(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Keto Diet or Balanced Diet? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-05 My Photo - Daily Kos use only. My A1C was to up 6.7% so my doctor said I needed to change my diet to get my blood sugar down. She will recheck it in May, and if it’s not down I’ll probably be put on medication either Metformin or Ozempic. I read posts on social media where people lowered their A1C from 9%, 10%, or even 12% to 5% or 6% without medication using the "Keto diet." That’s where you limit your carbs to 20-30 grams per day or 5% to 10% of daily calories. The USDA recommends people get 45% to 65% of their daily calories from carbohydrates, so 5%-10% is a big drop. The Keto diet is also moderate in protein as 70% to 80% of daily calories are to come from fat. The Keto diet has become very popular for both weight loss and getting your A1C down. At a recent dental appointment, the dental hygienist told me she is on the keto diet and she knows some people who “have gone 100% carnivore.” It made sense because carbohydrates raise blood sugar a lot more than proteins and fats do. But my doctor didn’t like the keto diet. She didn’t mind a lower carbohydrate diet, but she didn’t like one that is excessively low. I learned that other people’s doctor’s aren’t fans of it either. In fact, a recent study linked the keto diet to an increased risk of cardiovascular events — link and link. My doctor said carbohydrates have nutrients that we need and that’s true. She also doesn’t view the keto diet as sustainable and it seems a lot of experts agree with her. Finally, she said the keto diet was like putting your body into this state of starvation. Our bodies use glucose for energy and if we do not eat enough carbohydrates, our body will have to use fat instead (which is the whole idea). It seems experts are not sure of the long term effects — link. I’m still figuring all this out. My A1C will be higher on a balanced diet than it will be on the keto diet. I’ve been taking my blood sugar after various meals, and I know that carbohydrates raise my blood sugar a lot more than eggs and nuts do. At 6.7% I can probably get my A1C down with a balanced diet. But what if my A1C was 9% or 10% and I wanted to avoid medication? Would a balanced diet with medication be healthier than the keto diet? Metformin has been around a long time and seems to have some benefits — link. There may be benefits to the newer medications too — link - but they are ridiculously expensive (scroll down to the GLP-1 Agonists). Also, the complications of uncontrolled diabetes are an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and amputations. If your blood sugar is too high, it needs to be controlled period. My doctor is right that carbohydrates provide nutrients that proteins and fats don’t (and vice versa no doubt). It’s also true that many people would have a hard time staying on such a low carb diet long term. I have been eating better, and while I’m eating fewer carbohydrates I’m not on the keto diet. I use "My Fitness Pal" to track what I eat. In the past week, I’m at 31% carbohydrates, 43% fat, and 26% protein. That 31% is below the USDA’s recommended 45% to 65% but it’s well above the Keto diets 5% to 10%. The carbs I’ve eaten haven’t been 100% fruits and vegetables. For now, I’m not eating any bread, pasta, rice, or deserts. In any effort to get my nutrients, I do eat cereal for breakfast. The “My Fitness Pal” app tracks what nutrients I’m getting and I learned cereal was an easy way to get them as they are fortified. I also tested my blood sugar at the 1 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour mark after eating exactly one serving of cereal with unsweetened almond milk and my morning coffee with no sugar creamer. These were the results. I tested Froot Loops for kicks thinking it would raise my sugar the most, but it didn’t. The Kellogg’s All Bran also had 12 grams of added sugar. I assume the high fiber content held the blood sugar increase down? I tested the original Cheerios and original Special K not a flavored one. The morning fasting blood sugar is usually in the high 90’s to 110 so that’s the base. I do have the so called "dawn effect” because I’ll wake up with my blood sugar higher than when I went to bed. I guess if blood sugar is your only consideration and you are going to eat breakfast cereal, it doesn’t matter if you eat the more sugared cereals such as Frosted Flakes or Froot Loops as it seems a carb is a carb. CEREAL 1 HR. 2 HR 3 HR CARBS SUGAR CheErios 172 118 108 29 2 Special K 155 128 108 29 5 Total 182 130 105 33 6 All bran 148 135 102 36 12 Froot Loops 157 111 108 34 12 As far as carbs go, in addition to the cereal I am eating vegetables such as green beans, carrots, and mixed vegetables. The main fruit I eat is frozen blueberries. I also eat no sugar added yogurt and a lot of nuts such as cashews and almonds. I’m not a cook so anything I eat is simple. For example all my veggies are from the steam fresh microwave packages. I also eat a baked sweet potato at times. The fats I’m eating are mostly from eggs, cheese, chicken sausage, and nuts. The “My Fitness Pal” app tracks how much saturated fat I’m eating. It’s usually between 10 and 25 grams per day. That’s over the American Heart Association’s recommendation of no more than 13 grams a day. I’ve been eating about 15 eggs per week. My doctor said that was fine as eggs got a bad rap. I am not eating any red meats or butter (I switched to margarine). I’ve given up the burgers and fries. I would say on balance I’m probably eating less saturated fat. My cholesterol numbers were slightly high TC 208, HDL 44, TG 135, and LDL 137. One criticism of the Keto diet is that high in fat diet will raise your LDL cholesterol. I agree it would be hard to eat a diet that’s 70% to 80% fat without dramatically increasing your saturated fat intake. A person wouldn’t necessarily have to increase their saturated fat consumption, but it would be hard not to. I’ve done some reading, and a few decades ago we had "the low fat craze" in effort to reduce heart disease. What the public heard was that fat was bad, and many people didn’t distinguish between unhealthy saturated fat and healthy fats. But are we making the same mistake now where a lot of people now think carbs are bad and are not distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy carbs? As always, there’s no shortage of corporations trying to market products here. As I said, I’m still figuring all this out. I’m not an expert. Your experiences are just as valid as mine. This diary is meant to be balanced. I welcome all comments about the keto diet or any diet. Good or bad, the fact the Keto diet has become popular shows that people are looking for answers and I don’t blame them for that. I don’t think our society has done a good job helping people who have weight and/or blood sugar issues. If our society had done a good job, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic where 42% of Americans are obese. Some doctors have a stigma towards obese patients — link. I’m considered “Class I obese” because my BMI is between 30 and 34.9. I once had a doctor who would examine me, do my blood work, and spend 10 seconds telling me “lose weight” but gave me no tools. I return feeling ashamed I’d failed, and he would spend the same 10 seconds telling me “lose weight.” It was not a good experience. Research shows that some obese patients skip or delay medical appointments because they feel humiliated by staff — link. My current doctor isn’t like that. She is very positive. I don’t leave feeling an inch tall, but I leave feeling encouraged. A few years ago she helped me lose 50 lbs., but I gained it all back after the pandemic and after my dad died. She has a lot of patients who have had weight issues, so I asked her why so many people gain it back when something bad happens in their life. She said when our bodies are under stress, we can hold on to calories more. She said some of her patients who are considered obese eat healthier than she does. Note: I’ve been eating healthier lately, but I’m not one of the patients who eats healthier than she does. Regardless, I would like the recent changes to be long term. I’ve been eating healthier and I’ve lost 20 lbs. so far. This diary is partly about what’s worked for me, but what works for me may not help everyone. For example, not everyone is a “tracker” or would be able to use an app to track what they eat. It’s just like I’m not a cook so giving me recipe's probably wouldn’t help me. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2023/4/5/2162199/-The-Keto-Diet-or-Balanced-Diet Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/