Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting for Diabetes

Warm Greetings !!

Human Body maintains a Blood sugar level at a constant value of 90-100mg/dl. Alterations in this number leads to the following interpretations,

FASTING GLUCOSE VALUES	CONCLUSION
>126 mg/dl	Diabetes (Hyperglycemia)
110-125 mg/dl	Pre-Diabetes (Insulin Resistance)
100-110 mg/dl	Concern (Gray Area)
80-90 mg/dl or less	Normal

Insulin is a dominant hormone produced by β-cells of Pancreas. When we eat any type of Carbohydrates (Sugars) or Proteins, we raise our blood sugars significantly. This triggers the release of Insulin, which binds to the excess Glucose and undergoes either of the three fates:

• Glucose can be used as an Instant Fuel by the Body.
•  If the body does not require it as fuel for the time being, Insulin will store the excess  Glucose as Glycogen in the Liver and Muscles for future use. But this storage requires an important electrolyte known as Potassium. Potassium is an electrically charged mineral which is required in huge amounts (4700mg) by the body.
• Since many people don’t have the said availability of Potassium reserves, the sugar is neither used as fuel nor stored as Glycogen. Lastly, all of the sugar is converted to FAT & CHOLESTEROL.

This is more dangerous than it actually looks. Every time we eat, Insulin is triggered and a similar vicious cycle keeps occurring until the Liver stops accepting Insulin. Frequent insulin interaction makes the Insulin receptors on the Liver become resistant over years of carbohydrate (sugar) abuse. This condition is termed as Insulin Resistance.

It does not stop here, it becomes progressively worse. Since Insulin does not reach its destination (Liver) and the Blood glucose levels are high, there is no return communication back to the pancreas. Pancreas think that it has not produced significant amount of Insulin to control the blood sugar situation. So the β-cells pump out more insulin but all in vain, as the Liver is not accepting Insulin in the first place.    

Because of this phenomenon, Diabetes is further classified into two types:

   a)   Type II Diabetes – It’s a similar condition mentioned above in which the β-cells of Pancreas are pumping out Insulin but it is not accepted by the Liver. Thus Pre-diabetes or Insulin resistance has now resulted in Diabetes where the Blood sugars are always high. Medicines are designed either to Boost more insulin production (Sulfonylurea) or improving the receptivity of Insulin by making it more sensitive (Metformin)
                                                   

   b)    Type I Diabetes – It’s a condition in which the β-cells have been completely exhausted and they no longer produce Insulin. It is a highly fatal condition.

Why we are so much obsessed with Insulin? Because as I mentioned earlier, Insulin is a dominant hormone which also acts as a key to the door of our body cells. Without Insulin, neither glucose nor amino acids, minerals or vitamins are able to enter the cells. Absence of Insulin starves us of nutrients at the cellular level.

Higher levels of Insulin in the blood leads to some serious inflammation on tissues and organs.

So what can we do about it? Diabetes is curable at the very beginning itself. Let us focus on the How’s and the What’s of the puzzle.

As discussed, Insulin is triggered when we eat in general. But what if we don’t eat anything? I know that’s not even remotely possible, because we’ve been taught that we need ‘Glucose’ as our energy fuel to run our brains efficiently. What if I tell you, we’ve been taught wrong? I know you won’t believe but give me an opportunity to convince you.

There is a term called as ‘Essential’ which simply means that we need certain things from the Diet only as our bodies cannot synthesize them. For example, we have essential amino acids (Proteins) and essential fatty acids (Fats) but surprisingly we do not have a term known as Essential Carbohydrates (Sugars). What does this imply? We don’t need glucose as our primary energy fuel.

We can run our bodies on fat fuel that we’ve been storing all our lives in our belly. So the moment Fat is mentioned, many of us link cardiovascular problems like Heart attacks due to high calories associated with fatty foods. Proteins and Carbohydrates/Sugars have 4 Calories/gram whereas Fats have a whopping 9 Calories/gram. But surprisingly, fatty foods have negligible effect on Insulin release and thus zero effect on Blood sugars.

Upon reducing (<25-50 gms) or negating refined carbohydrates (sugars) from the Diet, the body taps into Fatty acids for a much more efficient fuel source. Ketone, a by-product of fatty acids, is formed and utilized by the Brain as well as other body organs. This process is termed as Ketosis.

Now the quickest question that pops up is - How will we maintain our Blood Sugars if we don’t provide the sugar it needs? The answer is very simple. As I mentioned earlier, the body does not depend upon external sugar at all. It can maintain the blood sugars by breaking down proteins or fats (Non-carbohydrate sources) into Glucose by a process called as Gluconeogenesis. Limiting carbohydrates will take care of the high insulin situation of a person suffering from Diabetes.

