Are you wondering if it’s possible to eat lots of healthy fat like we advocate with the Ketogenic Lifestyle and not just gain lots of fat? The answer is yes and in this short 3 minute video, Keto Expert Dr. Lundell explains the science of how this works.

*Note: The product mentioned (KetoFuel) is now known as Vital Shake and is available from Top Shelf Nutra* Get yours here: https://topshelfnutra.com/?hztzwr

Put another way, nutritional expert and BulaFIT Warrior Blake Graham explains some of the research that he has seen as well as his own personal experience.

*Note: The product mentioned (Burn) is now known as ATP Balance and is available from Top Shelf Nutra* Get yours here: https://topshelfnutra.com/?hztzwr

^{_{These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We do not offer medical advice of any kind. Always consult your personal physician or other medical professional prior to starting any diet, exercise, or nutritional supplement program. If pregnant, lactating, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or have a known medical condition or are on a prescribed medication, consult your physician before using the BulaFIT program. BulaFIT is a comprehensive system promoting a ketogenic lifestyle which includes dietary and exercise guidance as well as nutritional supplements. Average weight loss is approximately 1-2 lbs. per week, up to 15 lbs. total. Any weight loss in excess of these amounts are considered exceptional, requiring exceptional circumstances and or efforts. No individual results should be considered typical, as individual results can and will vary dependent upon many factors.}}

Have you ever wondered about whether or not to take statin drugs? In this 8 minute video, Keto expert Dr. Randy Lundell explains how the different types of cholesterol work and his recommendations on whether or not to use Statin (cholesterol lowering) medications.

When people (and even some doctors) first hear about the ketogenic lifestyle and ketosis, they often get ketosis confused with ketoacidosis – a life threatening health challenge. In order to explain, the difference we reached out to Keto Expert Dr. Malia Haleakala, MD.

Here is what Dr. Malia had to say:

“When you mention ketosis or ketoacidosis to medical doctors, most of us instantly think of diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a serious and sometimes fatal disease in people with diabetes. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs because of high blood sugar & the inability to properly use insulin, which triggers insulin release and a vicious cycle, including ketoacidosis. These people are sick. They feel horrible, with abdominal pain and vomiting.

With nutritional ketosis, or our keto diet, we are low carb, and thus have normal blood sugar. We feel better than ever, with increased energy. BIG difference!”

_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease nor is is it intended to replace medical advice. Please consult with a licensed health care professional.}

Our BulaFIT Champion and Keto Chef Jennifer Winder has recorded a “Keto Made Easy” video where she walks through some of the common mistakes people make when cooking keto and provides solutions for how to correct them.

Nearly 90% of the time when someone isn’t getting the results they want from keto, its because the macros ( the fat, protein, and carb ratios) are out of balance.

The most common mistake is eating too much protein and not enough fat.

The next most common mistake is usally not eating the correct ratios of macros at each meal – i.e. having all protein at one meal without fat, or carbs at breakfast without any fat.

Follow the tips in this video to maximize your results!!

*Note: The product mentioned (KetoFuel) is now known as Vital Shake and is available from Top Shelf Nutra* Get yours here: https://topshelfnutra.com/?hztzwr

*Note: The product mentioned (Burn) is now known as ATP Balance and is available from Top Shelf Nutra* Get yours here: https://topshelfnutra.com/?hztzwr

Follow Jennifer Winder on Facebook at Living YOUR Keto Life

Probably the #1 mistake we see when people start following the Ketogenic Lifestyle is that they are eating too much protein and not enough fat. The Ketogenic Lifestyle should be MODERATE protein, not high protein. Diet Plans such as the Atkins Diet are high protein and Keto should be high FAT with moderate protein. While in ketosis our bodies actually use and need less protein. For athletes or if you are working out heavily you may need more protein even while in ketosis to offset your workouts.

Our Keto Expert Dr. Randy Lundell gives this simple formula for calculating your protein needs: Take your weight and divide by 2.2 kg = Protein Intake. Remember, as your weight decreases, so does the amount of protein you need!

USING THE ATP BALANCE

The ATP Balance Capsules are often referred to as a “keto energy capsule” or “willpower in a box” because they help to provide great energy, makes it easier and quicker to get into and stay in ketosis, gives sustained mental focus and clarity, and eliminate food cravings. To get maximum benefit from this incredibly powerful part of the program, use these guidelines:

Best ways to take the ATP Balance:

1. Always take it WITH FOOD or your Vital Shake, NEVER on an empty stomach.
2. Always start by taking 1 capsule with breakfast and 1 with lunch. Do NOT take both capsules at the same time.
3. Do not take it after 3 PM in the event it interferes with being able to sleep.

