Well, in the past I was totally against the use of BHBs (keto pills). In the past few months I have changed my mind on the use of them for certain people. First, lets learn what keto pills are. Keto pills are exogenous ketones or ketones produced outside of your body. The exogenous ketone are made of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBs). Beta-hydroxybutyrate is a chemical that is made by the body to provide energy in times when not enough carbohydrates or sugars have been eaten. Beta-hydroxybutyrate can also be made in the lab and taken as a supplement. There are two main forms of ketone supplements:
We live in a time where we are constantly looking for the "magic pill" with weight loss. When keto hit mainstream we saw many keto pills hitting the market that claimed to give you all of the advantages of keto without restricting your carbohydrates. These pills also made claims to get you back into ketosis quickly after a cheat meal. If you had a cheat meal and then digested ketones you would be back in ketosis. Well, if I digest ketones of course ketones would be in my system so that doesn't mean nutritional ketosis. At that time it was the consensus among most doctors high in the keto industry that these were a waste of time, the promoted false claims and the best ketones are those made naturally in your body. Fast forward two years and research indicates that exogenous ketones might be beneficial to some. First, I do not and will not ever suggest keto pills for weight loss. Pills give a false sense of hope and you can take pills daily but if you do not learn to eat correctly you will continue to struggle. Digesting exogenous ketones as a way to get you back into ketosis after cheating is also a way to continue feeding the carbohydrate addiction. It can also be extremely unhealthy by continuing to consumes highly inflammatory foods that will increase your chances of heart disease and metabolic disorder. So again, I do not suggest exogenous ketones as a weight loss supplement. There are people who might benefit from the use of exogenous ketones. Beginners, those with underlying health issues (diabetes, alzheimers, hypertension, cancer, etc.), those who exercise frequently and those who are doing extended fast. The benefits of exogenous ketones include reduced feelings of hunger, improved mental performance, increased physical performance, longer lasting energy, minimizing or preventing keto flu and enhanced immune health. I actually listened to a documentary where they were actually using exogenous ketones on some areas of the military to help strengthen soldiers during combat. I want to discuss immune health in dept since we are currently in a pandemic. Research has shown that exogenous ketones can reduce inflammation on the brain and in other areas of the body. We know that increased inflammation is also one of the common issues with COVID. Blocking inflammation appears to minimize immune system damage when your body is infected with a virus or bacteria. When your body burns ketones for your energy source, immune cells called gamma delta T-cells start expanding in your body. The tissue protective cells will help improve metabolism and lower blood sugar and inflammation. After deciding that exogenous ketones would be beneficial actually to most of the people we coach, I started looking in to different brands. That took a lot of time. There are so many available. Of course there are some that are better than others. There were several factors that were taken into consideration: the amount of BHB, the number of BHB, other ingredients. After searching, I decided Approved Science Keto https://amzn.to/3fU6EDK was the best option. It has 4 different beta-hydroxybutyrates:
BHBs are considered to be naturally formed during metabolism and fat digestion so it not only safe, it's natural. So in conclusion, I now approve the use of exogenous ketones if you are looking to have the benefits listed above. As always, the information listed here is my opinion and should in no way be replaced with instructions or information you receive from your doctor. I really appreciate you for taking the time to read. I truly love reversing health and promoting healing. Thanks, Kisha
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Cravings can be our body's way of telling us that it needs something. Cravings can also be tied to emotions. When you are craving foods, it's important to address the craving by giving your body what it needs or addressing the emotion that's triggering the craving.
