my reading of the Medical Medium, he would have little quarrel with the last paragraph. There is no restriction on eating meats, only that you do as your are doing, antibiotic free, grass fed, free range lean meats. What I don't eat anymore is bread, pasta and rice. I hear so many people say, "I could never give up bread," Or pasta. Or rice. I admit it was tough. There are many keto recipes for bread and pasta but I've yet to find one I like so I simply avoid it. I do eat cauliflower rice, which depending on the brand is quite passable for its grain counterpart.
This approach seems wise. Bread (wheat/gluten), pasta and rice are not any foods that the Medical Medium writings suggest are healthy. They don't say avoid rice/pasta, perhaps for the reasons you mention, too hard for many people t give up.One thing many talk about is the "keto flu" when they start. My cardiologist recommended supplementing with a good electrolyte drink mix which took care of it for me.
After my heart surgery another cardiologist had me on 40 mg atorvastatin and 100 mg metoprolol. Over the years 20 mg lisinopril and 25 mg HCTZ were added. He suggested I go on a vegetarian diet. He gave me a book called Forks Over Knives. I followed it religiously for five months. I lost ten pounds but I was always starving. On keto I'm never hungry. Plus I've been able to get off all those medicines and other medications for chronic pain, which has all but disappeared.
The Dean Ornish diet sounds similar, i.e., is an almost "no fat diet," and has had terrific long term results. Again, so long as you are limiting fats, your so-called "Keto" diet closely matches what the Medical Medium's source has suggested over 8 books and thousands of pages.One thing people ask is, "What about your LDL?" I've had one lipid panel about eight months into this diet. When compared to the previous panel when I was on 40 mg of atorvastatin my LDL was higher. But, my HDL was for the first time ever actually higher than what the doctors like. I plan to get another lipid panel with Lp(a) soon.
Not clear when you stopped the statin cholesterol-lowering drug, but stopping was wise, and vitamin C can help control cholesterol levels.I'm no scientist but I've been curious for some time regarding the brain using glucose versus ketones for fuel. My wife might disagree, but I don't think my brain has suffered any detrimental blows.
Respectfully,
Jerry
The fruits and vegetables in your diet are protecting your brain and providing ideal glucose.
Rice, pasta and bread would not provide ideal glucose, for one thing, they are nutrient depleted, and any glucose (carbs) are not bonded to minerals, vitamins, aminos and other nutrients like glucose is bonded in fruits. Its becoming clear to me that taking sugar that is not bonded with nutrients, literally steals nutrition from the body. The sugar is brought into cells, which is important for running the body and healing, but glucose by itself is without bonded nutrients.
The Medical Medium reveals that only glucose powers the brain, which resembles an electrical device, and sometimes in emergencies, Adrenalin can power the brain for a short time.
The wording implies that nothing else fuels the brain, e.g. ketones, and I know there is no muscle or fat cells in the brain. I once went looking for the research that created the idea that the brain could run on ketones, and it boiled down to a single case study of someone whose blood sugar dropped to zero, yet the person remained conscious. It was assumed that ketones were keeping the brain functional, but science still hasn't determined that not only is the brain mostly carbohydrate, but it has a glucose storage facility, very similar to the liver's glycogen supply. If you want to know more, there is the 1000 page Medical Medium BRAIN SAVER book that was just published last fall -)Owen R. Fonorow
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