by Lucy Shaw, Special to The New Tri-State Defender
It is such a pleasure to be writing for The New Tri-State Defender again. I have been away for a while, but I have certainly been busy finding new ways to bring faith, hope and wholeness to my work with others.
I have two websites, www.radicalprosperity.com and www.radicallyketo.com. Both of these sites are based on 3John2: “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.”
Now that’s a great big promise from God! Here, He says that He cares that everything in our lives comes together for good; spirit, soul and body. He cares that we experience ‘radical’ prosperity! I say ‘radical’ because how many times in life do things work out in all three of these at the same time?
So, while the website ‘radical prosperity’ focuses on spirit and soul, ‘radically keto’ is focused on your health. In this column, I will talk about both or one of these topics every two weeks. The truth is that to be whole requires that we are continually attending to our total self…spirit, soul and body. If any one of them is troubled, all three eventually become troubled unless we accept and go after the 3John2 promise!
So, when I write, I will always hold to the fulfillment of that promise for all of us.
What is ‘KETO”?
If you are on Facebook, it is nearly impossible to miss all of the talk and advertisements about keto. Keto refers to the ketogenic lifestyle, a way of eating and doing life that for many people restores health of the body and mind and modulates emotional health as well as weight loss. It is called a lifestyle because it is so much more than a diet.
I am not only a Spiritual Life Coach but also a Certified Ketogenic Lifestyle Coach. I have used food to heal myself many times in my life. I have been a Raw Foodist (eating non-cooked food and juices) and reversed a deadly illness. I later became a Vegan, eating no meat, I progressed to Vegetarian and began to eat chicken and fish.
Finally, on Keto, I eat a diet of roughly 75% fat, 15% protein and 10% carbohydrate. (In a later article, I will explain about all that fat!) What this does is vastly diminish the supply of carbohydrates for fuel. Carbohydrates are broken down in the digestive tract and released into the blood stream primarily as glucose, the main form of sugar (and energy) in the body.
On Keto, the body shifts and uses fats for fuel instead of sugar. Keto Lifestyle is NOT for everybody. There are certain situations where it should not be done; pregnancy, insulin dependent diabetes, some forms of thyroid conditions just to name a few.
As with any change in diet, you should always seek your physician’s advice. Another major factor is that if you are on medication, you should be working with your doctor particularly close during the ketogenic transition.
Because ketosis works so extensively throughout the body, nearly any type of medication could be affected. Diabetic, blood pressure and cholesterol medications will of course need to be carefully monitored (because you could end up overmedicated, by needing less on the ketogenic diet), but also medications addressing anxiety, depression, kidney function and gout are others I often see needing to be watched closely.
Even anti-inflammatory medications may need to be reduced or eliminated. For optimal effect and safety, your doctor should be familiar with ketogenic physiology and its effect on any medications you are taking.
Whenever I write here about the Keto Lifestyle, I am never attempting to diagnose, play doctor or tell you what to do! But I have coached and met people whose lives have been drastically affected in positive ways by this way of eating. Here is my testimony:
My husband of 18 months died suddenly on September 1, 2018. I went into a time of deep grief, lousy eating habits with lots of sugary foods and pasta (easy, fast food); no exercise, knees that hurt like the devil and made walking very difficult, weight gain and an inability to think clearly. At the request of one of my closest friends, I tried Keto with her.
Within the first two weeks I was walking up my stairs without moaning and struggling; I could remember any and everything, my depression lifted (even though I still grieve); I gained excess energy, began to sleep soundly every night; lost my various aches and pains and as a bonus lost 10 pounds and was able to wear clothing I could not before. My story is not unusual.
I believe that there are seasons in our lives during which our bodies seem to respond to certain ways of being and even eating! This seems to be my season for Keto! I am doing a 7-week online class beginning April 29th. You can check it out on www.radicallyketo.com.
I see so much heartbreak and misery related to health and I also see people try things without direction who end up unsuccessful or in trouble. Every two weeks, I will give you some health tips, food recipes, and food for the soul and spirit.
This week, go here to learn about the way I use coffee every morning to create energy and health: http://tinyurl.com/yyeblsgm.
(Lucy Shaw is chairperson, CEO of Heartworks4U, LLC, chairperson of the Tri-State Bank Board of Directors and former CEO of The Med (now Regional One Health).