Since we are trained in eating sugars since the beginning, it will take a valuable amount of time in adapting to Ketosis. Thus there are certain steps that need to be taken apart from just Carb-limitation. They are as follows,

a)  Increasing the consumption of Vegetables (7-10 Cups per day): Vegetables belonging to the cruciferous family eg. Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Brussel sprouts etc. are highly nutritious as they have anti-cancer and anti-toxic properties. You can either juice them or lightly steam them to keep all the nutrients intact. Vegetables give you plenty of Potassium and other minerals which allow better Insulin receptivity in our cells. Ketosis with enough nutrient dense vegetables is termed as Healthy Ketosis.

b) Avoiding Hidden Sugars: Refined Grains (Rice/Dal/Rotis), breads, pasta, cereal, crackers, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soda, sugar-alcohols as in Diet-free foods etc. are all high on the Glycemic Index (GI). GI indicates the rate at which a food turns into sugar in the blood. 

c) Moderate amount of Proteins: Proteins provide the building blocks known as amino acids. One must consume not more than 3-6 ounces of proteins per day. Whole eggs, cottage cheese (Paneer) are some wonderful sources of proteins. One must not overdo on proteins as excessive amounts get converted to Sugar which we are trying to curb.

d) Fasting Intermittently: Usually people suffering from blood sugar issues are told to eat at an interval of 2 hours. This keeps on releasing Insulin constantly thus affecting the blood sugars continuously. Well, one should listen to their bodies. We need to identify our hunger and stick to that pattern of eating. Starting with three meals per day, an individual should gradually make their way up to two meals or one meal a day (OMAD). Intermittent fasting, when done correctly, promotes Autophagy which involves self-cleaning of old proteins and recycling them. Intermittent fasting induces growth hormone which is extremely anti-ageing in nature and it protects the muscle mass too.

e) Understanding the difference between Fasting and Starvation: We must make sure that we do not starve at any point during this diet. Pushing oneself when hungry by either drinking water or just starving will force the body to break down muscle proteins to satisfy itself and maintain the blood sugars accordingly.

f)  Consuming Healthy Fats: Since fatty foods do not trigger insulin, one should consume saturated fats at the end of the meal in order to go longer between meals. Certain fats like Avocados, butter, cheese, ghee provide copious amounts of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K_1, K₂ ). A majority of population fear consuming fats as they don’t want to Die. We’ve been following so many things blindly and I hate to inform you that 75% of Cholesterol within our bodies is made by our Body for synthesizing Stress and Sex hormones. It is the sugar that gets converted to Cholesterol faster than the actual fat consumed.

g) Apart from the macro nutrients, one must focus on the trace minerals and vitamins too. B-vitamins and Vitamin C are water soluble and may be obtained from Green leafy vegetables and lemons respectively. 

h) Acidity of the stomach: A majority of symptoms like burping, belching, bloating and Acid re-flux are caused chiefly by low stomach acids. Low stomach acids decrease the breakdown of proteins and prevent proper absorption. Certain acidifiers like Apple Cider Vinegar should be consumed before each meal to maintain proper digestion.

i) Omega – 3 fatty acids: These are the most essential fatty acids which maintain the hydration of the skin, maintains good vision etc. Flax seeds and hemp seeds have significant amounts of Omega 3-fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties.

j) Hydration with Water: I don’t know who started this but we are not supposed to drink 8 glasses of water every day as an obligation. Our bodies don’t have just water, it has minerals and electrolytes mixed together. Drinking tons of water flushes out the nutrients and surprisingly, we become dehydrated in process of hydration. We should drink water only when thirsty and always add natural electrolytes (Lemon, Sea salt) with it to replace any lost mineral reserves.

Thus healthy ketosis and intermittent fasting improves the very cause of Diabetes – Insulin resistance.

In Type 1 diabetes, people do not synthesize Insulin and they misunderstand this diet in causing Ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is a condition where the ketone bodies make the blood acidic. But this is a rare case as Insulin is present in minute amounts always. In addition to this, vegetables will alkalize the acidity produced by these Ketone Bodies.  

High levels of glucose can damage the retina and throw the brain off by providing temporary fuel refills. Following healthy Ketosis and intermittent fasting can greatly help people suffering from Diabetes.

The 'pH' Dilemma

Warm Greetings!

I know this topic sounds quite chemical, but it has a crucial link to our bodily fluids. We’ve all been through certain digestive problems like a Heartburn, production of Gas and most commonly Indigestion. And what do we all say in unison? ACIDITY!

Now we clearly have been taught this and our brain automatically presents the word Acidity. So without giving it much thought, we start taking Anti-acids which are really common nowadays. As the name suggests, Anti- acid medication will reduce the acid in the stomach and we feel accomplished thinking acid was the culprit. But little do we know, such an approach is making us extremely deficient nutritionally.

