Author: Bob McMillan

The most recent “fad” diet that’s been all over the internet and in the press, is the Ketogenic diet. What? Another crazy “eat a lot of fat” diet? This time there may be some merit to giving it a try. The articles have been flying around the internet and the magazine circuit for the last six months and the article traffic has picked up significantly this month. What’s causing all the stir?

“A ketogenic diet is a diet that derives most of its calories from fat and only a small number of calories from carbohydrates.

“The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates for energy. Normally, the carbohydrates you eat are turned into glucose in the body, which is used for energy around the body and in the brain. But, if you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, your body has a back-up system of burning fat instead. The liver can use stored fat and the fat you eat for energy. Stored fat is broken into two parts, fatty acids, and ketone bodies. Ketone bodies power the brain instead of glucose. This state of having a lot of ketone bodies in your blood is called ‘Ketosis’.”

— Wikipedia.

A Ketogenic diet is very similar to the old “Atkins Diet”: low carb, high fat. There is still controversy surrounding the benefits of the Atkins Diet. The Ketogenic diet is moderate in protein and high in fat with a ratio of 2 to 4 gms. fat to 1 gm. protein.

There are a lot of claims for the Ketogenic diet. There are claims that it is a way to resolve Type 2 Diabetes. It is suggested as a way to stop seizures in children and some adults. There are some in the legitimate nutritional community who believe that thorough study of the principles of a Ketogenic diet may lead to a breakthrough in the quest for a cure for cancer. The research is beyond infancy but is still pre-puberty. Ironically, weight loss is the basis of most of the current promotional articles.

OK, the Ketogenic diet has a lot of possibilities, but is it healthy? Meat and high protein products are high acid, while many of the prohibited carbs are more alkaline. Other research shows that an alkaline diet is much more likely to keep you healthy and disease free, than a high acid diet. Milk products are also acidic and cheese is a “no-no” in many of the modern healthy diets. Carbs from vegetables are OK in the Keto diet but not from fruits. Bacon, sausage, cheese and unsalted butter are encouraged.

A Ketogenic Diet flies in the face of all the recent “breakthroughs” in healthy nutrition. While the diet can be rich in vegetables and leafy greens, it promotes dairy, meat and other high fat products that are not normally considered healthy. Grains and sugar are not allowed.

While personally, I have migrated to a diet with more veggies and less meat, it seems that when my wife and I sometimes have bacon or sausage and eggs for dinner, I sleep better and wake up more refreshed in the morning. But, Bob, that’s heresy coming from you. Maybe, but it’s true.

The jury is still out and has a long way to go before reaching a verdict, but apparently the Ketogenic diet has possibilities as a healthy alternative, as well as the potential for healing some medical challenges like Cancer and Diabetes. It’s something to keep your eye on in the future and not toss it out as just another fad — at least not yet.

Thank you for reading.

Did you know that the faster you walk, the longer you will live? Apparently it’s true.

I was watching a videocast of an interview featuring the founders of Quest Nutrition, one of the fastest growing companies in the country, and makers of the popular Quest nutrition bar. During the interview a comment was made about the walking speed of two of the founders while the third was always lagging behind. The return comment was that the faster you walked, the longer you would live.

What? So I looked it up. Sure enough, in the January 5, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), an article appeared entitled “Gait Speed and Survival in Older Adults. Here’s the link to the study: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=644554 if your really want to delve into it.

After struggling through the study and learning things like: this study is actually a compilation of data from a selection of other studies, and that there are a lot of conflicts of interest involved (disclosed at the end of the study), the study determined the following:

“Why would gait speed predict survival? Walking requires energy, movement control, and support and places demands on multiple organ systems, including the heart, lungs, circulatory, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. Slowing gait may reflect both damaged systems and a high-energy cost of walking.^13,39– 54 Gait speed could be considered a simple and accessible summary indicator of vitality because it integrates known and unrecognized disturbances in multiple organ systems, many of which affect survival. In addition, decreasing mobility may induce a vicious cycle of reduced physical activity and deconditioning that has a direct effect on health and survival.”

Got that? And that was the coherent part. It also makes sense!

When my wife and I go for a walk on the trails and paths where we live, we walk at a pace between 3 to 4 miles per hour. This equates to a mile each fifteen to twenty minutes. We walk about 40 minutes so that comes to 2 to 2 1/2 miles each time we walk. In talking to others our age, their walking pace is similar. So that’s what I’d recommend for anyone out for a walk. How did I know that was the pace and distance? Oh the glories of the iPhone and its pedometer apps.

I’ve recommended walking many times in these posts. But you need more than just walking. You need to move your body (joints) through their full range of motion, and you need to lift heavy things. Walking (or running if you will) should become part of your routine as you get older. Walk more and live longer. That’s what the studies say.

Thank you for reading.

The Healthy Living Fair this past Saturday was a huge success. A number of different Nutritional perspectives were represented among the many different categories of exhibitors. All had good messages about healthy eating. Each represented a different approach about what constitutes healthy eating and each was right in its own way.

The reality is that we can draw nutrients from almost anything we eat. During my own talk during the Health Fair, I suggested that we could probably draw nutrients from a piece of cardboard if we were in an emergency situation. The quality of the nutrients derived from commercial cardboard are suspect, but I am sure there would be something useful to be found in a derivative of wood pulp. The problem with eating commercial cardboard is that there are so many toxic chemicals involved in the conversion from tree (plant) to cardboard.

During my talk, I stressed how I lost 30 pounds over a four month period, and have kept it off by simply decreasing the amount of meat I eat and increasing the amount of vegetables. I cut back on bread and eliminated as much sugar as possible.

Every speaker loves to have someone in the audience validate what he or she says. It reinforces the message to the audience. There was a young woman who attended my talk who was in her early forties and had more Personal Energy than almost anyone I have ever met. She was attractive, slim, vivacious, and overflowing with a positive vitality. During my talk she amazed everyone when she disclosed how had recently lost one hundred twenty pounds over a year. When I asked how she did it, she said, “by doing it the same way you did, simply cutting back on meat, bread and sugar and increasing the veggies”.  And although she didn’t mention it, she must exercise a lot too because she had perfect muscle and skin tone which is something you rarely see in a person who has lost a lot of weight over a short period of time.

That’s not a radical dietary change. I happen to like meat. But my taste for the huge steaks I grew up with has diminished. And while I still retain my built in dislike for broccoli, I have developed a taste for squash, zucchini, spinach and even an occasional green smoothie (with Kale). I can put enough spices or curry or whatever on broccoli to make it edible.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with a vegetarian or vegan diet if it has an adequate source of protein.

The moral of the story is that you don’t have to go on a specialized diet to lose weight, whether a lot or a little. You can make a simple shift in proportions in what you are already eating. I personally like meat but I no longer overindulge. As long as I “eat my vegetables”, I’ll be fine. And most likely, so will you.

Most nutritional approaches will try will work as long as they fit your lifestyle and you stick with them. Otherwise they become just another fad. A simple diet can be the best diet. Minor shifts can have a major effect and bring the best results.

Thank you for reading.