Tag: Keto

Keto Friendly Beverage

16 months ago I was diagnosed with 2 new brain tumors, totally 4 in my skull.

That’s when I took the “ketogenic diet” serious and started studying and applying it 100% in my life.

Not just the foods but the lifestyle around the keto benefits, which includes; proper training (no chronic high heart rate training), mindfulness practices (meditation, stress management, doing what I love every day), optimizing my sleep by getting 6-8 hours a night, eating specific foods at specific times, not having specific stimulating lights from screens (TV, iPhones, etc.) in my life at specific times before bed, and learning new things to keep my brain adapting and promoting neuroneogenisus (growth of new neurons and networks).

That said, @kevitadrinks makes an amazing low-calorie and low-carbohydrate beverage full of probiotics and flavor. It’s what helped me kick my sugar/soda habit that I had years ago and keeps cravings at bay. A great choice for those looking for a tasty beverage while watching their carb intake for utilizing keto or living in the keto-adapted lifestyle.

The ketogenic diet is not just a fad or get quick results one and done type of plan. It’s a lifestyle shift that takes time to adapt to properly and takes commitment but should never entail suffering of any kind and isn’t always a long-term plan, more like a tool to utilize when necessary. It doesn’t happen over night and can take 21-days to 6-weeks for people to adapt properly depending on their past history and genetics. The goal is not to be in ketosis. The goal is to become fat & keto-adapted and use ketosis as an annual clean up and day to day tool that can be easily implemented.

This ensures that your body and brain knows what to do with all the ketones it’s producing, burns stored body fat, no longer depends on a constant supply of carbohydrates/glucose, and helps fight disease, slow the aging process down, supports the brain, improves sleep quality, reduces inflammation, and so much more.

It really comes down to hormone control from the choices we have every day, which is what we choose to put in our mouths. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Most Protein Bars Are Candy

Marketing is a tricky obstacle for health enthusiasts.

Labels and words we’ve never heard of on ingredients lists trick us into think protein bars are “healthy” when they’re no different than a candy bar for the most part.

Containing glutenous grains, added sugars, poor quality protein, gmo ingredients, artificial flavoring, colors, and sweeteners, and other junk don’t qualify a food as “healthy”.

Thanks to doctors like Dr. David Perlmutter and other health advocates, the information on why these ingredients are detrimental to our health is abundant and clear.

Tag your favorite protein bar and share why it’s your favorite.

My favorites are @primalkitchenfoods and @gardenoflife. Loaded with quality protein, prebiotic fiber, and healthy fats. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Simple Nutrition Tips

Few simple steps anyone can take to support their brain:

1-eliminate sugar, alcohol, refined vegetable oils, and grains.

2- add in brain healthy fats like grassfed butter, MCT oil, olives and olive oil, avocado and avocado oils, coconut oil, and wild caught fish/fish oil.

3- switch your protein intake from conventionally raised and grain fed to grass-fed, organic, pasture raised, and/or wild-caught.

*This applies for vegans, too. Low-carb, fermented, organic, un denatured vegan protein sources are key. 👌🏼

-Josh P.

Add Fat & Eliminate Sugars

“The benefits of introducing higher levels of fat into your diet are going to be erased and even made worse, if you don’t at the same time cut sugars and carbs. The higher fiber carbs not withstanding.” Dr David Perlmutter, Neurologist

That being said, fat is so crucial for brain health. The beneficial fat, not damaged, refined, hydrogenated, fried, industrial, high/pro-inflammatory vegetable oils. Things like avocados, avocado oil, coconut oil, grassfed butter, nuts, olives and olive oil, full-fat coconut products with no sugar, raw 100% cacao, and grass-fed ghee.

Here is a salad with pasture raised chicken, avocado, olives, mixed veggies, some spices, and @primalkitchenfoods avocado oil based dressing all on a bed of red and green leaf lettuce. All organic and no added sugars.

Great meal to feel light but full before or after an exercise or sport. Healthy brain fats, clean quality protein, and minimal carbohydrates with plenty of nutrient dense, fiber-rich veggies. 💚✌️

GQ The Real-Life Diet Of a Pro BMX Rider (Who Survived Cancer Three Times)

Josh Perry has a lot of reasons to not be here. In 2010, shortly after becoming a pro BMX rider, he received the first of his three brain tumor diagnoses. That one was a meningioma, a large mass on his brain that was benign but only removable via open craniotomy. The next one, two years later, called for an evocatively named procedure called gamma knife radiation, which beamed radiation into his brain.

“It sounded pretty scary, just because of the name, but the more I researched it the more comfortable I became,” Perry says today. “It seemed painless, and it was.” He was back on his bike six days later.

Perry, now 27, says it took going through surgery to get him thinking about nutrition. These days, when he’s not riding up to six hours a day, he’s touting a holistic post-cancer lifestyle. That means a diet benefitting both his body and his brain, including these two super-simple, instant-fresh meals—which he can assemble in about 10 minutes.

Mornings

“I never get tired of this: Sautee organic coconut oil, organic butter, minced garlic, onions, purple cabbage, and broccoli. Add pink Himalayan salt, black pepper, turmeric, ginger root and maybe some curry. Sautee until the veggies are soft, and then crack an egg over the top. When that’s about done, add sliced avocado, a little sriracha sauce, and organic olive oil.” While that’s happening, he’ll whip up fresh oats, with chopped apple, cinnamon, and peanut butter.

The secret, he says, is advance prep. Chop veggies in advance (make it a Sunday night project) and store them in glass Tupperware. Buy spices in bulk, and store them in glass jars as well. Then it’s just a matter of grabbing what you need and throwing it in a skillet; it’s a mix of good-quality fats, proteins, and carbs.

Afternoons and Evenings

Perry takes the ready-made approach for lunch and dinner as well: “Sautee spinach or kale, chopped-up chicken, avocado, BBQ sauce, olive oil, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas. I can put that Tupperware and take it to the park or the gym. If I’m late, I’ll whip up a smoothie with banana, peanut butter, avocado, cinnamon, salt, and ice. It’s too easy.”

He’s also big on sweet potatoes, which he toasts in their skins at 400 degrees for an hour. “Take them out, slice them open and they fall right out of the skin,” he says. “And they work for any meal.”

Finally, Perry has joined the growing group of athletes and chefs focusing on GI health. “I never thought I’d eat sauerkraut, but there are so many different variations. I’m into ginger beet sauerkraut, which is great for your gut.” He’s also known to knock back kombucha, which has its own probiotic benefits. “Everything we put in our body goes to our gut, and fermented foods are amazing for that. At the end of the day, everything I do is for my brain—which is for my body.”

-Josh P.