Before I explain the nutrition part, let me give a brief explanation about what pH actually means.

‘p’ stands for Potenz or Concentration.

‘H’ stands for Hydrogen Ion (H⁺)

Therefore pH is the concentration of H⁺ ions in a fluid. It is given by the logarithmic equation,

pH = -log₁₀[H⁺]                       …….. (I)

pH has a scale of 0-14 with 7 as the midpoint for dividing two classes of pH:

So if the pH of any given fluid is between 0-6, it would be considered an ‘Acidic’ fluid. If the pH of any fluid ranges from 8-14, it would be considered an ‘Alkaline’ fluid. A pH of 7 is considered Neutral!

What are Acids and Bases? And why Acid gets to be on the Top? Do Acids have good networks in the pH scale?

All these important questions are answered by equation (I). An acid would have maximum concentration of Hydrogen ions (H⁺) and are capable of donating them.

A Base / Alkali has maximum concentration of Hydroxyl ions (OH^-) which are capable of accepting these donated H⁺ ions.    

SOLUTION	IONS	pH RANGE
ACID	H+	0-6
BASE	OH-	8-14

So when acids and bases are present in equilibrium, the H⁺ ions gets balanced by his brother OH^- ions and we have a Neutral fluid.

H⁺ + OH^- → H₂O
ACID + BASE → WATER

In our body, every fluid in different organs has its own pH thus belonging to either of the three categories. Every food we consume has a pH value which needs to be specific with our organelle pH. Let us consider a few examples,

FLUID	pH RANGE	TYPE
Blood	7.35-7.45	Alkaline
Stomach	1-3	Extremely Acidic
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) in Brain	7.5	Alkaline
Lemon Juice	2-3	Extremely Acidic
Vinegar	2	Extremely Acidic
Urine, Sweat, Adrenal Glands, Colon (Large Intestine)	0-6	Acidic
Fluid Inside and Outside of Cells, Tears, Bile	8-14	Alkaline
Water	7	Neutral

You might think what’s the big deal with pH? If we consume some acidic foods, we can push in some alkaline foods to neutralize it. No dear, it doesn’t work that way. Look at Equation [I] again,

Do you see the number 10? It is there for a reason, not just to look good. pH values are divided exponentially i.e. A pH value of 5 is 10x times more acidic than 6, but a pH value of 4 is 100x more acidic than 6 and so on.

Let us consider our Blood pH which is Alkaline in nature in a very specific range of 7.35 - 7.45. If the blood pH drops by 1 whole number, a person would go into a diabetic coma. That’s how serious the concept of pH is!

Maintaining a specific pH in a specific body fluid is of utmost importance. If we closely look at our stomach pH, it ranges from 1-3 which is extremely acidic. This strong pH is mainly due to Hydrochloric acid (HCl) that helps in closing the valve in the oesophagus to prevent regurgitation of stomach contents. Apart from this, acids also help digest protein in our stomach, helps to absorb minerals and kill any pathogenic bacteria which cannot survive in such a strong pH.

But the moment we take an Anti-acid, we deplete the stomach acids that worsen the situation. Depletion of stomach acids leads to partial digestion of food.

Thus Chest pain, Heart burn or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux disorder), Bloating, Belching, Burping, indigestion are all symptoms of Low stomach acids. You haven’t gained a lot of acid, you have lost it which is causing all these effects.

You do not have acidity, you have Alkalinity! I know this might come as a surprise, but I’ll help you get through it! Don’t worry!

Apart from all the refined carbohydrates that we consume (Which is Alkaline of course), Chronic stress, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Dehydration, Anti-acids are the chief causes of low stomach acids. This increases the stomach pH towards the alkaline side. This leads to a series of problems like decreased Calcium and Potassium, Twitching, hyperventilation, Arthritis, Allergies, Bone spurs and Calcium deposits in the wrong places.

You can also create an extremely acidic condition but not in the Stomach, in other parts of the body. This can be caused either by Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, Junk foods and low vegetables. This could cause symptoms like coughing, coma, arrthymias, nausea, weakness in muscles and many more.

Thus an alkaline stomach can be corrected by consuming Apple Cider vinegar, Beets rich in Betaine hydrochloride and Lemon juice which could really build that strong pH of 1-3. Green leafy vegetables should be consumed in ample amounts as they are rich in chlorophyll – Blood of Plants. Chlorophyll helps in curing stomach ulcers.

I hope this clears most of your doubts regarding Digestive problems. Stomach acids also lose as part of the ageing process, so we really need to start building up that acid.

Fun - Fact: Stomach acids help in absorption of Proteins, vitamins and minerals, thus aiding in tightening of loose skin.

Fable of Reading Labels!

Warm Greetings!

In this blog, I would primarily focus on ‘Nutrition Labels’ on all the foodstuff that most of the people don’t bother to look. I won’t be blabbering much with the details but try my best to guide you to focus only on specific ingredients.

