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March 05, 2019 3 min read
“The wheel is come full circle,” says Edmund in Shakespeare’s King Lear, as indeed it has when it comes to saturated fats, which science is confirming as no longer being the bogeyman they once were.[1] With this change of consciousness has come a dramatic resurgence in the consumption of foods like coconut oil and its Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) component.[2] This shift in emphasis to older, time-hallowed approaches has in turn prompted new ways of engaging the issue of nutrition, one of them being the Ketogenic Diet.
What is the Ketogenic Diet, one might ask? Historically, our species has made limited use of dietary sugars and starches. Now, however, amid the superabundance of modern times, carbohydrate-based, processed foods have become pervasive in our lives. The results have been devastating on public health and are most evident in the dramatic increase we have seen, for example, in the incidence of diabetes and metabolic dysfunction.[3]
The Ketogenic Diet is typically a low carbohydrate (5-10%), moderate protein (20-30%), high fat (60-80%) response to this distortion. It’s based on the assumption that fat is in fact a more integral, life-giving, stable source of energy than glucose from carbohydrates. By raising the level of fats in our diet, it prompts ketogenesis, which is the process by which the body and brain adapt to using fat as a fuel rather than glucose. This process produces ketones, which are water-soluble high energy substances arising from fatty acid oxidation. The result is a metabolic state that is called ketosis, mimicking the ideal state of nutritional balance that we would have enjoyed as breastfed infants.[4] Several weeks on a ketogenic diet and the body will begin to metabolically shift from glucose-based metabolism to fatty acid and ketone metabolism.
Humans survived for hundreds of thousands of years as hunter-gatherers. Having to hunt and search for our next meal created a metabolic blueprint that allowed us to function with fat as our primary fuel source. When we consume a ketogenic diet, we are essentially getting back to our hunter-gatherer roots. This shift in fuel source repairs organic balance and functionality of our organs especially when it comes to the brain and blood brain barrier. In addition, a shift to a ketogenic diet is marked by a lowering of blood glucose.
The ketogenic diet was first used to treat epilepsy in the 1920s, and these days research reports its positive effects for a wide range of neurological as well as other health conditions. [5],[6],[7],[8] Renowned practitioner Chris Kresser remarks that the keto approach for metabolic disease management can be incredibly effective but cautions against regarding this diet as an indiscriminate cure-all. Anyone with existing medical problems or a tendency to gout or kidney stones or who are serious athletes should check with their health care practitioner before embarking on such a diet.
If, however, you’re good to go with a Ketogenic Diet, St. Francis Herb Farm’s Ghee and MCT, with its healthy fats, is the perfect product for people who lead hectically busy lives. Consisting of 30% ghee and 70% MCT, it’s an excellent combination for use in your coffee, giving you a rich surge of ketogenic energy. To fuel your morning brew, begin by adding 1 tsp of Ghee & MCT to your coffee and blend in a blender or use a milk frother to emulsify. Slowly work up to 1-2 tbsp a day. The delicious flavour of the ghee makes for an ideal complement to the more subdued tones of the MCT.
[1] L Schwingshackl and Georg Hoffmann, “Dietary fatty acids in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression,“ BMJ Open 2014; 4
[2] Ali Le Vere, “In Defense of Coconut Oil: Rebuttal to USA Today,” accessed at: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/defense-coconut-oil-rebuttal-usa-today
[3] Richard Smith, “Are some diets ‘mass murder’?”BMJ2014; 349.
[4] Sheila M Innis, “Dietary Triacylglycerol Structure and Its Role In Infant Nutrition,” Advances in Nutrition 2011 May; 2(3): 275-283.
[5] Dariusz Wlodarek, “Role of Ketogenic Diets in Neurodegenerative Diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease),” Nutrients 2019; 11(169): 1-11
[6] AA Gibson et al, “Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite? A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Obesity Reviews 2015 January; 16(1): 64-76
[7] EC Westman et al, “Implementing a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus,” Expert Review of Endocrinology and Metabolism2018 Sept; 13(5): 263-272
[8] RJ Klement, “The emerging role of ketogenic diets in cancer treatment,” Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 2019 March; 22(2): 129-134.
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