In recent times, Gary Brecka has garnered significant attention across various social media platforms, sparking curiosity about his health principles. Celebrities like Dana White and Patrick Bet-David have lauded Brecka's strategies, which encompass fasting, a ketogenic or low-carb diet, supplementation, and other methods aimed at enhancing overall health. This article delves into the principles of the ketogenic diet, incorporating insights from experts like Gary Brecka and Mark Sisson, to provide a comprehensive 10-week reset plan.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or fitness advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.
Understanding Gary Brecka's Philosophy
Gary Brecka, a renowned human biologist and health expert, has made significant strides in the wellness and biohacking communities. He is celebrated for his work in optimizing human performance and longevity. Brecka's philosophy revolves around achieving peak human performance through a combination of diet, biohacking, and lifestyle modifications. He advocates for a personalized approach, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual body needs through assessments like blood tests.
The Ketogenic Diet: A Cornerstone of Brecka's Approach
The ketogenic diet aligns with Brecka’s focus on metabolic health by shifting the body’s primary energy source from glucose to fats. This metabolic switch encourages the liver to produce ketones, which serve as a cleaner energy source for the brain and body.
Biohacking and Keto
Gary Brecka is known for using biohacking to maximize human potential, and the keto diet fits perfectly into this narrative.
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Integrating Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is more than just a dietary restriction; it’s a way to optimize hormone levels, enhance fat burning, and increase human growth hormone (HGH) production. Brecka often suggests pairing intermittent fasting with keto to accelerate the body’s transition into ketosis and promote deeper cellular regeneration. Peter Attia is another biohacking expert that also recommends combining intermittent fasting with a keto diet.
Cold Exposure and Exercise
Brecka may recommend practices like cold showers or cryotherapy combined with physical exercise to boost metabolism, increase testosterone, support fat loss, and improve recovery.
Exogenous Ketones
To boost ketone levels, especially during the initial phase of transitioning to ketosis.
Quality Over Quantity
Instead of focusing solely on macronutrient ratios, Brecka’s plan stresses the quality of food. Brecka’s approach encourages finding a balance between maintaining a state of ketosis and leading a fulfilling lifestyle.
What is the Keto Reset Diet?
The Keto Reset Diet, popularized by Mark Sisson, serves as a step-by-step guide to ease into ketosis. It is designed to "dumb down" the ketogenic diet, making it more accessible and manageable. The Keto Reset Diet eases you into keto through a 21-day low-carb transition period so the shift isn’t so extreme-think of it as the keto diet for beginners. For the three weeks you're on the diet, you’ll eliminate simple sugars as well as refined grains and breads (like the keto diet), but you can still eat eat starchy vegetables like potatoes and some grains (not so much like the keto diet).
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The Basic Principles of a Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet fundamentally alters the way your body fuels itself, shifting it from burning carbs to burning fat. The keto diet, as a rule, is very low in carbs, high in fat, and moderate in protein.
- Carbs: 5-10%
- Fats: 70-75%
- Protein: 15-20%
This carb reduction forces your body to rely on fats for its main energy source instead of glucose - a process known as ketosis. While in ketosis, your body uses ketones - molecules produced in the liver from fats when glucose is limited - as an alternate fuel source. Plus, keto diets reduce hunger and increase satiety, which can be helpful when trying to lose weight.