If you are someone who suspects you may be sensitive to caffeine or tend toward lower blood sugar, we suggest you start with only 1 capsule per day and follow the guidelines above.

If you’re using the ATP Balance, but you’re not seeing the increased energy and the fewer food cravings as the signs of being in ketosis, then there are a couple of adjustments that we look for:

ADJUST THE ATP Balance

There is a small percentage of people that take the ATP Balance and get signs of low energy, feeling sad, or you are sleepy when you shouldn’t be, then it may be a sign that your body is trying to move into ketosis, but you don’t have all the ketones you need for energy. Try REDUCING the amount of ATP Balance capsules that you take (i.e. use 1 capsule a day instead of 2) to ease into the program. Very sensitive people may only be using ½ of a capsule with breakfast and the other ½ with lunch. Below is a diagram that shows how you feel it you take the incorrect amount of ATP Balance for you.

#1: You took the ATP Balance and felt some energy but not a lot.

This usually means that you need to take more. For example if you took 1, try 2 where you take the 1st capsule with breakfast and the 2nd with lunch.

#2: Taking the ATP Balance made you have very low energy or you feel anxious, sad or irritable.

This occurs normally because the ATP Balance was either too strong or you took the 2 capsules together instead of 1 in the morning with breakfast and 1 at lunch. If you did split them up (1 at a time, 2 a day) then try cutting back to a half a capsule in the morning and a half a capsule at lunch. Be aware that some people will need to go all the way down to ½ or 1/3 capsule total per day depending on how sensitive they are. The good news is that you will be able to tell if you are going in the right direction in just 1-2 days.

#3: You took the ATP Balance and became hot, red, or itchy.

The ATP Balance capsule has some niacin in it and if someone is sensitive to Niacin they may experience a rapid niacin detox that is called a “niacin flush.” This can cause itching and burning and typically goes away within 30 to 120 minutes (less if they eat something). If this is what’s happening, the easiest thing to do is to make sure to always take them with food or cut down the dose as we described above.

#4: You took the ATP Balance and have great energy, mental clarity, and no food cravings.

This is when you know that you are taking the ATP Balance at the “just right” dose and timing for you.

_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We do not offer medical advice of any kind. Always consult your personal physician or other medical professional prior to starting any diet, exercise, or nutritional supplement program. If pregnant, lactating, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or have a known medical condition or are on a prescribed medication, consult your physician before using the ATP Balance. BulaFIT is a comprehensive system promoting a ketogenic lifestyle which includes dietary and exercise guidance as well as nutritional supplements. Average weight loss is approximately 1-2 lbs. per week, up to 15 lbs. total. Any weight loss in excess of these amounts are considered exceptional, requiring exceptional circumstances and or efforts. No individual results should be considered typical, as individual results can and will vary dependent upon many factors.}

If you are dealing with low energy – especially as you are transistioning to ketosis – make sure you review the FAQ titled “Adjusting the ATP Balance for Maximum Results” first.

If you are still finding that you would like extra energy or are dealing with food cravings or “snaccidents” between meals, the Sport N Go can be a great product to use between meals. You can use this product when you feel hungry but don’t want extra calories.

_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We do not offer medical advice of any kind. Always consult your personal physician or other medical professional prior to starting any diet, exercise, or nutritional supplement program. If pregnant, lactating, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or have a known medical condition or are on a prescribed medication, consult your physician before using the BulaFIT ATP Balance. BulaFIT is a comprehensive system promoting a ketogenic lifestyle which includes dietary and exercise guidance as well as nutritional supplements. Average weight loss is approximately 1-2 lbs. per week, up to 15 lbs. total. Any weight loss in excess of these amounts are considered exceptional, requiring exceptional circumstances and or efforts. No individual results should be considered typical, as individual results can and will vary dependent upon many factors.}

Dairy Allergies/Intolerances and the Vital Shake
There can be multiple levels of “dairy intolerance.” The most common is a LACTOSE (milk sugar) intolerance. Since there is no lactose in the Vital Shake even those with a lactose intolerance should be able to enjoy the shake.

