Cancer is a dreadful and sad disease: my father survived cancer three times in 14 years.
But each time it came back more dreadful and devious than the last. Never really believing a change in diet would help him and the fourth time took his life. Its said, cancer effects someone’s life and also those around them beginning, during and in the aftermath, I know his cancer impacted my life the first time, the second time, third time and fourth time like a fricking roller coaster ride. Than on January 24, 2002, he had a heart attack that almost killed him but didn’t pass away until April 3 2006 with Leiomyosarcoma.
My father lived 14 years with cancer, also 14 months of playing Solitaire.
Winning hands by simply walking through the deck with the Four Aces left in his hand after being told it would be a year (stating that never happen before in his life and that game and the rosary in his back pocket got him through WWII.) In the 14 years since his death and about half of my life has been thinking about then researching this dreadful disease. Last night I worked on this blog post until 2 15 am. writing about a dis’ease that I sadly and truly hate.
Thinking about Alix Hayden
and some of the success she has had … with the ketogenic diet.
When Alix Hayden found out she had brain cancer in 2012, instead of chemotherapy, she chose to fight it with a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet, which cancer researcher Dr. Dominic D’Agostino said can starve cancer cells, was the treatment of choice for Hayden. Ketogenic appears to work because each cell in the body uses both fat and glucose. Cancer cells, unable to live on glucose and fail to thrive on ketones, are starved by limiting carbohydrates. Restricting carbohydrates in the diet can prevent pro-inflammatory spikes in blood and blood insulin according to D’Agostino. Hayden’s diet was approximately 65-percent fats, 30-percent proteins, and 5-percent carb. While her brain tumor didn’t shrink with the ketogenic diet, it didn’t grow bigger. Hayden, whose tumor was categorized as slow-growing, has documented her recovery on her blog, “Greymadder.” By September 2015, things had changed slightly, and Hayden decided to have the tumor removed. The long and winding journey from ketogenic treatment to surgery is outlined by Hayden on Greymadder.
Can You Count? Can You Speak?
Surgeons often perform brain surgery on people who are awake when the tumor is near the area of the brain engaged in speech. By having them remain alert and conscious, the surgeon can test as he goes. The surgeon, according to NYC primary care physician Dr. Gafanovich, would ask: “Can you count? Can you speak?” The surgeon would have the confidence to remove things that they may not if the patient were asleep. During a pause in the surgery, Dr. Daryl Fourney, a neurosurgeon at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital believed it was important
to put Hayden in touch with her husband.
Someone get my cell phone. This woman should talk with her husband,” Fourney instructed. When Hayden got her husband on the telephone, her spouse was surprised. Only three hours into a four-hour surgery, Hayden told her husband, “The surgeon says to tell you he got it all.” Several weeks later, when interviewed by CBC, Hayden said,
“We were ready to expect some motor deficit.
I’ve had nothing. No adverse effects.”
What is the keto diet — and is it right for you?
By Amy Gorin, R.D.N.
While the buzz seems to be heating up around the ketogenic diet, the eating philosophy isn’t new. In fact, it’s been used as a treatment for epilepsy since the 1920s and came back into the spotlight in the ‘90s. When Dateline ran a segment highlighting it as a treatment option.
But how did it go from epilepsy treatment to weight-loss regimen? Well, for starters,
more and more celebs — have recently praised its weight-loss results publicly.
https://charliefoundation.org/connie/
So what is the ketogenic diet?
It’s a high-fat, low-carb diet that sends your body into a state of ketosis, during which it uses stored fat as energy. When you eat this way — typically we’re talking less than 50 grams of carbohydrates a day — “you’ll consume an enormous amount of fat,” says Shahzadi Devje, RD, CDE, a dietitian in Toronto, Canada. In fact, by following the keto diet, about 60 to 80 percent of your daily calories will come from fat. When you restrict carbs this way and eat more fat, your body takes about 24 to 48 hours to begin producing ketones, which are created when your body metabolizes fat for energy, says Pegah Jalali, MS, RD, a clinical coordinator at the New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, where she counsels patients on the ketogenic diet. Normally, your body would metabolize carbohydrates as a primary source of energy.
When most people hear “diet” they think calories, but on the keto diet specific caloric intake isn’t the focus. “Mostly, I encourage my patients to eat according to their appetites,” says Jalali. “Your body can be in a ketogenic state at a range of calorie levels, and individual needs fluctuate day to day depending on activity and other factors.” But you won’t want to add a latte to your morning routine or even an extra piece of fruit to your afternoon snack, if those weren’t on your meal plan, says Jalali. “If you eat a lot more, then you risk coming out of ketosis — and if you do not eat enough fat, you also risk coming out of ketosis.” Bottom line: When you follow the keto diet, you must do so to a T for it to be effective. If you introduce cheat meals or cheat days, you’d be eating a high-fat diet and bringing your body out of that fat-burning ketosis state, which could have negative health consequences.
