Hi Aggressivefatloss lovers,
This gets tricky. There are a lot of claims that keto could be aging us faster for a few (somewhat unjustified) reasons:
– Claims of Saturated Fat negatively impacting insulin resistance (this is partially true, but it implies that ALL we eat is saturated fat on keto)
– Claims of high protein being bad for aging (I can see where this argument comes from, but newer research is showing that maintaining MUSCLE is critical for healthy aging)
– Claims that CARBS are NECESSARY for healthy aging and longevity (this one is tricky…. let’s discuss):
First off, I sincerely believe that we are designed to go IN AND OUT of ketosis for optimal performance and longevity.
Ketosis is a hormetic stressor, and too much of a stressor could lead to a buildup of oxidative stress (not good for aging).
This is where I feel that cycling on and off a ketogenic diet is the ideal way to eat. Not to mention, it just makes sense from a primal living perspective.
Our bodies are very efficient at transitioning between carbs and fats as fuel substrates.
For the past 3 months I have been using Lumen to track when I am burning carbs vs burning fats… ($60 off with code AFL)
It’s not as simple as measuring ketones. You need to be measuring carbon-dioxide in the breath.
So Lumen is really cool because I breathe into it and it tells me if I am currently burning carbs or currently burning fats.
If I workout and I want to know what I am burning. Check. Breath into the lumen device and it tells me if I am a carb burner currently or a fat burner (or wherever in the middle).
I think it is one of the best investments someone that is diet conscious should make because it gives such a clear snapshot of where you’re at CURRENTLY.
Here is a link for $60 off a Lumen device, but you MUST USE code: AFL at Checkout (this is only good for the first 200 people because there are limited amounts).
When should you be burning CARBS though? Aren’t they bad for aging?
Not necessarily.
It’s about training your body to be flexible at using both fuels.
My recommendation is to remain in a deficit when you do have carbs into the equation, and follow something like this:
- 2-3 Months Ketogenic diet aiming for a Mediterranean approach (lots of olive oil, fish, fiber, some avocado if you can add it)
- 30 days of low glycemic carbs + high fiber. I recommend getting about 40g carbs per day from fruit during this period, and the rest from things like sweet potatoes, mushrooms, red potatoes and squash.
- When you do add the carbs into the mix, I HIGHLY recommend fasting 3-4x per week to offset the higher spikes in insulin that your body may not be accustomed to if you’re normally low carb.
This allows you to still be in a nice calorie deficit and continue to burn fats for fuel, even when you’re consuming carbohydrates.
The 18-20 hour fasting method during carb periods will allow your body to get a small mTOR response from the carbs (still important for muscle building and for the brain), but you will offset it by being in a deficit other times and still triggering the cellular recycling processes.
One of the beauties of this is that everyone has a bit of a different rate at which they end up in fat-burning zone vs carb burning zone (that’s where the Lumen Device comes in handy – $60 off here with code AFL).
The Okinawans are an interesting example…
Average HEALTHSPAN (not lifespan) over 74 years vs the US at 66 years…
They eat a fair bit of carbs, but much of it is low glycemic fiber from sweet potatoes and Goya.
They also eat a fair bit of fermented foods (soy, etc, but it’s fermented, not our junk in the US).
BIG thing though…. They’re in a 10-15% deficit a lot of the time.
This is essentially what we are trying to mimic through ketosis anyway!
So as long as we can keep ourselves in a deficit with our carb refeed periods, WE CAN PROBABLY still get a solid benefit.
Then use your keto periods to be at maintenance calories or close to it.
It’s all about training your body to be good at using the right fuels at the right time.
That’s why it’s so important to learn your own unique stages of carb vs fat oxidation so you can manipulate it better.
HINT – You should still be using FAT as FUEL even when you’re eating carbs BECAUSE you should be fasting enough to tap into those stores 🙂
Hope this clears things up that may have been confusing for a bit!
Thanks again to Lumen for the discount for my subscribers as well.
Aggressivefatloss
