This post discusses why I stopped the Keto diet.
Many of my recipes are based on the Keto diet, and I created them when I was doing Keto. But I shifted away from Keto in early 2023 and the recipes on my blog after that point do not offer Keto options.
So why the turnaround? Read on to learn why I tried Keto, and why I ultimately decided it didn’t work for me.
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Table of Contents
What is a Keto diet?
A Keto diet involves consuming a very low amount of carbohydrates and replacing them with fat to help your body burn fat for energy. Health benefits can include weight loss and lowering your risk for certain diseases.
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. MCAS is serious and disabling and people with MCAS experience often significant and debilitating symptoms daily, including anaphylaxis, which can be fatal.MCAS is often found in combination with other chronic conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Frequently healthcare providers do not know about MCAS, and the tests for MCAS are problematic because they are not uniformly reliable. MCAS can be difficult to manage. Treatments include blocking mast cell mediators with anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers, as well as avoiding triggers.
Check out this post on how to manage MCAS.
My experience with Keto
My healthcare provider recommended that I start a keto diet a few years ago when my MCAS was first diagnosed. She felt it would be a good way to reduce inflammation, a major aggravator of my MCAS symptoms.
After the first hurdle of adjusting to a radically new diet I settled into a routine and lost ten pounds. I felt better about my weight, but my MCAS symptoms were unchanged. I thought maybe I hadn’t done the Keto diet for long enough, so I kept at it for a full year. But I still had the same severity of symptoms.
After a year on the Keto diet I had my annual physical exam with my primary physician and they tested my lipid panel. I was shocked that my cholesterol was higher than normal. I thought I was immune to high cholesterol since I was supposedly consuming “good” fats.
But I learned that Keto can lead to a sudden surge in LDL and triglycerides, the “bad” cholesterol, when the diet is initiated, a surge that may level out after weeks and months. I was already on the fence about Keto because it hadn’t done my MCAS symptoms any good. For me this was the last straw, and I stopped Keto. Within a couple of months I had my cholesterol rechecked and it was back within normal levels.
Artificial sweeteners are unhealthy
Another reason that I decided against Keto was that it relies on artificial sweeteners.
Some artificial sweeteners are known neurotoxins and have been shown to cause damage to the gut microbiome are:
• aspartame
• sucralose
• saccharine
• neotame
• advantage
• acesulfame
• potassium-k
I quickly learned couldn’t tolerate these sweeteners with MCAS, and chose to use stevia and monk fruit instead.
Stevia is considered good for gut heath. – source
But when I developed SIBO I realized that it’s a complicated situation and stevia is implicated in disrupting the communication between bacteria in the gut. – source
That left me with monk fruit, which I do still use in certain recipes. But I’ve found over the years that I do best using maple syrup as my sweetener.
The carb conundrum
A third aspect of Keto that was hard for me was severely limiting my carbs. Though I did have more steady energy during the day on Keto by bedtime I was often hungry. And the lack of carbs was actually making me wake up with insomnia more frequently. I learned this condition is called Keto Insomnia.
Keto insomnia is a lack of sleep due to the lack of carbohydrates consumed in the diet. A lack of carbohydrates means your body is starved of L-tryptophan, which is needed for your body to produce melatonin.
Melatonin is produced by inhibiting the production of serotonin at night, so while your body is making serotonin, it’s simply not producing enough melatonin to help you sleep.
Even though I took supplemental melatonin at bedtime, as well as a host of other things to promote healthy sleep, I still suffered from insomnia.
So, the Keto diet went by the wayside.
Keto revisited
There are some people who receive great benefit from a Keto diet, while it simply isn’t compatible for others.
If you are considering a Keto diet consult with your healthcare provider to see if it might work for you.
The bucket theory
The bucket theory offers a helpful analogy for understanding symptom reactions with MCAS.Think of your body as an empty bucket that you want to keep from overflowing. Different foods and activities fill your histamine bucket at different speeds but they combine to form the total level of histamine in your body (how full your bucket is). A fuller bucket means you have more histamine symptoms. When you manage triggers, reduce exposure to known triggers, and take medications and supplements to reduce histamine, you can manage the level of your bucket.
Know your typical symptom progression
Knowing your symptom progression in a symptom flare is the key to developing your own rescue plan. In this post, I discuss how to determine your own symptom progression. Once you know what typically happens in your symptom progression you can design a rescue plan to address those symptoms.
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What is MCAS? Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. MCAS is serious and disabling and people with MCAS experience often significant and debilitating symptoms daily, including anaphylaxis, which can be fatal.MCAS is often found in combination with other chronic conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).Frequently healthcare providers do not know about MCAS, and the tests for MCAS are problematic because they are not uniformly reliable. MCAS can be difficult to manage. Treatments include blocking mast cell mediators with anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers, as well as avoiding triggers.Check out this post on how to manage MCAS. Why this recipe? This recipe is low in carbs, higher in fat, protein, and fiber, while still being lower in histamine and histamine-releasing foods, lower in oxalates, and free of nightshades, grains, and gluten. Eating a diet lower in carbs and inflammatory foods can help to control histamine intolerance. To learn more about the lower histamine diet click here! The bucket theory The bucket theory offers a helpful analogy for understanding symptom reactions with MCAS.Think of your body as an empty bucket that you want to keep from overflowing. Different foods and activities fill your histamine bucket at different speeds but they combine to form the total level of histamine in your body (how full your bucket is). A fuller bucket means you have more histamine symptoms. When you manage triggers, reduce exposure to known triggers, and take medications and supplements to reduce histamine, you can manage the level of your bucket. Know your typical symptom progression Knowing your symptom progression in a symptom flare is the key to developing your own rescue plan. In this post, I discuss how to determine your own symptom progression. Once you know what typically happens in your symptom progression you can design a rescue plan to address those symptoms. Get my free ebook, symptom log, and meal plan! Want a tool to easily keep track of your symptoms? Sign up for my newsletter and you will receive my free 50-page ebook of lower-histamine, grain-free, sugar-free recipes, my free symptom log, and a free two-week meal plan!Check out this powerful frequency device
Healy is an individualized specific microcurrent device (ISM) that runs beneficial electrical currents directed by an app on your phone. Healy can be used to magnify your intention and to get the most out of your life. Check out this post for more about Healy. And this post provides some tips and tricks for Healy.
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Disclaimer
The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure or treatment. Always seek advice from your medical doctor.