There is also a CASEIN (one type of dairy protein) intolerance. Interestingly not all dietary proteins are equal. The major proteins in milk are casein and whey. These two milk proteins are both excellent sources of all the essential amino acids, but they differ in one important aspect—whey is a fast-digesting protein and casein is a slow-digesting protein. Often a dairy intolerance will be a CASEIN intolerance. For example, in some of the research on AUTISM they talk about the dietary recommendations being a GLUTEN-FREE, CASEIN-FREE diet. The Vital Shake is made with whey, not casein, so even people with a CASEIN intolerance can enjoy the Vital Shake. Only those with a WHEY intolerance may need to find a replacement for the Vital Shake. Of course many people with a “dairy intolerance” may not be aware of what type of intolerance they have. One way to tell is to use the Vital Shake and see if they develop phlegm (excess mucus in the nose or throat) as this can be one of the most common signs of dairy intolerance, and may help them determine if they need to find a replacement.

Dairy fat, on the other hand, rarely causes allergy or intolerance issues, even with people with a dairy intolerance. That is why almost everyone should be fine using BUTTER. If the person can use butter, they won’t have an issue with dairy fat.

So if they do have a WHEY intolerance (again, they might not know unless they try it) then we recommend they start with the Java Boost Coffee and add an unflavored bone broth protein (which is great at providing the body the building blocks needed to repair damaged villi in the digestive track).

If you have concerns, use caution and try a small amount of the Vital Shake at first to see how you do.
_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We do not offer medical advice of any kind. Always consult your personal physician or other medical professional prior to starting any diet, exercise, or nutritional supplement program. If pregnant, lactating, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or have a known medical condition or are on a prescribed medication, consult your physician before using the ATP Balance. BulaFIT is a comprehensive system promoting a ketogenic lifestyle which includes dietary and exercise guidance as well as nutritional supplements. Average weight loss is approximately 1-2 lbs. per week, up to 15 lbs. total. Any weight loss in excess of these amounts are considered exceptional, requiring exceptional circumstances and or efforts. No individual results should be considered typical, as individual results can and will vary dependent upon many factors.}

If you are pregnant or lactating, consult your physician before using the ATP Balance.

We suggest replacing the ATP Balance with our delicious Sport N Go which is safe for pregnancy and lactation.

The Vital Shake is a whole food full meal replacement shake and may be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We do not offer medical advice of any kind. Always consult your personal physician or other medical professional prior to starting any diet, exercise, or nutritional supplement program. If pregnant, lactating, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or have a known medical condition or are on a prescribed medication, consult your physician before using the ATP Balance. BulaFIT is a comprehensive system promoting a ketogenic lifestyle which includes dietary and exercise guidance as well as nutritional supplements. Average weight loss is approximately 1-2 lbs. per week, up to 15 lbs. total. Any weight loss in excess of these amounts are considered exceptional, requiring exceptional circumstances and or efforts. No individual results should be considered typical, as individual results can and will vary dependent upon many factors.}

There are two sources of energy our body can choose from to burn: glucose (sugar, often derived from carbs) which is a fast burning kind of fuel (kind of like kindling on a fire) and ketones (fat, essentially) which is a longer burning, more lasting energy source, and cleaner as well (like logs on a fire).

Exogenous ketones (ketones we give the body from “outside” for example via a supplement or energy drink), can help give us energy and encourage our body to start creating its own ketones. Think of this as a ketogenic energy drink. It is NOT a meal replacement.

When fat loss is the target, more than ketones from an energy drink, we want to break down fat within our own body and create and burn our own ketones. While generally it can take 3 to even 14 days for your body to get into “natural” or nutritional ketosis, there are ways to speed this process up. This is what the ATP Balance capsule is designed for — to help burn more ketones, increase energy, and to reduce cravings.

The BulaFit Vital Shake supplies the body with the perfect ratio of macros, including lots of healthy fats, to get the body into ketosis naturally. And it is the first “just add water” full ketogenic meal replacement on the market.

These 2 products, ATP Balance and Vital Shake, all operate on different mechanisms & may be used together.

Please note that many people have tended to use urine test strips to see if they are in ketosis. However, if someone is in ketosis, you actually don’t lose very many ketones through the urine, and instead they are being burned in the body for energy. For someone in true ketosis the test strips should show very low or moderate ketones. If they show heavy amounts of ketones, you are seeing the ketones the body hasn’t burned for energy.

So rather than using urine test strips, opt for an alternate method to test for ketosis, such as simply asking the questions:

1. Do you have more energy?
2. Do you have fewer food cravings?

These are the #1 signs of ketosis.

An alternate method suggested by Dr. Lundell if you are not diabetic is to test your fasting blood sugar (first thing in the morning upon waking before eating). He states that if it is in the 80s you are likely in ketosis.

