Ketosis: Living Clean and Keto
“Keto” comes from the words ketones, or ketosis.
Our bodies have only a few ways to obtain the energy necessary to perform their many, varied processes. The body can burn either glucose from carbohydrates (sugars), or ketone bodies from lipids (fats) to accomplish its tasks. At different times, the body utilizes both of these sources . When the body is using ketone-based energy, that body is in a state of ketosis.
Living, growing and thriving from ketone-based energy is very natural. When we are first born, we may already be in a state of ketosis if our mothers are healthy! Breast feeding allows infants to burn ketones for energy in the form of breast milk. Once carbohydrate-based food becomes part of our diets, we become primarily glucose-burners. Not good! Not good at all!
The 1950s brought about changes in our eating habits, with the introduction of convenience foods, fast food, and prepackaged prepared food (TV dinners, anyone?), all which brought more and more carbohydrates into our daily diet than ever before. In the early 70's, Dr. Robert Atkins published the Atkins Diet, which promoted a ketogenic diet, however, it was not necessarily “clean," or with the correct percentages of macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates). It was low in carbs, but, perhaps, too high in protein with not enough emphasis on high quality fats as the main food factor.
The traditional food pyramid tells us to eat high-carb, moderate lean meat, and low fat for a healthy diet. Those carbs will be converted to glucose, which is our body's easiest way to get energy.
The government’s “food pyramid,” together with the food, agri-business industries, and the medical profession, have advocated a low fat, high, so-called “healthy” carb diet since the 1980s. Interestingly, during that same time, there has been a dramatic rise in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other lifestyle health issues, particularly in kids.
For ketosis to happen, however, we need high fat, moderate fatty protein, and low carbohydrates. Lacking the carbohydrates to make enough glucose, our bodies will convert the fats to ketone bodies, which will be burned for energy.
On a ketogenic diet you will get a much higher percentage of your calories from fat and a much lower percentage from carbohydrates. That’s how you enter ketosis and stay there, by feeding your body fat to burn (or using your body’s own fat stores) instead of the glucose that it would be getting from carbohydrates.
Changing from a glucose-burner to a ketone-burner can do wonders for weight loss and, more importantly, improved health and longevity.
Now We Understand Ketones...
What is Clean and Keto?
We believe in "living a clean and ketogenic lifestyle." We want our bodies to relearn how to burn fat occasionally, rather than glucose, for sure, but how they go about that is the "Clean" part of the equation.
Clean means:
Organic
Humanely raised, grass fed, animals
Free-roaming, organic, chicken eggs
Hormone-free, organic chicken
Wild caught Alaskan salmon, and other smaller Pacific caught fish
Foods grown free of toxins, pesticides, herbicides, etc.
Foods grown by local farmers and sold at local markets
Foods without GMO's (genetically modified organisms)
Elimination of all artificial sweeteners, sucrose, fructose, Sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, and/or high fructose corn syrup
Filtered water
Elimination of plastics, especially in regard to cooking, microwaving, etc.
Soaps with natural ingredients and absence of chemicals
Chemical-free lawns
Proper lighting for eye health (less LED and energy saving bulbs and more natural or incandescent)
Grounding ourselves (walking barefoot on wet grass or sandy beach, etc)