The Pros of the Keto Diet!!!
A main benefit of the diet, and why many of its followers praise the eating plan, is weight loss. Multiple studies show promising results: In a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, obese men dropped about 14 pounds after following the diet for a month. And in a longer-term study published in Clinical Cardiology, obese adults adhering to a ketogenic diet for about six months noticed significant weight loss — on average, 32 pounds — as well as reductions in total cholesterol and increases in beneficial HDL cholesterol. A review study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found that the weight loss seen within the first three to six months of following the keto diet was greater than the loss from following a regular balanced eating style.
Weight loss often occurs on the keto diet because your body is utilizing fat stores for energy — and you may also notice a decreased appetite that often results from the diet. “We don’t know exactly why ketones suppress appetite,” says Jalali. “But my theory is that ketosis is the state we are in during starvation and prolonged fasting, so it might be an evolutionary response to help humans cope.” Plus, your body digests fat a lot more slowly than carbs. “Fat has a longer intestinal transit time compared with carbs,” she says. “So it will prolong that feeling of fullness, especially in between meals.”
While some say following the diet claim it is limiting at food-related social occasions, Lara Clevenger, MSH, RDN, a dietitian in Edgewater, Florida, says you can easily plan ahead. “I currently follow a ketogenic diet, and eating out is a lot easier than people think,” she says. “You can ask for a burger minus the bun and fries, plus a side of veggies. Or order a chef salad and ask for olive oil as your dressing, minus the croutons. The options are plentiful!” Clevenger says she first started the keto diet for its anti-inflammatory benefits, due to a family history of obesity, hypertension, breast cancer, diabetes and dementia. “I will stay on a ketogenic diet for the foreseeable future,” she says. “I now have two to three times more energy, I no longer have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, I am better in tune with my hunger and satiety,
and I am no longer addicted to sugar.
The diet has had more of an impact than I could have imagined!”
In addition to weight loss, studies show that the ketogenic diet may also be helpful in treating many other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), acne and more. By following the keto diet, about 60 to 80 percent of your daily calories
will come from good fat.
The Cons of the Keto Diet!!!
“As with any diet, there are always pros and cons,” says Devje. If you follow the ketogenic diet, you may notice side effects such as bad breath, headaches, nausea and fatigue. The negative symptoms some experience when first starting the diet is often referred to as the “keto flu.” This feeling of tiredness is due to a drop in blood sugar that can cause lethargy, which usually passes in 24 to 48 hours, notes Jalali. You might also feel bloated or constipated — and you may feel the need to urinate more frequently, since ketosis acts as a diuretic, says Jalali.
Because the ketogenic diet is limited in terms of food groups, you’ll be at risk for nutrient deficiencies. “The diet requires a robust supplement regimen, since you can develop certain deficiencies on a ketogenic diet that can inhibit your ability to stay in ketosis,” says Jalali. “You can also develop micronutrient deficiencies that can cause hair loss, and a lot of people become constipated on a ketogenic diet.” Jalali recommends discussing the diet with both
a physician and a ketogenic dietitian to work to prevent these side effects.
And if you’re following the diet for weight loss, it’s important to know that you may gain weight back when and if you go back to your normal eating habits. “A ketogenic diet is fantastic for some people, but it’s not a lifelong diet for everyone,” says Jalali, who says she sees benefits for people with chronic conditions such as epilepsy, type 2 diabetes and PCOS — but sometimes negative effects for people who go on the diet for weight loss. “A lot of patients find that when they come off the diet, they regain weight very easily,” she says. “The theory is that by being on the ketogenic diet for a prolonged period of time, their bodies become very sensitive and efficient at metabolizing carbohydrates.” Jalali notes that these patients may be able to maintain the weight loss by sticking with a low-carbohydrate diet. While more research on weight-loss maintenance after following the keto diet is needed, research shows that cycles of brief ketogenic Mediterranean diet periods, separated by longer periods of the Mediterranean diet, over one year helped obese adults maintain weight loss.
There are some groups who shouldn’t take the keto diet for a test drive. It can be dangerous for people with type 1 diabetes, as it can increase the risk for life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Even people with type 2 diabetes following a ketogenic diet should regularly test their blood sugar and ketone levels to prevent DKA. If you have kidney disease, you’d want to skip this diet because you’d need to limit your protein intake. And if you have a history of disordered eating, the diet severely limits carbs and takes a lot of control to follow —
which may increase the risk of bingeing or compulsive overeating.
