In this interview, Benjamin Bikman, Ph.D., an obesity and diabetes scientist and associate professor of physiology and developmental biology at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah, reveals how the ketogenic diet affects your physiology and supports optimal health.

Watch video here

In addition to being a popular diet for weight loss, people follow the ketogenic diet for a number of medical conditions, including epilepsy, diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The extremely low-carbohydrate diet relies mostly on meat, dairy, non-root vegetables and some nuts and seeds. Dairy in particular has been hard to acquire in many stores. Here are a few tips – https://lowcarbmag.com/surviving-keto-in-quarantine/

Since fruits are packed with natural sugars (fructose and glucose), we have to carefully watch the amount of low carb fruit we eat each day. The best strategy to minimize fruit sugar intake is to stick with berries (notably raspberries and blackberries), avocados, olives, and tomatoes as our fruits of choice on the ketogenic diet. It is also a good idea to avoid any medium and large-sized fruits as they tend to have too many sugars for ketosis.

Read more here:: https://lowcarbmag.com/what-fruits-to-avoid-on-the-low-carb-diet/

“Besides having a slightly nutty, yet subtle flavor, almond flour is on fire because it’s gluten-free and contains more protein than regular flour,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, nutritionist and author of Read It Before You Eat It.

In addition to being a good-for-you option, almond flour is also super simple to use. “I love to bake with almond flour because it’s an easy one-for-one swap with flours of lesser nutritional value,” Taub-Dix says. “It also adds a richer flavor.” That’s why, when consulting with clients, Taub-Dix often recommends almond flour for baking, breading chicken or fish, or thickening soups.

Though almond flour doesn’t look too different than typical wheat flour, its nutrition couldn’t be farther from that of regular flour.

Here’s what you get in a quarter-cup serving of almond flour, according to the USDA – https://lowcarbmag.com/almond-flour-a-great-low-carb-flour-alternative-rds/

A new study included more than 2,000 patients who had cardiac catheterization between 2013 and 2015. They were followed for 4.5 years afterward.

Those who fasted regularly had a higher survival rate during follow-up than those who did not, according to researchers at Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fasting was a strong predictor of survival and lower risk of heart failure even after lifestyle behaviors, medications, heart risk factors and other health problems were taken into account.

“It’s another example of how we’re finding that regularly fasting can lead to better health outcomes and longer lives,” principal investigator Benjamin Horne said in an institute news release. Read more here:: https://lowcarbmag.com/intermittent-fasting-could-benefit-heart-health-study/

Even when people are consuming what they consider a healthy snack, many times, they are misinformed.

For instance, the protein or snack bars you use to stave off hunger in the midafternoon often contain more protein than you need and more sugar than a doughnut!

Sure, your body needs protein to build lean muscle mass, but did you know that most Americans eat at least double the recommended daily allowance for protein without the additional protein from a processed protein bar?

Adopting a ketogenic diet and method of snacking will vastly improve your health and is as easy as eating foods that are high in healthy fats, moderate in proteins and low in net carbs. Here are 10 great keto-friendly snacks to munch on instead of junk food. Read more here:: https://lowcarbmag.com/replace-junk-food-with-these-healthy-low-carb-snacks/

While a number of factors can contribute to belly fat — including stress and poor sleep — carbs may play a role, depending on your diet. “Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body, broken down and utilized as glucose by our cells,” Gabby Geerts, a registered dietitian at Green Chef said. “If you consume more carbs than necessary, your body will convert glucose to glycogen, a storage form of energy. If you consume so many carbs that even your glycogen stores are at maximum capacity, the body will then convert this to fat.”

Insulin, the hormone that helps transport glucose to the body’s cells, also becomes less effective if you eat too many carbs. This means if you continually eat a high-carb diet, you’ll need more insulin to manage that workload, a condition known as insulin resistance. “As insulin efficiency continues to decline, more energy will be stored as fat,” Gabby explained.

So, if you think your carb intake could be to blame for you carrying extra weight in your middle, take a look at your diet, noting how frequently you eat carbs, what types of carbs you eat, your portion sizes, and what else is on your plate. Read more here:: https://lowcarbmag.com/experts-says-cut-back-on-carbs-if-you-want-to-lose-belly-fat/

As the name suggests, carb cycling involves varying your intake of carbohydrates. The cycle itself varies — it’s often daily, with people switching between high- and low-carb days, but it can also be weekly or monthly.

For example, on a five-day carb cycling program, a person might eat around 100 to 125 grams of carbohydrates for three consecutive low-carb days, then consume 175 to 275 grams for two high-carb days, when they’re more physically active.

Read more here:: https://lowcarbmag.com/what-is-carb-cycling-and-how-does-it-work/

When you’re on a keto and low-carb diet, a trip to the grocery store can sometimes be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to avoid processed items and refined carbohydrates. Local grocery stores near you may not have an easy to spot aisle dedicated to low-carb and keto options, but as long as you know what to look for  it will an easy-breezy trip for you.

Here is a helpful shopping list that will serve as a guide for you – https://lowcarbmag.com/your-must-have-low-carb-grocery-list/

It can be hard to know whether the latter are actually related to keto at all. However, if diet is the only obvious change these folks have made, keto seemingly takes the rap.

Despite the dearth of research, it’s possible to make some reasonable guesses about what might be causing your sleep issues. Of course, before trying any of the supplement suggestions, consult your doctor. Likewise, get help if your sleep is so poor that you are having trouble functioning.

Read more here:: https://lowcarbmag.com/keto-insomnia-and-how-to-deal-with-it/