_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We do not offer medical advice of any kind. Always consult your personal physician or other medical professional prior to starting any diet, exercise, or nutritional supplement program. If pregnant, lactating, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or have a known medical condition or are on a prescribed medication, consult your physician before using the BulaFIT ATP Balance. BulaFIT is a comprehensive system promoting a ketogenic lifestyle which includes dietary and exercise guidance as well as nutritional supplements. Average weight loss is approximately 1-2 lbs. per week, up to 15 lbs. total. Any weight loss in excess of these amounts are considered exceptional, requiring exceptional circumstances and or efforts. No individual results should be considered typical, as individual results can and will vary dependent upon many factors.}

When you are on a ketogenic diet you need more salt. Why?

Our liver uses salt in order to break down fat into ketones. And we’ve known that salt (NaCl) is necessary for stomach acid (HCl) production. In an online article Dr. James DiNicolantonio, Doctor of Pharmacy, warns against the dangers of low salt diets.

Here are some highlights:

Salt has been wrongly demonized as a major contributor to high blood pressure. Factors that play a significantly greater role include your sodium-to-potassium ratio, and a high-sugar, processed food diet.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency may include muscle fatigue, spasms, cramps and heart palpitations. Such symptoms may disappear by adding more salt to your diet.

In the 1600s, the average person was consuming up to 100 grams of salt per day from salted cod, herring and meats. Today, most people get 10 grams of salt per day or less, yet we have far higher rates of hypertension.

Low-sodium diets may lower blood pressure. However, this reduction in blood pressure may not necessarily translate into a reduction in cardiovascular events. In fact, the reduction in blood pressure may actually be harmful by potentially increasing heart rate, as well as the risk of falls and fractures.

Low-sodium diets can also worsen your total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio and induce insulin resistance increasing both triglycerides and insulin.

Subpopulations that may need to monitor their salt intake are listed, as are conditions that increase your need for salt by increasing sodium loss. The benefits of salt loading before exercise are also discussed.

Article excerpts:

Is salt really bad for your blood pressure? James DiNicolantonio, Pharm.D., answers this and many other questions relating to salt in his book, The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong — and How Eating More Might Save Your Life. DiNicolantonio is a doctor of pharmacy, and it was during his work as a community pharmacist that his interest in this culinary staple emerged.

“[Patients … were put on this low-salt diet and were having all these symptoms like muscle fatigue, muscle spasms, cramps and heart palpitations. They said their doctors ordered them to not add salt to their food because they have high blood pressure. Yet they were suffering from all these new symptoms … symptoms of salt deficiency.

What I ended up doing is kind of pushing back and telling my patients, ‘You know, you really need to go to your doctor’s office. Tell them these symptoms that you’re having, and get your blood-sodium levels drawn because you might be deficient in salt.’

Sure enough, these people were severely dehydrated. They had low sodium levels in the blood. Within a few days of just upping their salt intake, all of these symptoms went away. Right there, I knew that this low salt advice was just not panning out in the real world.”

In some cases, the patients’ sodium levels were so low their doctors actually ended up reducing or eliminating their prescription for diuretics, which are commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, and instructed them to start adding salt back to their food. This is an important lesson because, while it’s actually hard to consume harmful amounts of sodium, it’s easy to end up with too little. These real-world experiences prompted DiNicolantonio to write his book, in which he also provides a historical perspective about the use of salt.

Historical Usage of Salt

Salt has been widely and regularly used throughout history. In fact, historically, people consumed over 10 times the amount of salt we consume today, as it was a primary food preservative before the invention of refrigerators. “The Japanese and South Koreans live the longest, yet they consume the highest amounts of salt,” he says. “We know, even from a population perspective, it never made much sense to cut salt intake.”

In the 1600s in Sweden, it was estimated that the average person was consuming 100 grams of salt per day. Today, most people get 10 grams of salt per day or less (1 teaspoon of salt equates to 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium and the average American consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium per day), yet we struggle with far higher rates of hypertension than they did back then. The rampant increase in high blood pressure didn’t really start until the early 1900s.

“The rise in hypertension, obesity and diabetes beginning in the early 1900s actually parallels a reduction in salt intake, because you had the refrigerator becoming very prevalent in the 1930s and ‘40s. Salt intake has actually gone down while all these chronic diseases have gone up,” DiNicolantonio says, adding that, “Our bodies control its intake. There’s never been any evidence that an increase in salt intake has ever paralleled any rise in any chronic disease.”

Does Salt Intake Correlate With Blood Pressure?