Consult with your doctor to determine if this is the right diet for you.
If you’re planning to follow the keto diet, consider consulting with a registered dietitian to determine the most balanced diet possible, as well as any supplements you may need to take. “Without monitoring by a licensed healthcare professional, challenges like poor bone health, gastrointestinal reflux, and changes in cholesterol levels can go unchecked,” says Julie Stefanski, RD, a registered dietitian in York, Pennsylvania. Getting a balance of nutrients on the ketogenic diet can be challenging, which is “no surprise because you’re essentially cutting out healthy whole grains, fruits and some vegetables,” says Devje.
https://stefanskinutrition.com/
And daily carbohydrate allowances on the keto diet will vary from person to person. “Some adults will have to consume 15 grams of net carbohydrates to stay in ketosis, whereas some professional athletes may be able to consume more than 120 grams of net carbs and be in a ketogenic state,” says Jalali.
“This is another reason why it is best to work with a professional to design the diet.”
Because the keto diet is high in fat, you’ll want to make sure to incorporate more healthy fats into your eating plan. These include omega-3s, such as those found in salmon and sardines, as well as monounsaturated fats present in avocado, walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds.
We don’t have a clear picture on the long-term benefits of the keto diet for weight loss. “Although there seems to be a short-term advantage of the ketogenic diet for weight loss, the advantage seems to shrink at the one-year mark,” says Devje. “The long-term safety of the ketogenic diet is yet to be determined.”
The keto diet has gotten a ton of attention — good and bad.
Boosters say the high fat, very low carbohydrate diet nets serious weight loss. Detractors contend it’s too extreme. The modified keto diet may be the middle ground. Fat still reigns supreme, but it’s more user-friendly and can yield results. Both the traditional and modified keto diets train the body to enter ketosis; when you severely limit carb intake, it starves the body of its main fuel source, glucose. That forces the liver to metabolize fat cells, turning them into ketone bodies, an alternative fuel source. People on the keto diet report losing weight, having more-consistent energy, and sleeping better.
It’s all about the breakdown of macronutrients. A traditional keto diet calls for up to 75 percent of calories to come from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 5 percent from healthy carbs—equal to about one cup of blueberries. In the modified plan, carbs tick to as much as 20 percent of your calories, fat goes to 50 percent, and the remainder is protein.
15 Keto-friendly Barbecue Recipes
“The modified keto diet is healthy living—that’s it,” says Brett Osborn, author of Get Serious:
A Neurosurgeon’s Guide to Optimal Health and Fitness.
For those looking to lose weight, aim to shed about a pound per week.
Any more and you could be stealing from muscle mass—which is bound to happen on the traditional keto diet, Osborn says. People warn of the “keto flu”—a low-energy time when the body is adjusting. Avoid it by easing into the diet. Keep a food diary to determine how many calories you typically consume from carbs. Keep overall calorie intake the same, but reduce the number of carbs by 25 grams and up fat intake by 10 grams per day, until you reach the desired breakdown.
Which Complements the new eating plan with a foundational lifting routine(bench press, deadlifts, squats, pullups.) Before you buy an industrial-size container of coconut oil, learn the essentials for a keto diet.
The ‘Eat This Not That’ Guide to the Keto Diet
Ketosis alters kidney function, so it’s important to replenish electrolytes with foods like nuts and bone broth. You can take exogenous ketone supplements like Keto Weight Loss from BPI Sports, too. “It helps stoke the body chemistry, making it easier to convert fat into ketones for fuel,” Osborn says. Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration.
Take it Easy on The Protein
For every pound of lean body mass, aim for .9 grams protein. “It’s possible to build muscle with less protein than commonly thought,” Osborn says. So a 180-pound man with 20 percent body fat needs 130 grams of protein a day. That’s around 4 eggs, 2 cups of cottage cheese, and 8 ounces of chicken.
Go Vegetable Wild
Nonstarchy vegetables are low in carbs and contain tons of nutrients your body depends on. Eat salads with diced organic veg, nuts, a lean protein like sardines, and extra-virgin olive oil.
