7 KEYS TO OPTIMIZING YOUR KETO LIFESTYLE with Jessica Tye, NTP
1. Digestion is the FOUNDATION of health. If digestion is off you will not be able to heal, lose weight, balance hormones, sleep well, manage stress, etc. If the Nutri-Q tells you that you have digestion needs we have to start there first.
2. Drink HALF your body weight in water every single day – just water – you may add a squeeze of lemon or lime if you would like. If you drink diuretics like tea or coffee then you need to add that amount to your total water intake to make up for the diuretic effects. When you begin drinking the right amount of water for your body so many things can begin to resolve related to your health and weight.
3. Cut out ALL processed foods (snacks, pastas, breads, cereals, etc.) and sugars (agave, table sugar, coconut sugar, etc).
4. Be careful of including the following in your diet on any type of regular basis (I think all of these should be avoided completely by most everyone as they are the most reactive foods that I see across the board clinically): Soy, Corn, Sugar, Wheat (gluten) and Dairy (mostly in the form of milk – hard cheeses, butter, ghee and sometimes heavy cream can be okay for some people).
5. Eat 1-3 meals per day and do NOT snack. Snacking between meals keep your blood glucose high which will keep insulin elevated. Insulin is the “fat storage” hormone. It turns unused/unneeded ener- gy from food we are eating into fat and stores in on our bodies. To avoid this eat only when you are hungry and make that a MEAL.
6. Your meals should be nutrient dense whole foods containing higher healthy fats, moderate protein and low carbohydrates. Generally keeping your ratios to about 70-80% fat, 20-30% protein and 5-10% (or less) carbohydrates is what I recommend. Your carbs should come mostly in the form of green or cruciferous veggies and occasional fruit or root veggies. Track what you are eating on an app like My Fitness Pal or Carb Manager for a while to get an idea of how many of each macro you are eating.
By knowing what the ratios are you can play with them a bit based on how you are feeling and how your body is reacting. This will also help give me an idea of how to help you if you are able to share with me exactly what you are eating each day. DO NOT pay attention to the amount of calories these apps tell you to eat – they are always WAY low!