What to Eat on a Keto Diet: A Detailed Food Guide
When following a ketogenic diet, meals and snacks should center around the following foods:
- Eggs: Pastured, organic, or conventional all work fine
- Poultry: Chicken and turkey
- Fatty fish: Salmon, herring, and mackerel
- Meat: Beef, venison, pork, organ meats, and bison
- Full-fat dairy: Unsweetened yogurt, butter, and cream, but check the labels as dairy does contain some carbs
- Full-fat cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, brie, goat cheese, and cream cheese
- Nuts and seeds: Macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and flaxseeds
- Nut butter: No-sugar-added peanut, almond, and cashew butters
- Oils rich in healthy fats: Olive oil, avocado oil, and sesame oil
- Avocados: Whole avocados can be added to almost any meal or snack
- Non-starchy vegetables: Greens, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers
- Condiments: Salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and spices
Foods to Limit
When possible, it’s best to avoid or limit foods rich in carbs while following a keto diet. The following foods should be limited:
- Bread and baked goods: White bread, whole wheat bread, crackers, cookies, doughnuts, and rolls
- Sweets and sugary foods: Sugar, ice cream, candy, maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, and coconut sugar
- Sweetened beverages: Soda, juice, sweetened teas, and sports drinks
- Pasta: Spaghetti and other noodles
- Grains and grain products: Wheat, rice, oats, breakfast cereals, and tortillas
- Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, corn, peas, and pumpkin
- Beans and legumes: Black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans
- Fruit: Citrus, grapes, bananas, and pineapple
- High carb sauces: Barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, sugary salad dressings, and dipping sauces
- Certain alcoholic beverages: Beer and sugary mixed drinks
Keto-Friendly Beverages
Sugar can be found in a wide variety of beverages including juice, soda, iced tea, and coffee drinks. While on a ketogenic diet, you should limit or avoid high carb drinks, just like high carb foods. Keto-friendly beverage choices include:
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- Water
- Sparkling water
- Unsweetened coffee
- Unsweetened green tea
Sample 7-Day Keto Meal Plan
The following menu provides fewer than 50 grams of total carbs per day and can be altered depending on individual dietary needs.
- Monday
- Breakfast: two eggs fried in butter served with sauteed greens
- Lunch: a bunless burger topped with cheese, mushrooms, and avocado atop a bed of greens
- Dinner: pork chops with green beans sauteed in olive oil
- Tuesday
- Breakfast: mushroom omelet
- Lunch: tuna salad with celery and tomato atop a bed of greens
- Dinner: roast chicken with cream sauce and sauteed broccoli
- Wednesday
- Breakfast: bell pepper stuffed with cheese and eggs
- Lunch: arugula salad with hard-boiled eggs, turkey, avocado, and blue cheese
- Dinner: grilled salmon with spinach sauteed in sesame oil
- Thursday
- Breakfast: full-fat yogurt topped with Keto granola
- Lunch: steak bowl with cauliflower rice, cheese, herbs, avocado, and salsa
- Dinner: bison steak with cheesy broccoli
- Friday
- Breakfast: baked avocado egg boats
- Lunch: Caesar salad with chicken
- Dinner: pork chops with vegetables
- Saturday
- Breakfast: cauliflower toast topped with cheese and avocado
- Lunch: bunless salmon burgers topped with pesto
- Dinner: meatballs served with zucchini noodles and Parmesan cheese
- Sunday
- Breakfast: coconut milk chia pudding topped with coconut and walnuts
- Lunch: Cobb salad made with greens, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, cheese, and turkey
- Dinner: coconut chicken curry
Keto-Friendly Snacks
Here are some excellent, keto-friendly snack options:
- almonds and cheddar cheese
- half an avocado stuffed with chicken salad
- guacamole with low carb veggies
- trail mix made with unsweetened coconut, nuts, and seeds
- hard-boiled eggs
- coconut chips
- kale chips
- olives and sliced salami
- celery and peppers with herbed cream cheese dip
- berries with heavy whipping cream
- jerky
- cheese roll-ups
- Parmesan crisps
- macadamia nuts
- greens with high fat dressing and avocado
- keto smoothie made with coconut milk, cocoa, and avocado
- avocado cocoa mousse
Keto Shopping List
Preparing a shopping list can help you decide what foods will fit into your ketogenic meal plan. Fill your cart with meat, poultry, eggs, low carb veggies, full-fat dairy, and healthy fats.
- Meat and poultry: Beef, chicken, turkey, and pork
- Fish: Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, canned tuna, and herring
- Shellfish: Oysters, shrimp, and scallops
- Eggs: Organic or conventional
- Full fat dairy: Unsweetened yogurt, butter, heavy cream, and sour cream
- Oils: Olive, sesame, and avocado oils
- Avocados: A mixture of ripe and unripe avocados (so that your supply will last)
- Cheese: Brie, cream cheese, cheddar, and goat cheese
- Frozen or fresh berries: Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
- Nuts: Macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, and pistachios
- Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds
- Nut butters: Almond butter, sunflower butter, and peanut butter
- Fresh or frozen low carb vegetables: Mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, greens, peppers, onions, and tomatoes
- Condiments: Sea salt, pepper, salsa, herbs, garlic, vinegar, mustard, olives, and spices
Potential Risks and Drawbacks of the Keto Diet
While the keto diet does seem to have some benefits, it is unlikely to be suitable in the long term. There are some risks and possible drawbacks for people on the keto diet.