What It Feels Like to Be on the Keto Diet
After years and years of weight gain, joint pain, fatigue and increased anxiety, Stacey Robbins (51) was diagnosed with thyroid disease. However. meds and for what she thought was a healthy diet did little for her. So one day, she decided to listen to her body and learned that grains always left her feeling bloated and tired. More gradually, she noticed the simple benefits of alkalizing foods. As she switched to the trendy version of keto, she stated, not only, did she drop 17 pounds in one month, but also, she had more energy, her aches and pains dissipated, anxiety levels improved and her eczema and sleeping problems went away. https://staceyrobbins.com/
When Anna Cabecca, D.O., found herself packing on additional pounds during menopause, she tried keto and to her surprise felt constant fatigue and was barely losing weight. So she tested: it turned out her thyroid function was down and her urine was very acidic. So she immerse herself in research and learned common components in keto create acidic compounds as they digest. “There’s evidence that excess acid puts a lot of stress on the body and especially the thyroid, a gland that keeps metabolism and stamina up,” she shares, the impact is so dramatic, University of Texas scientist found that those with the most acid in their system have
BMI’s 52% higher that those with the least amount.
It led Dr. Cabecca to an “aha!” moment. I knew keto would work but I experimented with keto foods that neutralize acid she stated. That included salads, nuts and guacamole and within days she had improved energy, clearer thinking and eventually shed 80 pounds. This concept of the keto diet is now part of a ‘green keto’ movement that’s helping thyroids and waistlines around the world. What sets alkalizing foods apart you may ask? They have fewer enzymes that turn into acid inside your gut, plus offer acid-neutralizing minerals like magnesium, calcium and potassium (best bets include leafy green vegetables, cucumber, broccoli, celery and bell pepper.
Nuts, seeds, eggs and seafood are also great options. Studies show that consuming these foods lowers your overall acid levels by as much as 68% and per — research at Tufts University acid drops, thyroid function improves enough to rev metabolism and boost vitality. Another effect: by skipping keto snack bars helps to reduce hidden inflammation throughout your body which triggers hormones that can damage your thyroid function. Dr. Kent Holtorf, M.D., founder National Academy of Hyporthyroidism states, “as inflammation subsides the thyroid will perk up and will boost calorie burn by about 500 calories @ day.
How to eat on the Keto-alkaline diet: For breakfast: blend one scoop plant based protein powder, 1 tbs. coconut oil, 1/4 avocado to 8 oz. of Almond milk, for lunch small serving of salmon, one egg over the large salad with acid reducing veggies and olive oil vinaigrette. Then an afternoon serving of celery, cucumber, bell pepper dipped in guacamole, for dinner tuna or chicken salad sandwich, grilled or roasted chicken, with seasoning to taste over a large serving of roasted veggies with olive oil. Dessert: 1 ounce 90 percent dark chocolate.
Unlike the traditional ketogenic diet ….
This new thyroid healing twist keto-alkaline diet version replaces refine carbs you normally would eat… with healthy good fat, this strategy keeps your body from producing blood sugar for fuel, prompting it to turn stored fat into the alternative fuel called ketones. Keto results in high-energy fat loss–but only if you have a healthy thyroid. Here’s How It Work: simply filled 75% of your plate with non starchy veggies (leafy greens lettuce or spinach, cucumber, broccoli, celery and bell peppers. Add a serving of protein (organic chicken or seafood) plus two servings of plant fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil.) Then after 10 days, experiment with small amounts of healthy starches like beans or potatoes. Please NOTE: As always get your doctors approval to try any new diet plan. Also do a tea fast in the evenings: https://www.mensjournal.com/
health-fitness/new-research-
suggests-green-tea-could-help-you-live-longer/
Often the debate hinges around which is the better diet Ketogenic or Mediterranean.
Although they share a few common benefits, the ketogenic diet and Mediterranean diet do have many differences: Carb Intake The Mediterranean diet emphasizes healthy fats and eliminates refined sugars, but it also includes a very high amount of carbohydrates — including fruits and whole grain breads and pastas. The standard version of the diet is really in no way a low-carb diet. In contrast, the ketogenic diet is strictly very low in all carbohydrates,
even the unrefined versions.
The Mediterranean diet is higher in fat compared with standard low-fat diets, but it’s much lower in fat percentage than keto. The type of fat is also different: Mediterranean diet emphasizes unsaturated fats from oils and fish, while keto foods include both saturated and unsaturated fats (following the more recent science, as we know the evil of saturated fats has been debunked.) Results Both ways of eating can help improve health, especially if someone was eating junk before, the purpose of the ketogenic diet goes much deeper. It’s more than just a weight loss or health diet; it’s designed to “hack” the body’s metabolic state through ketosis. For someone simply interested in eating better and losing weight, the Mediterranean diet can be a good place to start, but the high carbohydrate intake, especially from grains and pastas, is problematic over the long-term. It could be used as a springboard for gradually moving into a more low-carb diet like keto.
