At last a diet that explains how I have been living for most of my life. Let’s discuss it’s name in a little while. For many years, I have chosen to eat foods that kill Candida! I’ve never been able to stomach eating even the smallest amounts of SUGAR! It’s just the way I have been wired and I understand now that it is a huge blessing. My parents brought me up so healthily. Choosing to give me living & real foods at the dining room table. Highly processed foods were never really an option. When I would eat out at a friend’s homes as a child, my body could not tolerate the sweet foods I was given & I would become nauseated quite quickly.

In my early thirties my lifestyle changed. I over worked myself and consequently my eating habits changed. When I suffered from Adrenal Fatigue I craved the very thing that hurt my body, SUGAR! Now that I am freed from Adrenal Exhaustion, (my digestion & hormone levels are all balanced once again) I purposefully choose daily to stay away from refined sugar…. Back to the way my healthy parents brought me up.

When I eat out at restaurants with my husband, I’m his little sugar barometer! Im pretty sensitive to the stuff and alert him of any hidden sugars that may be on our plate.

Studying The Mild Ketogenic Diet

So what is the NAME of this diet?

THE MILD KETOGENIC WAY OF EATING

As I have been studying I have come across the KETOGENIC DIET and it is how I have lived for years without knowing the correct term for it. A ketogenic nutrition plan is based on a very low carbohydrate, moderate protein and high healthy fat intake.

The Ketogenic Diet truly promotes health! Choosing to kill off Candida & the overgrowth of fungi growing in our bodies by building meals around good fats, antioxidants, clean organic proteins, fibre and fermented foods. Foods that are removed when eating this way would be anything that metabolises into sugar. So it’s goodbye to high sugar fruits, enjoy eating healthy good fats & lowered carbohydrate meals & of course refined sugar is completely removed!

The key to this way of eating is that it actually changes the way your body receives it’s fuel and energy.

Traditionally, we know that we get energy from sugar and glucose. The Ketogenic Diet re-trains an individual’s body to get its energy from good fats such as coconut oil, avocados and the most importantly MCT oils also known as high quality medium chain triglyceride oil. For years I have always preferred to put avocado or nut butters on my paleo bread rather highly sweetened jams. I’m just that way inclined. Eating real foods, high in healthy medium chain fats with very low amount of sugar makes me feel so well and healthy. Coconut oil and MCT oil helps to prevent sugar cravings and of course have the added benefit of supporting brain health.

Ketosis is achieved when a person’s body does not have enough carbohydrates from food for their cells to burn for energy, so the body then switches to burning fat instead. This is wonderful news for those hoping to shed some weight.

HOWEVER, MY AIM IS NOT TO ACHIEVE TOTAL KETOSIS AS THIS CAN BE VERY HARMFUL!

My aim is to be refined sugar free and not strictly in a Ketosis state! My desire is to attain mild ketosis. Everything in BALANCE is WISDOM.

When I was unwell I suffered from an overgrowth of Candida in my digestive system. Now that I am healed my goal is to continue to prevent this from becoming out of balance again. Eating more vegetables, staying away from refined sugar and increasing good quality proteins and fats will help me to daily minimise Candida from multiplying in my system again. The Ketogenic way of eating is a great choice for people who are wanting more Energy, experiencing Chronic Pain, being Overweight, experiencing Neurodegenerative conditions such as Dementia or Alzheimers, and overgrowths of Fungi such as Candida or Cancer. Fungi related sicknesses feed on sugar. By limiting the glucose fuel source the fungi is no longer encouraged to grow. Using ketone bodies as their primary fuel source the majority of the time, instead of sugar, can enabled them to train their metabolisms to run off fatty acids instead.

THE KETOGENIC DIET CAN BE TAKEN TO FAR IF IT IS NOT KEPT IN BALANCE.

My goals for digestive health may differ from pregnant woman, children and teenagers whose bodies are still growing. A ketogenic Diet really may NOT be best for them. Growing bodies still would need glucose and can be found in wise food choices like low-glycemic fruit such as berries, granny smith apples, kiwi fruit and grapefruit. Also, root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and beets are still fabulous for pregnant woman, children and teenagers.

BALANCE IS IMPERATIVE AND WISE.

PLEASE DON’T GO TO EXTREMES WITH THE DIET YOU CHOOSE

Some people may aim for a strict ketosis nutrition plan and others may be more mild in their approach. I personally like the mild Ketogenic Plan.  I love choosing the best ideas from various healthy food plans. Certain things from the JERF, GAPS, Gluten Free, Anti-Candida and Paleo diets I have adapted to my lifestyle and food preparations. My body benefits from Gluten free foods BUT a lot of these are so very high in sugar! So I just have to be cautious and do what is right for my health and well being! I love to choose real organic foods that have no sugar in them (or very little) It’s been so fun and pleasing finding  the name of a diet that reflects a little more of me and my food choices… SUGAR FREE, THAT’S FOR ME!!!! ANOTHER DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHOICE TO ADD INTO THE MIX.