- Keto Flu: This includes a range of symptoms that can develop when starting a ketogenic diet. This can feel similar to the flu, and it’s caused by the body adapting to a new diet consisting of very little carbohydrates.
- Weight regain: While it may help you lose weight, stopping can lead to weight regain.
- Not for everyone: The keto diet is not recommended for everyone. This may include people with kidney failure or liver disease, as well as type 1 diabetes as it can lead to diabetes-related ketoacidosis.
- Cholesterol impact: A keto diet is typically high in saturated fat and trans fats. These can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in some individuals, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.
- Fiber and vitamins: It can also be low in vegetables, grains, and legumes, meaning you may not get enough fiber and B vitamins to maintain essential body functions.
- Restrictive: The diet is very restrictive and needs careful planning, which makes it hard to sustain. The lack of diversity can lead not only to nutritional deficiencies but also boredom. It can affect social events, as eating out becomes more difficult.
- Pregnancy and nursing parents: It may not be safe for those who are pregnant or nursing.
Keto and Diabetes
Theoretically speaking, it makes sense that keto could benefit people with diabetes, since the diet calls for moderating carbohydrate intake. And that lower carb intake has the potential to increase insulin sensitivity in individuals who are managing diabetes, as research suggests.
Despite the ability of keto to lower blood sugar levels, one big concern is that you eat a lot of fat on keto, and those may be saturated fats, which are unhealthy and associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, when eaten in excess.
Keto and Weight Loss
Looking to lower your body fat percentage? You’ve probably heard that keto diets can help - and that they can make a big impact on your weight right away. There may be some truth to that notion, although how much weight you lose will vary by individual.
But the ketogenic diet can also be an effective weight loss option over time. One review suggested that this low-carb diet can spur fat loss in people with obesity when used for a couple of weeks and for up to one year. And a meta-analysis noted that one likely reason for weight loss is that all of the fat consumed when on this diet may suppress hunger.
A Detailed Ketogenic Diet Food List to Follow
The following are some of the best foods to eat on the keto diet, along with their serving sizes and an explanation of why they’re good for people who follow this eating approach.
Oils
- Avocado Oil: This is a good source of healthy unsaturated fatty acids.
- Coconut Oil (in Moderation): High in saturated fats, coconut oil is a commonly used oil in keto diets, though research suggests that for heart health, it may still be best to choose unsaturated sources of fat.
- MCT Oil: Limited research suggests that in small doses, MCT oil may aid with weight loss and help promote ketosis more than olive oil. One other note: Avoid MCT oil if you have a heart or liver condition.
Dairy
- Cheddar Cheese: Cheese is allowed as you please, and cheddar is a good example of its nutrition benefits. One study found an association between eating cheese and a 12 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but more studies on the potential link are needed. What’s more, cheese can be high in saturated fats, so proceed with caution.
- Heavy Cream (in Moderation): This is an easy way to add calories and fat into a ketogenic diet, though it is rich in saturated fat.
Protein
- Bacon: The green light on bacon may be one reason you’re up for sticking with a keto diet, as it can make eating occasions more enticing. Just watch the sodium content, as it can add up quickly and certainly won’t help with lowering blood pressure. And as with all the meats on this list, don’t go overboard - you don’t want to eat too much protein (or saturated fat) on keto.
- Chicken Thighs: Leave the skin on here for extra fat. (Skin-on, dark-meat poultry is higher in saturated fat than white meat.) One thigh is a good source of riboflavin, niacin, B6, and B12.
- Eggs: Eggs contain the perfect combo of satiating protein and fat (most of which is unsaturated); they’re also high in the antioxidant mineral selenium.