The idea that salt intake correlates with blood pressure was primarily popularized by the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study, in which lower salt intake resulted in dramatic improvements in blood pressure. However, the DASH diet is not only low in salt, it’s also low in processed foods and sugars, and these may have a far greater impact on your blood pressure than salt.

“Going back even further than that, there was a man named Lewis Dahl. He was basically the Ancel Keys of salt. He did virtually the same thing that Keys did in 1953, where he used five populations to draw a linear line saying that hypertension problems rose as salt intake increased. Keys did six countries … and showed this right-curving linear association with fat intake and deaths due to coronary disease.

We don’t know what was in the water in the 1950s, but these doctors seemed to just pick five or six populations that fit their hypothesis, plotting it out to show their association — basically finding what they wanted to find. ‘Intersalt’ is one of the main studies published in 1988, where there were 52 populations. Four of these populations were primitive cultures. They consumed virtually no salt, like the Yanomamo Indians and a few other types of unacculturated civilizations. When you remove those four tribal populations and look at just the 48 civilized countries, there was actually a reduction of blood pressure as salt intake increased. But that didn’t get highlighted.

What got highlighted was the reduction in blood pressure as salt intake was lowered, but only if you included those four primitive cultures that also ate a ton of potassium, a ton of magnesium — they exercise more than us, they’re lean, they don’t drink alcohol, they don’t consume sugar. When you remove those cultures, we actually found the opposite. The more salt consumed … there was a reduction in blood pressure.”

Low-Salt Recommendations Likely Do More Harm Than Good

According to DiNicolantonio, your blood pressure may indeed go down when you reduce your salt intake. The problem is that your total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, which is a much better predictor of heart disease than low-density lipoprotein (LDL), is worsened right along with it. Triglycerides and insulin are also increased.

So, overall, your heart disease risk increases rather than decreases, even though your blood pressure readings appear better. What’s worse, salt deficiency also increases your chances of developing insulin resistance, because one of the ways in which your body preserves salt is by raising your insulin level. Higher insulin helps your kidneys retain more salt.

“I’ve seen studies where going on low-salt diets are actually just as harmful as adding high amounts of sugar, in regards to the spikes in glucose levels you see after an oral glucose tolerance test,” DiNicolantonio says.

“You can get 60 to 70 percent, even 100 percent increase in the area under the curve (AUC) of an oral glucose tolerance test by cutting your salt intake! This is a key mineral that we need to make sure that we’re getting enough of. Otherwise, that could be contributing to insulin resistance and increase in fat storage.”

Insulin resistance, in turn, is a hallmark of not only heart disease but most chronic diseases. By not taking the whole disease picture into account, the low-salt diet advice may actually have done more harm than good. Unfortunately, as salt was vilified, sugar ended up getting a free pass. Today, most processed foods are loaded with added sugar and harmful industrially processed oils while containing virtually no healthy saturated fats or natural, unprocessed salt. “People were basically being told sugar was just energy. It wasn’t harmful to your body,” DiNicolantonio says. “Salt was the addictive white substance but, really, it was sugar all along.”

The Keto Flu — A Symptom of Sodium Deficiency

One of the most effective ways to improve insulin resistance is to switch to a diet high in healthy fats and low in net carbs, typically referred to as a ketogenic diet or targeted cyclical ketosis. The benefits of this type of diet is detailed in the book, Fat for Fuel. A common side effect experienced by those switching to a ketogenic diet is something called “the keto flu,” which DiNicolantonio addresses in his book.

Almost invariably, if you follow a ketogenic program and fail to understand how it will affect your sodium levels, you will wake up with severe intractable muscle cramps at night, and the reason for this is excessive sodium loss. As noted by DiNicolantonio, when you dramatically reduce carbs, you also end up with a dramatically reduced sodium level, and here’s why:

“When you are consuming 400 grams of carbohydrates every day, and then you decide to cut your carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams, your insulin levels dramatically go down, glucagon goes up, and then you start producing these negatively charged ketone bodies — all three of which deplete your body of salt.

These negatively charged ketone bodies are pulling positively charged sodium ions out in the urine, at least for the first week, when you cut your carbohydrate intake.

Most people are losing an additional 1 to 2 grams of sodium per day when they cut their carbohydrate intake for about two weeks. But the other issue is that the loss of exogenous glucose is now reducing your absorption of sodium. Glucose helps us absorb sodium. When you are no longer consuming high amounts of glucose, you are also not absorbing as much sodium.”