Before we begin analyzing these secret ingredients, I would like to clear some basic ideology of our macro nutrients.

MACRO NUTRIENTS	CALORIES/GRAM
CARBOHYDRATES	4 C/gm
PROTEINS	4 C/gm
FATS	9 C/gm

Now, let me tell you the purport of the word ‘Essential’ & ‘Non-Essential’. Essential is something that our body needs and it is not able to produce on its whim. Non-Essential is something that our body can produce, no sweat at all! I know I sound like a kindergarten Professor, but there is a harsh fact preceding this basic idea.

We eat food to satisfy our Essential Amino Acids (Building blocks of Proteins), Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3: Omega-6). Oh wait, aren’t we missing something?

No dear, we don’t have Essential Carbohydrates which means that our body can maintain Blood Sugars even if we don’t consume Carbs. Our body can undergo a process known as Gluconeogenesis. Wait, I’ll break it down for ya!

Gluco – Glucose

Neo – New

Genesis – Synthesis

Thus the word means synthesizing new glucose from a non- carbohydrate source which reflects to Proteins and Fats.

Now let us see the effects of such macro nutrients on the infamous hormone Insulin. Why only Insulin? Because insulin is a dominating hormone which starts storing carbohydrates into fat and cholesterol. So the table below gives you an overall idea of which macros have a direct role in spiking insulin.

MACRO NUTRIENTS	INSULIN SPIKE
CARBOHYDRATES	Definitely as Insulin stores Sugar
PROTEINS	Only when High Protein is consumed, it gets converted to Sugar thus spiking it.
FATS	Negligible

So every time you eat Carbohydrate rich food, you trigger Insulin. Insulin stores sugar into the Liver and Muscles as Glycogen (Stored sugar) and if you keep eating like a Beast, you store it as Fat especially around your Belly. Why only Belly? Because most of the vital organs are situated around the gut and the body stores fat there mainly as a defence mechanism.

So now, we know where to focus on the labels while we are out shopping for food items. Let’s take an example here of a ‘Jam’ product.

Point of Focus [I]: SUGARS

Since it is clear we do not want any Sugars, the number you should be looking for is 0gm. You can also choose food having a Sugar value of 1gm but the reason I am telling you to keep it 0gm is mainly because all these values are referring to a Single serving of the product.

P.S – Total Carbohydrates give you an addition of Sugars, Starches and Fibre. Vegetables have a lot of Sugars but the high fibre content allows slow release of the sugars, thus increasing blood glucose gradually.  

The above photo gives an indication very aptly. The total carbohydrates are 14.3gm but the total sugar content is 14.2gm. Which means maximum part is pure Sugars. Such food stuff raises blood sugar way too quickly thus spiking Insulin which brings the blood glucose low. This makes you feel hungry and you eat again thus continuing the cycle of Fat storage in a never ending fashion.

Point of Focus [II]: SERVING SIZE AND NUMBER OF SERVINGS

The above product has a serving size of 1 tablespoon (tsp) which accounts for 20gm. So all the nutrition details are for 20gm of Jam. Now, the entire product is of 320gm, thus increasing the number of servings to 16. Hence, all the values of the nutrition label gets multiplied by 16 for the entire bottle.

Hence Sugars amount to 14.2g x 16 = 227.2gm. Now it looks bigger, right?

I know you won’t be gulping the entire bottle but trust me, Jams are addictive. Beware!

Point of Focus [III]: FATS

It is fine if you consume Saturated or unsaturated fats because you need Essential Fatty Acids, remember? Avoid Trans fats which include the hydrogenated vegetable oils like Soy, Canola, Sunflower etc. because they are synthetically prepared.

P.S – Fat doesn’t make you Fat, Fat doesn’t make you susceptible to Strokes. It is the Sugar that gets converted to Fat and Cholesterol, not the other way round.

Point of Focus [IV]: INGREDIENTS

Finally, special attention needs to be kept on the Ingredients. Mostly the first ingredient makes up the entire product. In this case, if you look closely, first ingredient is SUGAR! That did not surprise me at all!

Apart from this, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, artificial colors are things that one needs to be away from. Many hidden sugars like MSG (Monosodium glutamate) and High fructose corn syrup (Alternative sugar source) etc. find a major place in foods just to improve the flavor.

Soy, Corn, Canola are 90% Genetically modified (GM). These GM foods are capable of mimicking the female hormone Estrogen, thus identified as Endocrine Disruptors!

So these 4 points need to be vitally checked just to keep your vitality in check!

Fun Fact – Human Body requires only a Teaspoon of Sugar to maintain the Blood glucose levels per day. An average person consume 30 teaspoons of Sugar per day!

Inspired by – Dr. Eric Berg, DC!