eat more olives

 

Now, I’m sure you’re probably wondering why I combine a Mediterranean keto diet with fasting as opposed to a regular keto diet, right?

Well, there’s nothing wrong with regular keto. Nothing at all. It’s amazing and I did it consistently for the better part of 10 years…

But the research coming out regarding how beneficial the Mediterranean diet is convinced me to tweak the keto diet by implementing keto-friendly Mediterranean foods.

 

To quote the researchers who conducted systematic review and analysis of the Mediterranean diet that was published in the journal Nutrients:

“The MedDiet is effective in preventing obesity and MetS (metabolic syndrome) in healthy and at-risk individuals, in reducing mortality risk in overweight or obese individuals, in decreasing the incidence of T2DM (type-2 diabetes/insulin resistance) and CVD (cardiovascular disease) in healthy individuals, and in reducing symptom severity in individuals with T2DM or CVD.”

As you can see, it’s no secret that the Mediterranean diet is tremendous at keeping us healthy… but why do I combine it with keto?

As you probably know, a keto diet is about restricting carbs enough so that your body enters ketosis and starts producing ketones. Ketones increase the number of mitochondria, the so-called “energy factories” in brain cells, specifically in the hippocampus, a part of the brain important for learning and memory.

Hippocampal cells often degenerate as we get older, leading to cognitive decline and memory loss… so with an increased energy reserve, thanks to ketones, neurons may be able to ward off disease stressors that would usually exhaust and kill the cell…

But what’s more, ketones are also a cleaner fuel compared to glucose (carbs), in that they produce less reactive oxygen species that can contribute to inflammation in the brain.

These benefits may well explain why I feel so energized and focused when I do a keto diet (which is most of the time, lol).

 

The problem that can arise from keto, though, is that the diet doesn’t require you to omit processed foods.

By definition, on keto, it doesn’t really matter where your calories come from as long as you get into ketosis. By contrast, however, a Mediterranean diet only cares where your calories come from.

[I love things like olive oil (This is my favorite brand and you can try it for $1, olives, salmon, veggies, calamari, yummmm!)]

In other words, a Mediterranean diet is pretty much devoid of processed food and is made up entirely of nutritious whole foods.

It emphasizes the consumption of non-starchy vegetables and keto-friendly fruits (yes, even a small amount of fruits) and is jam-packed with tons of omega-3-rich seafood and monounsaturated-rich olive oil and olives, which are of particular interest to me.

In a study from Diabetes Care, researchers found that simply adding monounsaturated fat in the form of olive oil to a diet that was still high in carbs prevented visceral fat accumulation!!

This is because olive oil is the richest source of a fatty acid called oleic acid which, when consumed, is converted into a signaling molecule called oleoylethanolamide (OEA)!

OEA activates a transcription factor called PPARα that increases the expression of genes involved in fat burning, such as the fat browning protein UCP-2 (fat browning may help to increase the number of calories you burn to produce body heat)!!

This is my preferred Olive Oil, and I was able to secure a deal for you to get a bottle of this olive oil for $1. I know the owners personally, and they spend a lot of time making sure these olives are picked at the peak of harvest and pressed into oil almost immediately afterwards.

Then it’s air-freighted so that it can be as fresh as humanly possible. Here is the link to try it for $1 – Try this truly fresh pressed olive oil right here!

People don’t always realize how important it is to preserve the antioxidants that re in olive oil. If you get rancid olive oil (like most stuff on the shelves), you lose much of the nutritional value, in fact, it can even have a NEGATIVE effect on the body.

Try the truly fresh Olive Oil from my friends here.

So a keto diet directs your body into a state of ketosis and a Mediterranean diet puts the emphasis on nutritious whole foods, making them the perfect complement of each other… but why do I also combine a Mediterranean keto diet with fasting?

On a very basic level, fasting allows me to be more productive on busy days as I don’t have to disrupt my workflow by having to stop multiple times a day to eat…

Though there is one additional benefit that is seemingly unique to keto, though…

When fasting your insulin drops lower than it does on even keto and in response to this, your adrenals begin to pump out more cortisol and catecholamines, such as adrenaline, making you that much more focused.

That might make it seem like you’d be too energized, but ketones also directly inhibit our neurons’ ability to use glutamate, the excitatory neurotransmitter and, instead, increase GABA, the calming neurotransmitter.

So by combining the two, you get this very unique sensation of being incredibly focused paired with a calming feeling. It really is the magic of combining not two, but three of the most powerful ways of eating on the planet!

A seriously good deal that is exclusive for those that read my newsletter!

Cheers to feeling calm and being productive,
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