Keto Means
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Do you stay in ketosis all day?

The answer is no, and here's why. If you were in ketosis all the time, you would lose the benefits of metabolic switching. Ketosis is a state of metabolic challenge, it's outside of our default state of burning sugar for fuel.

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There are two ways your body generates energy, one is from drawing on glucose, ie. sugar, the other is fat. Sugar is the more readily available fuel source. However once sugar is significantly used up, the body’s metabolism changes and the body begins to burn fatty acids from stored fat for energy. This is what we call going from a sugar-burner to a fat-burner. When this transition to burning fat for energy is made, the body begins producing ketones and is said to be in a state of “ketosis”. You can measure your level of ketones using a device like a Keto Mojo. Once you reach a state of ketosis, many of the benefits of fasting start to kick in. For example, growth hormones kick in at 13 hours, whereas autophagy is thought to kick in at 16-18 hours. MIT research shows that at 24 hours intestinal stem cells will begin repair and 24 hours is also when you start to see weight loss. There are so many benefits to ketosis.

Ketosis all the time?

But the question I’m exploring here is, if ketosis is so healing and so amazing, shouldn’t we just be in ketosis all the time? The answer is no, and here’s why. If you were in ketosis all the time, you would lose the benefits of metabolic switching. Ketosis is a state of metabolic challenge, it’s outside of our default state of burning sugar for fuel. Ketosis works like a hermetic stressors on the body, forcing the cells and body to adapt, change and grow. This is why we get so many of the health benefits of ketosis. What this study found is that we are designed for intermittent metabolic switching, this means switching between cycles of metabolic challenge (ie. ketosis), followed by periods of recovery, specifically they mention eating, resting and sleeping. I call these feast days. Researchers found that it is this switching between the two states that optimizes brain function and resilience throughout our lifespan, improving “neuronal circuits involved in cognition and mood…promoting neuroplasticity and resistance of the brain to injury and disease”. It is believed that the rapid development of our brains resulted in part from the feast-famine lifestyle. Integrating metabolic switching into our lifestyle means staying in ketosis for the majority of the time, optimizing the benefits of metabolic challenge, then stepping out of ketosis with recovery days of eating, sleep and rest. For this, I find that the 5-1-1 diet variation works best.

A 5-1-1 Variation

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Can diabetics eat tomato?

Tomatoes are not high in sugar, and neither are carrots. Tomatoes, similar to carrots, are considered a non-starchy vegetable in meal planning for diabetes. This means that the amount of naturally occurring sugar is minimal in a serving.

Answer:

Tomatoes often get a bad rap for having “too much sugar.” I hear this myth often in my diabetes education practice. Carrots are another vegetable that seems to suffer the same reputation. Tomatoes are not high in sugar, and neither are carrots. Tomatoes, similar to carrots, are considered a non-starchy vegetable in meal planning for diabetes. This means that the amount of naturally occurring sugar is minimal in a serving. A non-starchy vegetable serving is ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw and contains approximately 2 grams of sugar and 4 grams of total carbohydrates (amount of starches and sugars added together). How does this compare to fruits and starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, peas, and beans? A serving of a fruit or starchy vegetable, such as a small apple or ½ cup of beans, contains about 2 to 15 grams of sugar and 15 grams of total carbohydrate. In other words, non-starchy vegetables like tomatoes contain less sugar and carbohydrate. The total amount of carbohydrates in food affects glucose levels in people with diabetes. The bottom line is that tomatoes are not high in total carbohydrates or sugar and are an excellent source of B vitamins like folate, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. Non-starchy vegetables of all shapes, taste, and colors are a valuable part of meal planning for people with and without diabetes Meeting with a Registered Dietitian or Certified Diabetes Educator can help you get specific recommendations for meal-time amounts of total carbohydrates.

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