Low-Sodium Diets Decimate Your Magnesium and Calcium Levels

Your salt status also directly controls your magnesium and calcium levels. If you do not get enough salt, your body not only starts pulling sodium from the bone, it also strips your bone of magnesium and calcium to maintain a normal sodium level. Your body will also attempt to maintain sodium by decreasing the amount of sodium lost in sweat, excreting magnesium and calcium instead. Thirdly, low sodium will elevate aldosterone, a sodium-retaining hormone, which also reduces magnesium by shuttling it out through your urine.

A low-sodium diet is therefore one of the worst things you can do for your health, especially your bone and heart health, as magnesium is one of the most important minerals for biological function.

Magnesium insufficiency will also trigger muscle cramps. Interestingly, there’s evidence to suggest having a healthy magnesium level can help mitigate some of the negative impacts that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can have on your body. The reason for this is because EMFs activate voltage-gated calcium channels in your cells, and magnesium is a natural calcium-channel blocker.

DiNicolantonio specifies a low-sodium diet as one containing 1 teaspoon of salt or 2,300 mg of sodium per day or less. The American Heart Association recommends even lower amounts, suggesting people eat less than 1,500 mg a day — less than two-thirds of a teaspoon of salt. Low-salt recommendations rarely take coffee intake into account either, even though coffee consumption is extremely common and will rapidly deplete your salt stores.

If you drink four cups of coffee in a day, you can easily expel more than 1 teaspoon of salt in your urine within four hours. Yet you’re being told to consume less than 1 teaspoon of salt per day. Following this advice can lead to significant sodium deficiency within mere days if your body is losing large amounts of salt. Sweating will also eliminate salt from your body, so if you sweat a lot, you may get rid of more than you add back in if you’re on a low-salt diet.

Practical Recommendations

If you’re eating a whole food diet, you’re probably eating a very low-sodium diet, as unprocessed foods do not contain much, if any, salt. As a result, you may need to make sure you’re salting your food. As for how much to add, the general recommendation is simply to salt to taste. There’s actually little concern about getting too much salt, because any excess will be expelled through your kidneys. According to DiNicolantonio, a person with healthy kidneys can consume at least 86 grams of salt per day.

“The problem is not getting enough. We can’t manufacture an essential mineral. That’s why all the studies show the highest risk of cardiovascular events and early mortality at a low salt intake, even versus a high-salt intake, even if you look at really high amounts of salt,” DiNicolantonio says.

“I’m talking 7,000 to 8,000 mg of sodium per day. The rise in cardiovascular mortalities may be only around 20 percent versus 3,000 to 4,000 mg. If you go low-salt, the coronary heart disease mortality can be increased almost twofold.”

Your body also has a built-in “salt thermostat” that basically tells you how much you need by regulating your craving for salt. So, learn to listen to your body and remember that if you sweat profusely, either through exercise or sauna use, for example, or drink caffeinated beverages, you automatically will need more than usual.

Recommended Types of Salt

When adding salt to your food, be sure to use a natural, unprocessed salt. This is what your body actually needs.

Subpopulations That May Need to Restrict Salt Intake

Overall, most people do not need to worry about consuming too much salt. That said, there are some salt-sensitive subpopulations that may need to limit their salt intake to 2,300 mg per day. This includes those with:• Endocrine disorders • High aldosterone levels • Cushing’s syndrome • Elevated cortisol • Liddle syndrome, a rare condition affecting about 1 in 1 million individuals, causing them to retain too much salt. If treated with amiloride, salt intake probably does not need to be restricted.

Conditions That Contribute to Sodium Loss

On the other hand, there are conditions that contribute to sodium loss or prevent your body from absorbing salt well, thereby raising your need for additional salt. This includes:

Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis Bariatric surgery, and those who have had their intestine and/or colon removed Sleep apnea, as the lack of breathing increases blood flow to the thorax and increases central blood pressure.

This tricks your body into thinking it’s overloaded in salt, triggering the excretion of salt. Sleep apnea can cause you to lose about 3,000 mg of sodium each night

Kidney diseases such as polycystic kidney disease and glomerulonephritis (interstitial damage to the tubules that causes salt loss) Irritable bowel syndrome Hypothyroidism (as thyroid hormones allow your kidneys to reabsorb salt) Adrenal deficiency Ceilac disease

The Importance of Salt When Fasting and Exercising

You will also need to figure out how to get some salt into your body when water fasting. One way to do that is to simply pour a small amount into the palm of your hand and lick it up. I do that four to six times a day during my five-day monthly fast.

