Services
I can help you with implementation of these dietary patterns
Low carb diets may help:
- Diabetes – Non insulin dependent Type 2, Insulin dependent Type 2 and Type 1 Diabetes
- Weight loss
- Fatty liver
- Lowering triglycerides and other blood fats
- Heart disease
- Reflux
- Constipation
Low carb diets are the first step in weight loss, and improving blood glucose and insulin levels. And it’s easier than most people think.
How it works:
Low carb diets work by reducing glucose (and other sugars), which in turn reduces insulin (hormone that promotes fat storage). When the body does not have as much access to sugar as fuel (glucose) you can then use more fat (ketones) for energy.
Removing sugars and starches improves vascular health as sugars and insulin can cause damage to blood vessel walls, nerve cells, impair energy production in the mitochondria, leading to cell malfunction and death.
In the liver, excess sugars get converted into fats called triglycerides, and a build up of these fats can contribute to fatty liver. Removing sugars, reduces triglycerides and assists the liver to repair itself.
Keto Diets may help:
Mental Health / Neurological conditions:
- Alzheimer’s, dementia
- Anxiety, depression,
- Schizophrenia, bi polar disorder, schizoaffective disorders
- Epilepsy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
Endocrine conditions like:
- Type 2 Diabetes*
- Hyperthyroidism/Graves Disease
Joints and bones: arthritis, osteoporosis
Cardiovascular disease, COPD, asthma, weight loss
Digestive disorder: Reflux, constipation/diarrhoea, gastritis, bloating, IBS.
How it works:
Keto diets reduce carbohydrates even further, usually less than 20-50 grams per day depending on your starting weight and measured ketones. When glucose is not available, the body instead uses fats broken down to ketones as fuel for most metabolic functions.
The brain and the heart love ketones. It has been shown that when the brain and the heart use ketones as energy, the mitochondria work better, producing less oxidation. In the heart, ketones produce higher levels of ATP (that’s cellular energy) compared to glucose.
Whilst most cells can use ketones as energy, there are some cells that have an absolute requirement for glucose. Your body can make this glucose on demand from glycerol in fats and from protein.
*This diet is not suitable for people taking insulin with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes.
Low Calorie
Low calorie diets can assist with :
- Weight loss
- Improved metabolism
- Improved nutrient density
How it works:
Calories in = calories out – simple calorie reduction. What’s important here is to also give consideration to the types of foods you are eating. Different foods contain different nutrients and your body needs a vast array of nutrients to complete all its metabolic functions – to have a fast metabolism requires ALL the nutrients. So simply going low calorie may not always work if you are not also providing your body with the nutrients it needs to use the calories effectively. This is called nutrient density.
In the clinic I have seen patients fasting, exercising and greatly restricting calories, and yet still unable to lose weight. If this is you, I’d be happy to help you on the path to filling nutrient gaps to assist you optimise your energy metabolism.