My journey with ketosis has been full circle over the last 4 yrs. I am proud to say I am a Real Food, Unprocessed, Fat Burning machine today! I have thrown out that ridiculous government food pyramid and added tons of good fats and veggies to my life. I also threw out the idea that any one “diet” was perfect for me. We all are the same but very different. What works for some may not work 100% for others due to genetics, region etc. Here is a breakdown of my last 4 years of food and where I am today.
And might I add, I really loathe placing labels on any eating style! However, as a society we are obsessed with labeling everything….from our our eating to our ailments. Can I just say here, all disease and sickness stems from inflammation. Find whats causing the inflammation and you are on your way to health and wellness. Not that easy? Sure it is! Stop believing that treating your disease with medicine is the answer, it is not addressing what caused your problem in the first place.
My food and stress unlocked my MS. My food and lifestyle today have reversed it. Food is our greatest medicine, always has been, always will be.
My Journey with Ketosis
Paleo is where it all began
It all started with my MS diagnosis in 2014. Knowing conventional drugs was not the route I wanted to take, I researched and found the Wahls Protocol. Read the book within days and began applying this modified paleo lifestyle. I say modified as the tradition paleo diet is severely lacking in the greens department, a bit heavy on the meat and really doesn’t address clean eating. in my opinion. However, it was based on the ketogenic approach (fat burning), which was working for me and fast. I lost weight immediately, kept it off, gained energy, slept better and my MS symptoms were reversing. Why change anything right?
Paleo transitioned to Pegan
What the heck is pegan your probably saying. Dr. Mark Hyman, one of my favorite resources, coined the word for what he believes to be the perfect balance of food for most people. A hybrid of vegan and paleo.
“As a doctor, it is my job to figure out the best way to keep my patients healthy. We now know that food is medicine, perhaps the most powerful drug on the planet with the power to cause or cure most disease. If food is more than just calories, if food is information that controls every aspect of our biology and health, then I better know what to advise people to prevent, treat and even reverse chronic disease.” Dr. Hyman
Basically Hyman believes the same as Wahls, just takes a little bit different approach. All based on real, whole foods that are sustainably raised and sourced. I love his idea that meat should be thought of as a condiment, not the main course.
Just Clean Eating
As I got about 2 years into my new way of looking at and thinking about food, I really enjoyed the concept of clean eating. My take on clean eating is eating unprocessed foods as close to natural as possible. Avoiding pesticides and hormones buying organic and local. Trying to get that rainbow of real food on my plate at every meal. Also, listening to my body, what was it responding to, what was causing issues. Intuitive eating like this has always been present in my life but sure got amplified after cleaning my body of toxins for a few years! Well this led to….
Raw & Vegetarian for a bit
As life marched on and my body got cleaner and cleaner, my cells were reprogrammed and almost all my old craving had died. This was a really good feeling. I remember walking through Costco one day and passing a big veggie tray, you know the ones, and my mouth literally began to water! True story. Veggies and fruits burst with so many flavors to me now. Unbelievable how sweet vegetables can be. So, as I was enjoying this phase of my eating lifestyle, I was naturally drawn to eating more raw veg, and it was serving me well. But, I was missing what I started….
Back to Ketogenic
Full circle, I am back to a ketogentic, fat burning lifestyle I started with. My real food, unprocessed, full of flavor life. Ah! Now don’t get too confused here, there are only subtle differences in each of the styles mentioned, however, the keto approach of burning fat for fuel just makes me feel so damn good. My brain is clear, energy high, inflammation gone, and weight stays steady without ever a thought. I never abandoned the good fats in my diet, I just experimented adjusting different quantities and varieties of food to see what made my body run the best it could.
To Wrap it Up
My journey with ketosis has been one of Real Food, Unprocessed, Fat Burning that takes a piece from each of these food ideas or labels and mashes them all into one that works for me. I “Natalify” everything today and can honestly say I miss nothing!
My mood has evened out, I have tons of energy, my thoughts are clear, inflammation gone, weight is steady as a rock without a thought or calories counted….ever. Matter a fact, I have never counted calories and never will. My journey with ketosis may have started 4yrs ago but will continue for a lifetime.
In a Nut Shell
I stay away from – dairy, grains, legumes, added sugar, trans fat, preservatives, dyes
I Choose to Eat
All organic, unprocessed foods the way nature intended them
Tons of good fats
Plenty of filtered water
You can read more specifics of what I eat daily here
Don’t forget those all important probiotics
I do not crave nor do I miss any processed foods, they actually look and seem gross to me. I will say, living in our country where the food system has failed us, it can be difficult to source what you need at times. My suggestion is starting where you are, one step at a time, find your groove and just do it! You will feel better, look better and begin to ever wonder how the human species got so far off track with our food. WTF were we thinking!?
Love & Be Well,
Natalie