We can all agree that these are some of the hardest times we've experienced in our lifetimes. We are having to stay away from family, friends and even coworkers. Honestly, I would love to hug someone right now. Dealing with this pandemic can cause many cravings triggered by emotions. If you give into a craving that was trigger by an emotion without address the root cause, the satisfaction will only be temporary but by giving in to the craving you now have other issues with staying on track with your lifestyle. My carbohydrate cravings are pretty much non-existent at this point but I craved a red pear around the second month of the pandemic. Of all things to crave, a red pear! I haven't had cravings in a long time so it caught me off guard. Immediately I began to analyze the situation to see what my body was trying to tell me. The light bulb went off! I hadn't seen my mother in about a month. Sweet cravings are a sign of emotional disconnect. I missed my mommy. So instead of giving in to the craving and eating the pear, I packed my lawn chairs in the truck, went to my mother's house and talked to her while she sat on the porch. I addressed the emotion that was causing the craving. There are research studies that link long term behavior patterns of self medicating with sugar to child hood trauma. Self medicating with sugar is a temporary fix for an issue that needs to be addressed at the emotional level. One may need professional help to address these issues. Emotional health is very important on your journey. Salt cravings are influenced by stress, especially chronic stress. If you are constantly craving things like potato chips and salty nuts, you may want to make sure you're taking measures to rid your body of stress. Remember we don't have to be afraid of salt on a ketogenic lifestyle but there should still be a balance. We still have to make sure we are not using salt in excess, especially the synthetic iodized version. Make sure you are also using a quality salt like pink Himalayan, Celtic or Real Salt. Balance without being toxic is the goal. Sour cravings are triggered by emotions of rage and depression. This could be especially common right now as we deal with issues surround COVID-19. The liver serves as the organ that is in charge of our emotions. We also know that the liver serves as a filter. One way to help the liver rid itself of the things that increases the emotion is to detox. Instead of eating things like sour candy, use things like apple cider vinegar, lemon or fermented pickles. So the next time you find yourself extremely upset, instead of acting on the emotion, take a shot of apple cider vinegar instead! Spicy cravings are associated with loss and grief. Our bodies can react to this craving with symptoms that mimic allergies. To help decrease the affects, you can choose foods such as garlic, ginger, onions and peppers. Lung energy is associated with spicy cravings. According to Chinese medicine, these foods are said to aid your lung function. As you can see, our bodies are very complex. Our emotions play an intricate role with cravings, health and wellness. Addressing the root cause of issues will not only keep you on track with your ketogenic lifestyle, but allow you to heal on an emotional level as well. Thank you for taking the time to read. I pray you find the information useful to help you on your journey. Thank you, Kisha Welcome to my blog! Let's talk about our first subject, keto for carbohydrate addiction.
I must admit when I first started keto that I honestly had the mindset of doing yet another diet to lose weight! I had been studying keto for a few years before I decided to give it a try. After losing a little over 20lbs after the first five or six weeks it was time for my REWARD day! You know, the day we take to eat all of the things we had been depriving ourselves of to reach our goals. This was Easter Sunday 2018. Yes. I remember the day vividly. We went to a local restaurant and I ordered my REWARD meal, chicken wings and a regular waffle with real sugar syrup. First lesson; we do not reward ourselves with food. We are not dogs. I ate my meal and was fine that day. I didn't eat any other bad foods that day. The next morning I was extremely ill! I was sick for about three days! It was a feeling I never want to feel again! On top of that, I gained 2.5 pounds! Now that may not seem significant to you but it really was to me at the time! My weight loss had been steady and then all of a sudden I eat half of a waffle and gain 2.5 pounds! That made my anxiety high so I was stressing and weighing myself several times a day, which I'm sure made it worse. The other thing that happened was a game changer for me on my journey! You see one of the best things that happens with keto is your carbohydrate craving disappear. At that point my cravings had gone away but after I ate the waffle they returned with a vengeance! That was my light bulb moment. It was at that moment that I realized I had been fighting the wrong demon my entire adult life. I had been fighting the demon of weight loss when I should have been fighting the demon of addiction. I was a carb addict. I knew that if I didn't control the addiction it would be a problem for the rest of my life. It was at that moment I became a coach. I was my first client. Thinking back on it I coached myself daily. I told myself that if I had gotten past the addiction once that I could surely do it again. From that moment on I didn't eat to stay on keto. I eat to not relapse on the addiction. So when I tell you that keto has been one of the best decisions of my life, I honestly mean that. I was headed down a path of destruction. I was slowly killing myself with my fork. Keto can help you learn to reverse unhealthy eating behaviors too. I love my lifestyle and I feel absolutely amazing! Plus, according to my blood work, I'm the healthiest I've been in years! Thank you so much for reading! |