Ketogenic Diet Vs High Fat Or No Fat

KETOGENIC DIET AND HIGH FAT OR NO FAT

This topic is sure to come up when we are talking about the ketogenic diet.

Fat has always been vilified as one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease.

This was in no small part due to the Seven Countries Study done by Ancel Keys where he corroborated research findings from seven different countries that ultimately caused him to link consumption of fat with increased
risk of cardiovascular ailments.

It was a classic case of just focusing on research numbers which supported his hypothesis, and disregarding the other portions which might have contradicted his theory.

This study led to a literal worldwide clamp down on fat consumption and low fat diets, if you remember those, became all the rage.

Thankfully, current research has at least debunked some of the link between fats and heartproblems.

What most modern scientists and nutritionists can agree on is that there are some fats which are not harmful to the body.

In fact, fats are termed as an essential macronutrient, precisely because our bodies need them to function.

Let us now take a look at the fats which are deemed beneficial to the human system, because they will be important components of the
ketogenic diet!


Monounsaturated fats, of which I shall not bore you with the stuffy chemical definition, are usually present in liquid form at room temperature in their purest state but will tend to solidify when you place them in chilly confines.


You would be hard pressed to find anyone who gives a negative review on this particular fat these days, because it has been classified as a heart healthy fat.

A little bit of irony is at play here, since it wasn’t too long ago that all fats were labelled as one of the main causes of heart disease, and right now, we have the monounsaturated type actually responsible for lowering the risks of cardiac problems!


Most of the monounsaturated fats that we consume come in the form of avocados as well as olive oil.

It is also present in almonds, cashew nuts, as
well as eggs. Another source of monounsaturated fat, which would probably become one of our intuitive choices of food, would be dark chocolate.

Remember, we are talking about chocolate where the cocoa content is at least 80% - the higher the better. Dark chocolate may take some getting used to,especially for folks with a sweet tooth who like milk chocolate.

The difference in the impact on health, however, makes it all worthwhile to embrace the switch.

Without the excess sugars present, and with a
corresponding increase in the beneficial cocoa content, dark chocolate helps with lowering bad LDL cholesterol as well as improving the cardiac risk profile of the consumer.

Besides the beneficial monounsaturated fats, dark chocolate also contains a rich level of helpful antioxidants which work to curb chronic inflammatory diseases as well as improve cognitive function.


Another fat which has received some positive scientific literature would be the polyunsaturated variety.

Like its monounsaturated sibling, it is normally
found in liquid form at room temperature, while refrigeration would generally solidify these fats.

 Polyunsaturated fats are much more susceptible to oxidation from heat and light, and this is where the crux of the problem lies.

Oils from soybean and corn, as well as the sunflower, are rich sources of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and these fats are supposed to loweryour LDL cholesterol.

However, it is common to have both heat and light in copious quantities when we examine most oil extraction methods.

Keto foods - vegetables

The same would also hold true for fish oils which are rich in omega-3, the other famous
polyunsaturated fatty acid.

Problems in processing, which entail too much heat and light, inevitably oxidizes the erstwhile healthy fats.

When oxidized, the polyunsaturated fat becomes a totally different animal.

Oxidized fats are known as trans fats, or franken fats.

They bring absolutely no health benefits to the body but dramatically increase cardiovascular risk incidence as well as boosting carcinogenic growth within the body.

Free radical levels are also elevated when we consume trans fats.

If there were a substance on earth that I would not recommend, this would probably top the list.

To make things worse, trans fats only occur in infinitesimal quantities naturally, which means we probably wouldn’t suffer from its effects if we
just left things to nature.

Unfortunately, most of the trans fats wrecking their way into our body systems are of human construct, by way of oil extraction and processing.

Most of the fried and processed foods available in the market are also derivatives of vegetable oil, due to its cheap and ready availability.


We would do ourselves a big favor if we were to really steer clear of these vegetable oils.

Instead, there are certain oils and substances which are more suitable for high heat cooking and we shall definitely touch on those later.

For now though, our best bet for getting quality, unadulterated omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids would probably be through eating unprocessed pine nuts and pistachios.

Fatty fish like trout and salmon would
be great sources of omega-3, taken raw in the Japanese sashimi style or lightly grilled in Mediterranean flavors would also be good.

For the folks who are thinking about getting omega-3 supplements like fish oil, it would be
best if you could go for producers who use processes which involve as little heat and light as possible.

In such situations, sometimes going old school and traditional might be better than any newfangled methods.

The key is to look out for the absence of heat, and light, as well as pressure, in the extraction method for the fish oil.

Absence of chemical additives is also a big plus in ensuring you get organic, non-contaminated fish oil.

It might seem a tall order, and I would have to say it is from no small amount of research on my part that I discovered this particular brand of fish oil which happened to be extracted in the traditional Viking manner, excluding modern impediments like light, heat, pressure and chemical additives.

 Just type“Rosita fish oil” into any search engine and you should be able to get to the company’s website.


I would like to state here that this is what I use personally, and I have seen good results from sustained consumption of their extra virgin cod liver oil.

I am by no means affiliated to the company nor am I endorsing it.