DiNicolantonio also recommends dosing yourself with some salt before exercise. This is what I call a golden pearl. I never previously recognized this but have started to incorporate it into my regimen.

“I call salt the sixth factor in fitness. When you exercise in the heat, there is a tenfold increase in heat stroke if you follow a low-salt diet,” he warns. “Everyone’s trying to look for a way to increase blood circulation. Nothing’s going to beat salt. What I do is I take about half a teaspoon of a Redmond Real Salt, and add just enough lemon juice to cover the [taste of the] salt … in 2 ounces of water. It tastes like a lemon shot when you do it that way.

“You can even create like a keto-aid where you [mix] the salt with lemon juice, lime juice and water. You’re creating like this lemon-lime Gatorade without the sugar. That’s how some people get their dose of salt before they exercise.”

The benefits are you’re acutely increasing blood volume, you’re increasing your blood circulation and you’re reducing your heart rate, which is important in order to run longer, faster and harder. Also, salt is one of our best vasodilators. That allows heat to escape the body …

When you are exercising, your muscles are losing salt. That’s why you get the muscle spasms and twitches. If you just add salt back to the diet, you can completely eliminate overtraining syndrome … Preloading with salt seems to work much better than trying to catch up [later].”

Pay Attention to Your Sodium/Potassium Balance

As you can see, there’s really no justification for low-sodium recommendations, especially for heart health. On the contrary, restricting salt can have rather disastrous health consequences. In closing, I want to remind you to also pay attention to your sodium-to-potassium ratio, which has a far stronger correlation to blood pressure than does salt intake alone.

It’s generally recommended that you consume five times more potassium than sodium, but most Americans eat twice as much sodium as potassium. If you’re eating mostly processed foods and few fresh vegetables, your sodium-to-potassium balance is virtually guaranteed to be inversed. Imbalance in this ratio not only can lead to high blood pressure but also contribute to a number of other health problems, including but not limited to:

• Kidney stones • Memory decline • Osteoporosis • Erectile dysfunction • Stomach ulcers and stomach cancer

A great deal of good could come from revising public health recommendations to focus on a high-quality diet rich in potassium rather than sodium reduction.

If this interview has piqued your curiosity and you want to learn more about the ins and outs of salt and why it’s so important for optimal health, be sure to pick up a copy of DiNicolantonio’s book, The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong — and How Eating More Might Save Your Life.

_{*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease nor is is it intended to replace medical advice. Please consult with a licensed health care professional.} 

Can you do keto while traveling? Maybe you forgot to plan for a meal or something unexpected came up. What about if your schedule keeps you on the road and away from a kitchen most of the time? Yes you can! By understanding the basic concepts of keto, it can be done anywhere with any schedule!

Here is a list of 10 tips:

1. Use 1-2 Vital Shakes per day to replace 1-2 meals. If you want to increase the benefits of this strategy, consider adding heavy whipping cream, or 1 tbsp. MCT oil or even 10-12 Macadamia Nuts to up the fat to protein ratio for increased fat loss. The heavy whipping cream needs to be refrigerated in between use but the MCT doesn’t as long as kept at reasonable temperatures.

2. While eating out, ask for real butter or hollandaise sauce on veggies, meats, eggs, etc.

3. For hamburgers – use lettuce as the bun and add cheese, mustard, bacon, tomato, onion, mayo, and olives but skip the ketchup.

4. At Mexican restaurants, order meals without tacos, tortillas, chips, beans, or rice. Instead order the item without these things and add extra guacamole, salsa, and sour cream (much like the bunless hamburger!).

5. Order salads and bring along an avacado or olives or MCT oil to top it with to make sure you have enough fat. Ranch dressing can be another source of fat.

6. For quick meals out of the grocery story look for rotisserie chicken, almonds ,macadamia nuts, avocado, nitrate/nitrite free hot dogs or summer sausage, cheese, pickles,relish and olives.

7. Always order food without breading (i.e. stay away from breaded fish, chicken, bread sticks etc).

8. For breakfast go for eggs and extra bacon all cooked in butter ot topped with hollandaise sauce

9. This article from ruledme.com includes an extensive list of tips and ideas for convenience stores, restaurants and eating out: https://www.ruled.me/keto-and-fast-food-on-the-go/

10. When you are home or able to prepare food, look for fat bomb recipes. Most need to be kept cool so would require a cooler.

Good sources of meats, proteins and keto friendly veggies are not hard to find so the key to success is develop your own go-to fat sources!

Can you subtract sugar alcohols from the carb count of an item?

