The Final Two Principles from Chapter One are 1. Because of their hormones, women react differently than men to keto and 2. Women can follow a ketogenic diet but they do better with a hormone balancing version such as the Gottfried Protocol.
Because of their hormones, women react differently than men to keto. Three of Dr Gottfried’s concerns with keto that I have often scratched my head over are:
1. “There may not be sufficient carbs for women on traditional keto.” (agreed)
2. “Keto can affect the thyroid gland. Some women develop thyroid problems.”(agreed)
3. “A diet low in carbohydrates can also negatively impact a woman’s sleep. (When sleep is disrupted because of the keto diet or another factor, other hormones may become disrupted.)” (agreed)
After that list, I really felt like she was trying to talk me out of the ketogenic diet. All I could think was, this special protocol must be something to be keto and not have all the above issues.
The final principle was that women can follow the ketogenic diet, but they need to follow a hormone balancing version such as the Gottfried Protocol.
“The Gottfried protocol includes a detox component, a modified carb count, and more vegetables and fiber for a more alkaline diet.”
So, I love the detox component. I think that very few diet protocols really focus on getting the liver functioning properly. Getting the blood sugar under control with diets like the keto diet, the paleo diet or Whole 30 is a great start, but it’s no surprise that some women still have stubborn weight issues because the liver was never given the love it needed from the outset.
“A more alkaline diet that’s rich in vegetables will improve hormones like growth hormone increase levels of vitamin D, help your bones, and reduce muscle loss. That’s what you get with the Gottfried Protocol.” (38)
The last point that Dr. Sara brings up that has been a major question for me is that: “she’s wondered over the years if the decreased insulin and glucose that we see as a result of the ketogenic diet, or even during fasting, when you go for some period of time without eating (such as fourteen to sixteen hours), might be perceived as a greater alarm in women as compared to men –meaning it sets off warning signals in the female body that something is wrong. She suspects that in premenopausal women that this alarm might be more sensitive, perhaps requiring gentler methods such as a 13 to 14 hour fast.”
So, while the fasting may have so many other healing benefits, an extended fast could put the female body in full on flight or fight mode, causing more fat storing.
As I said yesterday, my focus for now, without having all the details of the Gottfried Protocol is going to be on detoxification. This is what I ate today:
Breakfast: sauteed cabbage (1/2 cup) and 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch: detox cabbage soup with bone broth
Supper: detox salad (chicken breast, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts, carrots with ginger avocado oil dressing)
Snack: paleo date and nut bar (homemade), eggs
Beverages: detox green juice (dandelion, cilantro, celery, cucumber, ginger, lemon and turmeric), detox dandelion tea, water
My exercise was: 4 miles running with quarter mile sprints for the last mile and yoga
Deep Roots Wellness 