- Ground Beef: Ground beef (made with 70 percent lean meat and 30 percent fat, which contains more saturated fat than 90 percent lean beef) is a higher-fat choice - but that’s the point here. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin B12, which is necessary to keep up your energy levels, notes research.
- New York Strip Steak: You’ll get an impressive amount of muscle-building protein plus satiating fat (almost half of which is saturated fat) in this option. It’s also rich in zinc, a mineral that may promote proper thyroid function, according to research.
Veggies
- Asparagus: Asparagus contains bone-building calcium, plus other minerals, such as potassium and magnesium, which have been linked with blood sugar regulation, per the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.
- Avocado: This creamy fruit is packed with fiber, something that you may lack on the keto diet, as well as monounsaturated fatty acids. It is also a good source of immune-revving vitamin C, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.
- Bok Choy: Chinese cabbage is a rich source of vitamins A and C, and it offers some calcium and energy-boosting iron, notes StatPearls.
- Cauliflower: Provides an excellent source of vitamin C; with 2 g of fiber, it counts toward your daily goal for this heart-healthy nutrient.
- Celery: Celery is one of the most hydrating veggies out there. These crunchy spears also contain vitamins A and K and folate.
- Cucumber: Cukes are high in water, making them a hydrating choice.They also offer some vitamin K, a vitamin important for proper blood clotting and bone formation.
- Green Peppers: Green peppers are low in carbs and calories while providing vitamin C and other antioxidants.
Tips for Starting and Sticking to the Keto Diet
- It is important to note that how long you stay on a ketogenic diet depends mainly on your health goals.
- The lack of carbohydrates in the diet can lead to specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
- A ketogenic diet can be a great tool to help you lose weight, feel more energetic, and improve your overall health. However, you should be aware of some potential risks associated with the diet before starting.
- To minimize these risks, eat plenty of healthy fats and proteins, drink plenty of water, and avoid processed foods as much as possible.
- Following a ketogenic diet can be easy if you have the keto diet plan to follow - 7 days is a great start!
My 10-Week Keto Journey: A Personal Experiment
Embarking on a ketogenic diet is a significant undertaking, and understanding the process and potential outcomes is crucial. This section provides a detailed account of a personal 10-week keto experiment, covering the inspiration, intention, approach, results, and next steps.
The Inspiration
The journey began with a cultivated awareness of nutrition, inspired by various sources. Reading "The TB12 Method" by Tom Brady, which emphasizes the connection between nutrition and body condition, was a key influence. Additionally, the Paleo Way series on Netflix highlighted the importance of whole food ingredients.
The Intention
The primary goal of this experiment was to observe the changes and reactions of the body throughout the process. Side goals included:
- Losing body fat, including visceral fat
- Building muscle through exercise
- Improving mental clarity
The Approach
The ketogenic diet involves significantly reducing carbohydrate intake (10% of total nutrition) and replacing it with fat consumption (70%), with 20% from protein. This nutritional change converts the body into a metabolic state that produces ketones by consuming fat instead of glucose.
The Result
The results of the 10-week experiment were significant and measurable:
- Weight: Consistent weight ranging from 72 kg to 79kg dropped, with a decrease in body fat and an increase in skeletal muscle.
- Body Fat: A 5.2% decrease in body fat was observed without any supplements or specific training.
- Sleep Quality: While monitoring sleep quality, it was difficult to draw definitive conclusions due to various influencing factors.
- Ketosis Test: Ketone levels were consistently in the trace and small ketogenic range.
- Performance: An unexpected uplift in performance was noted, with a personal record broken in bench press.
- Mindset: The most important takeaway was a shift in thinking about food, focusing on pure, unprocessed sources.
The Quit (Maybe Temporary)
The ketogenic diet may not be a long-term solution, and the experiment was wrapped up after 10 weeks due to:
- Not needing to lose more weight
- Increased food expenses
- Inconvenience of eating out and meal preparation
- Potential health risks
The Next Steps
The next step after this experiment is the paleo diet, which emphasizes the original food that our hunter-gatherer ancestors eat every day before agriculture civilization. These whole food include the vegetables, protein, fruits, nuts that exist naturally, not being heavily developed, processed or cultivated.