As mentioned on a recent posting regarding the keto diet, there are pros and cons associated with the use of the ketogenic diet as a lifestyle choice or for weight loss. Because Ketogenic diets are high in fat, it will essentially cut a person’s sugar intake to nil. We know that it causes the body to use fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrates. Here Hilary Brueck, BusinessInsider.com, reflects on how David Harper, anatomy and physiology professor, is using the keto diet:

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“Six years ago, David Harper considered himself relatively healthy.

The anatomy and physiology professor loved an occasional cookie, but he exercised often, cooked nutritious meals at home, and tried to stick to conventional nutrition advice: not too many calories, low amounts of fat.

But Harper started to realize that saturated fat might not be so bad, and that maybe it was the carbohydrates he ate that were causing him to pile on extra pounds and increasing inflammation.

“We’ve been telling people to eat the wrong diet for 40 years, and we’ve seen the results,” Harper told Business Insider.

He is convinced that carbohydrate-heavy, low-fat diets are a major reason we’re seeing high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer. That’s because a diet high in sugar can quickly raise insulin levels in the body. Over time, those spikes can lead to insulin resistance and eventually to long-term health issues like high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, inflammation, and obesity.

So years before the likes of LeBron James and the Kardashians figured out there might be some benefits to a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet, Harper gave it a try.

Image courtesy of: Stephen G Pearson

Harper lost over 20 pounds on a high-fat, low-carb diet

Trained in mathematical biofluiddynamics, Harper teaches anatomy, physiology, and pathology at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. He said that’s part of the reason the keto diet made sense to him.

“It was the knowledge that I gained through my career teaching anatomy, physiology, and pathology that led me to the conclusion that this is absolutely right in terms of the way the human body works,” he said. Harper went on the diet with his wife to test what it was like for a few months. “Over 12 weeks, I lost about 22 pounds of body fat,” he said, adding that most of it was around his midsection. He wasn’t a big guy before — about 5-foot-9 and 177 pounds — but today he weighs 150 or so.

The reason the keto diet is effective for weight loss and some disease control is that it fundamentally shifts the way our bodies run. On a traditional diet, our bodies automatically reach for carbohydrates to burn first, before using fats, because carbs are quicker and easier to break down.

But if no carbs are available, our bodies start burning fat as a primary fuel source and producing ketones in the liver, which the body can turn into energy. This metabolic state, called ketosis, is what happens when someone is starving. But it’s also how Harper’s body works every day. His system relies on fats like butter, oil, and lard as a primary energy source instead of packing them on as in-case-of-emergency poundage.

Harper said he doesn’t even feel hungry if he skips a meal or two.

Harper doesn’t eat tons of meat and hasn’t given up wine

 

Harper said he often starts the day by eating high-fat yogurt topped with a few berries and some roasted nuts. Other mornings, his breakfast might be bacon and eggs with tomato and avocado.

His sweet tooth is gone, he said. Instead, he gets hankerings for fatty foods.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/ketogenic-diet-what-a-scientist-eats-2018-10/

Photo By Stephen G Pearson