KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

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jan.walker
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KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

Post by jan.walker »

Hi, I am not a scientist. I have read the China Study and was convinced that a plant based approach is best for many diseases including AZ reduction (also read a study about Nigeria and low aZ rate even with very high 4/4 due to plant based approach). Now I just got back from a Bredesen trained doctor who I really like and she says I need to do Keto. Period. Need to be in Ketosis to hope to avoid this nasty gene. So, what is it? I have been plant based for bout a year (primarily plant based with some cheating but not much) and lost weight and feel good. Eat beans for protein that have carbs....Now I need to be in Ketosis which means I need to drop the beans and add in meat. I fast from 6pm to about noon most days on the plant based diet.

So confused and in despair now. How do I toss my plant based approach (I finally got used to it and good at it) and eat a lot of fat and meat? What is th answer? I want to avoid this disease but I am at a complete loss with what to do. Any advice please?
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SusanJ
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Re: KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

Post by SusanJ »

jan.walker wrote:Eat beans for protein that have carbs....Now I need to be in Ketosis which means I need to drop the beans and add in meat.
Do you test ketones now to know if you are generating any on your current diet? There are people on here who eat vegetarian, and/or also higher amounts of net carbs that "recommended", and still generate ketones. And then again, some people have to drive net carbs really low to get results.

Might be worth getting a KetoMojo or other device to test where you are now before jumping into a big change. We're all different.
Quantifier
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Re: KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

Post by Quantifier »

jan.walker wrote: So confused and in despair now. How do I toss my plant based approach (I finally got used to it and good at it) and eat a lot of fat and meat? What is th answer? I want to avoid this disease but I am at a complete loss with what to do. Any advice please?
There is no 'one' answer for all, everyone experiments and finds what works better for them, in all senses. Us ApoE4 positives need at least some ketones because our brains tend to gradually become less good at utilizing glucose for energy, but there are many ways to get to that point. One thing that can drive ketogenesis is fasting. Prolonging the nightly fast enough gets metabolism to the point that ketones are generated for energy. What people generally are trying to establish is metabolic flexibility, which is the ability to easily switch from metabolizing glucose to metabolizing ketones. To know what your body is doing, the best is to measure - both glucose and ketones, which you can do with a KetoMojo, as SusanJ suggested.

If you are going to stick with plant-based eating it helps to have more protein, less carbs in the last meal of the day, and any grains earlier. I personally eat very few grain-based foods.
JD2020
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Re: KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

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jan.walker wrote:So confused and in despair now. How do I toss my plant based approach (I finally got used to it and good at it) and eat a lot of fat and meat? What is th answer? I want to avoid this disease but I am at a complete loss with what to do. Any advice please?
Hi Jan,

My Recode doc tried to simplify the keto thing for me by explaining that I need 3/4 of the plate to be above ground veggies and 1/4 clean protein. Add healthy fats - lots of olive oil and avocado. She said if I extend my fast - as you have done - I can add more carbs (I like milk). Replacing veggies with lots of meat doesn't sound like the goal. There are a lot of elements to this program. Don't let the perfect become the enemy of progress, and I suggest that eating in a way that you find very stressful is not in your long-term best interest, esp when your current diet seems pretty darn good.

Also, my doc recomments biosense. She sent an email out to her clients saying that we finally have an accurate breath meter and don't need to prick our fingers multiple times a day anymore. Perhaps you could measure ketos over time, and when you have a follow up appointment, show your doc that you are in ketosis.
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Re: KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

Post by circular »

You have some great answers here Jan. I'll just add that as someone who values the nutrient density in animal meats and the health contributions of fish and seafood, eating them regularly but not in excess (in my mind), I like Mark Hyman's term 'plant rich diet' rather than 'plant based'. The difference is subtle, but the former generally helps spread the understanding that while keto and low-carb diets can vary, what many consider to be a healthy version is still very rich in plants, usually more non-starchy vegetables than grains and starchy vegetables.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Re: KETO OR PLANT BASED DIET?

Post by TCHC »

There's a book here in the UK, I hope you can get it in the US too. It's called "The Ketotarian Diet", so it's (mainly) plant based keto. You could have a look at that to see if it suits you.
Remember in the ketoflex 12/3 pyramid, meat is right at the top as a tiny addition, rather than the mainstay of any meal.
I hope that helps.
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