The Keto-Mediterranean Diet: Best of Both Words Some people follow something called the “Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet” that incorporates the best of each diet. The diet features about 7-10% carbs, 55-65% fat, 22-30% protein, and 5-10% alcohol. Foods include: high amounts of healthy oils (especially coconut and olive) and other plant fats like avocados fatty fish as the main protein source along with eggs, cheese, and lean meats lots of salad and non-starchy vegetables a moderate intake of red wine Just like with the keto diet, starches, sugars, and grain-based flours are completely eliminated.
The difference is that the diet emphasizes slightly different fat sources than the standard keto diet and also allows red wine. When it comes down to it, the fact is that most people need some type of nutritional intervention — whether that comes from the Mediterranean or the ketogenic diet. The difference is that the ketogenic diet is more updated with recent research and brings about specific results from being in ketosis, which we personally favor above all.
Sources:[1] “Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 359, no. 20, 2008, pp. 2169–2172., doi:10.1056/nejmc081747.[2] Rees, Karen, et al. “’Mediterranean’ Dietary Pattern for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Dec. 2013, doi:10.1002/14651858.cd009825.pub2.
While the constant winner in terms of diets always seems to be Mediterranean, there’s also the way you eat. One practice to consider is hara hachi bu, a teaching attributed to Confucius that instructs you to stop eating when your belly is 80 percent full—roughly 1,800 to 1,900 calories a day. (American buffet fans will be displeased to learn we’re number one in the world in caloric intake, at 2,200 to a whopping 3,300.)
This principle is practiced on the island of Okinawa, which has the longest life expectancy in the world. Interestingly, geographic data, whether intentionally or coincidentally, shows they follow this principle to a tee; Hara hachi bu is the Okinawan form of calorie control, and they have followed this principle for generations. Of course, there is more to the Okinawan diet than just stopping before you are full. Okinawans feast on healthy foods such as fresh vegetables and fish, and they avoid processed foods.
For adults, total protein and lipid intakes were about the same, but energy intake was 20% less than the Japanese national average. The rates of death due to cerebral vascular disease, malignancy, and heart disease on Okinawa were only 59%, 69%, and 59%, respectively, of those for the rest of Japan.
Today, however, we’re living in a time when portion sizes have increased dramatically; 54 percent of Americans eat until their plate is clean, regardless of whether or not they’re hungry. To some, leaving food on your plate is a sign of disrespect, but that’s a mindset that needs to change. Sometimes you’re just not that hungry, and there’s no reason to continue. Eating until you’re “busting at the seams” becomes a habit. You become desensitized to your body’s natural production of leptin, a hormone that inhibits hunger. Meanwhile, the hormone ghrelin goes to town, tricking yourself into thinking you need that extra serving. The result is obesity and all the diseases that follow which an be prevented more time than not with healthy gut flora..
What’s the bottom line?
Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez is spot on with his review.
It is a very nice theory and the best thing Ketogenic diet could do to cancer is to maybe slow down its progress but is far from being a cure simply based on one fact: “ Your body will always produce glucose no matter what you eat or not eat. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE GLUCOSE IN YOU BLOOD”. Even if you would water fast for 40 Days and Nights and you measure your blood glucose, you will have a good amount of it. I was excited when I first heard about the ketogenic diet and I tried it for myself for over 6 months continuously. I lost some weight and became very fit. I combined the diet with intermittent fasting and also was going sometimes
on 72 hour water fasts.
I had ketone strips that I used to measure my blood ketone levels on a daily basis along with my blood glucose levels. Guess what! I got my ketones to 100 mg/dl on a daily basis and my glucose level was never lower that 50 mg/dl. My carbs were limited to veggies and peaked at 30 grams/day and proteins at 70-10 grams/day and all the rest was healthy fats. I never could get it lower than that. Point is, you can never get the blood glucose level to 0 because you will be dead. So Cancer will always have food no matter what you do. Think about it, when people have advanced cancer their appetite is not there for days. They are not eating anything and their cancer still progresses and they end up dying.
They are wasting away (cachexia) because their proteins/muscles are being converted to glucose to feed mainly the brain that only runs on glucose! Ketogenic diet is good for weight loss and for cancer it won’t do much. And the physician mentioned in the book for using a Ketogenic diet to cure his multiple myeloma is Dr. Charles Majors who died in Jan 2017 from multiple myeloma. So one of the case reports in Seyfried’ s book is dead. Not sure what happened to the other. So stop criticizing the late Dr. Gonzalez and do your own research, he has metastatic terminal cancer patients that are alive and well 10,20 and 30 years out.
~Mike Bifsha @ 2 years ago.