Honestly, there is debate on this. People who teach Atkins have said, “Many low-carb products are sweetened with a form of sugar called sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols come in the form of ingredients such as glycerin, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol, isomalt, lactitol and maltitol. Sugar alcohols provide a sweetness and mouth feel similar to sugar, without all the calories and unwanted metabolic effects. Sugar alcohols are not fully absorbed by the gut, which means they provide roughly half the calories that sugar does. Thanks to this incomplete and slower absorption, there is a minimal impact on blood sugar and insulin response. Because of this, sugar alcohols don’t significantly interfere with fat burning, which makes them acceptable on Atkins. However, since a portion of sugar alcohols aren’t fully absorbed in the gut, there is the potential that consuming too much may produce a laxative effect or cause some gastrointestinal problems. Most people can usually handle 20 to 30 grams a day. To calculate Net Carb count with sugar alcohols, simply subtract grams of sugar alcohols (including glycerin), as well as fiber, from total grams of carbs.”

However, diabetes educational sites say differently. They explain, “Sugar alcohols may be found in products that are labeled “sugar-free” or “no sugar added.” This can include sugar-free candies, chocolate, and energy bars. But don’t be fooled – sugar alcohols are still a form of carbohydrate, and they still affect your blood sugar levels, if not as dramatically. Because sugar alcohols are hard for the body to digest, the effect on blood sugar levels is less than standard sugar. When counting carbohydrates for products made with sugar alcohols, subtract half of the grams of sugar alcohol listed on the food label from the total grams of carbohydrate. Remember that because sugar alcohols are harder for your body to digest, eating too many sugar alcohols may cause digestive complaints like gas, cramping and diarrhea.”

The links for this information are:

Counting Sugar Alcohols :: Diabetes Education Online

When counting carbohydrates for products made with sugar alcohols, subtract half of the grams of sugar alcohol listed on the food label.

dtc.ucsf.edu

Ask the Nutritionist: The Scoop on Sugar Alcohols | Atkins

Q: What are sugar alcohols and how do they impact Net Carb count?A: Many low-carb products are sweetened with a form of sugar called sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols

atkins.com

One “certified diabetes educator” that I found saw insulin reactions even with people using the sugar alcohols, but it seems that it can vary from person to person. Be aware of your personal response to sugar alcohols and adjust the amount you use accordingly.

Keto Expert Dr. Randy Lundell recommends staying around 25 g of net carbs per day. To calculate net carbs, take a look at this simple label for an avacado:

To calculate the net carbs in any food, subtract the number of grams of “Dietary Fiber” from the number of grams of “Total Carbohydrate.”

Total Carbs – Fiber = Net Carbs

In this example of an organic Hass avacado:

12 grams of total carbs – 9.2 grams of dietary fiber = 2.8 grams of net carbs per avocado.

Keep in mind that this indicates the number of net carbs per serving (per avocado in this case).

Yes! Here are 3 of our favorite options:

1. Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetner. This sweetner comes from the Monkfruit Plant.

Make sure to get the GOLDEN version if you are looking for a brown sugar substitute. Find it in health food stores or online.

2. Sukrin Gold. This is made from mostly erythritol with a small amount of Stevia. Find it online.

3. Make your own. Here is one such recipe: http://gwens-nest.com/sugar-free-brown-sugar-recipe/

Typically we think of Yogurt as being really healthy. However most yogurt is actually low in fat and very high in sugar either from sweetners or added fruit. But you can have yogurt if you read lables carefully.

1. Look for for UNSWEETENED GREEK Yogurt with the least amount of carbs you can find. Some of the best I have seen have 4-5 carbs per serving. Just remember to count this in your carbs for that meal.

2. To pick up the fat content, mix in unflavored MCT oil ( I like the Sports Research brand and use about 1 tbsp.). This results in a RICH, CREAMY filling yogurt.

3. For flavoring — experiment with adding low sugar flavorings such as Sweet Leaf Stevia drops https://www.sweetleaf.com/collections/stevia-sweet-drops or other similar brands available at grocery stores, health food stores, or Amazon . Other ideas could include a little of Sport-n-Go product or just a few strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries. Remember to count this in your carbs.

Yogurt is still probably best considered as a “treat” keto food — especially if you are just beginning keto or find that fruit or a of lot dairy slow your fat loss or hinder your ability to stay in ketosis.

If you are dairy intolerant, keto can certainly be done dairy free! One of of our favorite dairy free cookbooks is the The Keto Diet by Leann Vogel.