This is just something I would like to share with anyone who is looking for quality fish oil supplements in a bid to boost their omega-3 intake.

Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for brain health, and studies have shown that patients who suffered from traumatic brain injuries saw enhanced recovery when eicosapentaenoic acid ( EPA ) and docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ), two of the more prominent omega-3 acids, were directly introduced via the intravenous system.

Omega-3 acids are also important in regulating the body’s inflammatory response.


Their presence produces anti-inflammatory substances which goes a long way in balancing out the harmful effects of sugar and trans fats present in the modern diet.


Omega-6 acids are necessary for proper inflammatory function as well, since they contain triggers which sets off the inflammation reaction in the body.

 A proper inflammatory response is needed in the body to act as a kind of firewall or defense against foreign pathogens and harmful substances that may otherwise hurt us.

The key here is the balance between omega-3 and -6 acids, where the optimal ratio is seen as two parts omega-3 to one part omega-6.

You want to be able to rally your body’s defense forces when enemies appear at the gates, but in the same context, you also want to be able
to stand them down after the viruses are squashed.

Having the body’s defense keyed up for too long is a perfect recipe for chronic inflammation.


The final kind of fat that we are looking at would be saturated fat.

This is where the more serious debates and arguments would take place pertaining to the impact that this fat has on human health.

Some staunch believers of the theory that connects saturated fat to heart disease still hold out that cutting down on saturated fat would dramatically help lower cholesterol as well as
the risks of cardiovascular disease.

Others, however, point to increasing evidence that saturated fat has no bearing on the development of heart disease.

Saturated fat gets its bad reputation for heart problems due to the fact that it is thought to clog up arteries through the formation of atherosclerotic plaque.

The plaque comprises of fat and cholesterol, as well as other substances, and it does make for a very viable case to state that fat isprimarily responsible for the formation of this life-threatening plaque.

Except that things aren’t always what they seem

If we delve a little deeper into the function of atherosclerotic plaque, the easy theory of saturated fats clogging arteries, like waste jamming up the kitchen sink and pipes, might seem a trifle flimsy.

Think about it: if saturated fats
were really that bad, folks in the era of our grandparents and great grandparents would have been subjects of a heart disease epidemic!

They were consuming red meat, lard, cheeses and other full cream dairy products that were all high in saturated fat.

Why is it that our forefathers found it alright to have these full fat foods without any major medical issues but we would be singing a different tune when consuming the same foods?

The issue, it seems, lies not with fats, but with our modern obsession with sugar.


Sugar has been rightfully identified as one of the main causes of chronic inflammation and the primary culprit for quite a number of debilitating
ailments that seem to flourish in the developed world.

Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even metabolic syndrome have all been attributed in whole or in part to the elevated presence of sugar in our modern diet.

As it happens, inflammation also occurs in our organs and arteries, and our bodies, being
this amazing biochemical supercomputer, will then deploy healing substances to those inflamed areas in a bid to rectify or cordon off the problem.

 This is what happens in the case of our arteries, suffering and damaged from the sugar onslaught, the plaque that forms is created by our bodies to cover up the areas in distress and try to heal them.

Picture a gash or a cut on your arm,
as it is healing, a scab would form to protect the wound from re-opening, which is exactly what is happening with the formation of arterial plaque. The plaque forms in a bid to allow the body to heal the affected arteries.

More often than not though, the body would still be subjected to high amounts of sugar through diet and healing is definitely impaired.

When the area is rendered irreparable, the body then attempts to shield this damaged portion away from the rest of the healthy system, and that is when atherosclerosis begins in earnest.

Some folks may still wonder about the levels of cholesterol and fat found in the arterial plaque and point to that as a source of concern.

It might come as no surprise to know that cholesterol is one of the more important ingredients needed when the body has a need to heal itself.

This is why cholesterol is listed as an essential substance for the human body.

There are many who areconcerned with high cholesterol readings, but low cholesterol levels are also a cause for medical concern, because it implies a potential problem in the body’s healing ability.

Saturated fat also plays its role in ensuring proper nerve signaling as well as optimizing the immune system’s performance.

This immune system regulation becomes crucial when we are talking about healing processes in our body.

With the presence of cholesterol and saturated fat in arterial plaque explained, I would surmise that this should set most minds at ease about saturated fat!

Remember, all types of fat are required by the body for essential function, so it would really be counterproductive for a diet to espouse low fat.

Remember, the brain is made of mostly saturated fats, and saturated fats are needed for it to maintain optimal function.

The myelin sheath, an insulating substance for proper nerve transmissions and signaling,
counts cholesterol and fat as its more important formative components.

Saturated fat foods would be a source of ample supply for these building blocks.


At this juncture, we know that fat is needed and is, in fact, a necessary ingredient in many of the important body processes required to sustain life.

Also, we could probably do ourselves a favor and banish the link between healthy, organic fats and cardiovascular disease.

 Note that I said healthy and
organic fats.

Trans fats or franken fats still should remain on the top of your watch list for banned substances!

So go ahead and enjoy the healthy full fat
foods you find aplenty in the ketogenic diet with a peace of mind, because this is a great chance to get the body back into an optimal metabolic state and turn it into a natural fat burning machine to boot!