Frequently Asked Questions

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Most of our fat is present in the form of subcutaneous adipose tissue. Fat cells are called adipocytes. The most well-known role attributed to a fat cell is the storage of fat, but this is not its only function. In the late 1990s, Jeffrey Friedman proved that fat cells are responsible for the production of local hormones – adipokines. One of the first discovered adipokines is leptin. It is extremely important in the process of regulating hormones and the sensation of appetite. Therefore, adipose tissue is not only a fat reservoir, it is also an endocrine system.

Fat cells are equipped with a mechanism for storing and releasing energy. If a fat cell breaks down previously accumulated fat and releases it into the body for energy needs, it indicates that the fat cell has received a signal to carry out such a process.

In the case of a ketogenic diet, the signal for fat cells to start storing energy is virtually absent. The consequence of this is the cessation of dietary fat accumulation in adipose tissue.

When following our recommendations, it’s important to ensure proper supplementation. Due to the consumption of a large amount of water (up to 3 liters a day), there might be a depletion of sodium and potassium in the body, so supplementing these nutrients from time to time is recommended. Additionally, we advise taking vitamin C early in the morning. Do not forget about fats; for example, consume 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (added to coffee or tea, or you can even take a spoonful on its own) to delay the timing of your first meal, giving you an extra energy boost. Around noon, we recommend taking 1 tablespoon of fish oil and supplementing with vitamins D3/K2 and B-Complex (additionally, one hour before the first main meal, you can take 1 tablet of vitamin B-12). After a meal, it’s recommended to take a multivitamin complex, while zinc and magnesium should be taken right before sleep. Remember to salt your meals and sip on broth throughout the day.

Low-carbohydrate diets can be categorized by various intensities, resulting in meal plans with lower or higher carbohydrate content. The ketogenic diet (keto) is an extremely low-carb diet that turns the body into a fat-burning machine. It is highly effective for weight loss, improving overall health, and enhancing the body’s performance. The ketogenic diet is similar to other low-carb diets, but the main difference is the restriction of protein intake, leading to a state of ketosis. The key to achieving ketosis is avoiding most carbohydrates, which should be limited to a maximum of 50 grams per day, ideally reaching 20 grams per day. The fewer carbs, the better the results. This means cutting out foods containing sugar and starch, such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes. In general, a low-carb diet should be followed, providing high-fat intake but limited protein. The simplified rule is to obtain less than 10% of energy from carbohydrates (the less, the better), 15-25% from protein, and 70% or more from fat.

What is the difference between a low-carb diet and a ketogenic diet?

The ketogenic diet is strictly low-carb, emphasizes reduced protein intake, and relies mainly on fat as the primary energy source. The paleolithic diet (Paleo diet) is a good option for people who have achieved their desired results and do not wish to lose weight intensively, or want to lose weight minimally while eating healthily. The main difference is consuming more protein, allowing for seasonal fruits, and avoiding gluten. Low-carb diets are a much better solution than eating five calorically balanced meals a day, as they bring numerous positive benefits to the body.

Deriving energy from fat has many benefits! First and foremost, it helps with losing excess weight. However, there are many more positive aspects. By switching the body to derive energy from fat, we provide it with a constant and balanced energy supply. You will stop experiencing hunger as a very unpleasant sensation of gnawing in the stomach. You can also expect an improvement in mood, as you won’t be subject to fluctuations caused by blood sugar spikes. The quality of sleep will improve. The amount of good cholesterol (HDL) will increase, and the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) will decrease. Blood sugar levels will drop, and blood pressure will normalize. By burning fat and using ketones as a source of energy for the brain, its functioning improves. It becomes significantly easier to concentrate, and memory also improves.

To achieve the best results, one should follow the proportions of 70-75% fat, 15-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates. It’s important to remember not to exceed a daily carbohydrate intake of 50 g. The source of carbohydrates is also crucial—they should come from vegetables.

Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: simple and complex. The second group includes things like fiber, which we provide to our bodies by eating vegetables. You’ve probably noticed that when counting carbohydrates in products, we subtract fiber from the total carbohydrate content. In the meantime, we’re primarily interested in simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates, or simple sugars, otherwise known as monosaccharides, are made up of a single sugar molecule.

When you consume carbohydrates, the body uses them as the main energy source. During digestion, they are converted into glucose and then enter the bloodstream. Some of this is used for energy, but unfortunately, any excess is stored as fat. The negative impact of carbohydrates doesn’t end there. Do you feel sleepy after a meal? Fatigue and drowsiness are caused by the release of insulin by the pancreas, which regulates blood glucose (sugar) levels. It is commonly assumed that carbohydrates are essential for proper functioning because they provide the body with glucose. This is not true. The body can produce glucose on its own from other nutrients in a process called gluconeogenesis. Importantly, the body produces exactly the amount it needs, so there’s no need to worry about gaining weight.

Sugar deserves the title of one of the most dangerous enemies to our health. As early as 1957, Dr. William Coda Martin classified it as a poison. It has accompanied us for centuries, so we consider it a natural part of our diet. Sugar contains no proteins, vitamins, minerals, or nutrients. However, it does contain enormous amounts of carbohydrates. Consuming sugar provides no (!) benefits to the body. Instead, it leads to nearly 60 different disorders, including obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and liver problems.

Sugar has a very adverse effect on brain function, and therefore, a very negative impact on mental health as well. Eating a lot of sugar exposes us to mood swings, feelings of fatigue, depression, and sleep disorders. Unfortunately, sugar is highly addictive, and the more we eat, the more we crave it.

Few people realize that virtually all basic food products, such as bread, yogurt, breakfast cereals, and many others, are currently sweetened.

Fat is burned when the body uses it as a source of energy. To switch the body into fat-burning mode, it is essential to minimize the intake of carbohydrates in the diet. The body is unable to store carbohydrates (sugars) for later. They are a source of energy that must be used almost immediately. What is not used is stored as fat. Fat is burned most quickly when the body is in a state of ketosis.

The feeling of hunger, often associated with an empty stomach, is actually caused by something entirely different than the absence of food in the stomach. Hunger does not originate in the stomach. This unpleasant feeling arises in our brain and is linked to low blood sugar levels in our body. This happens when we train our brain to rely on easily digestible but short-term energy sources, such as carbohydrates and various forms of sugar. Our brain quickly becomes addicted to a constant supply of “easy” energy and demands more meals, which most people associate with hunger. Paradoxically, eating carbohydrates does not satisfy hunger, and in fact, it triggers it!

Let’s remember that our body can operate on two types of “fuel”: glucose (sourced from carbohydrates and sugar) and fat. Our body cannot store glucose, so it converts the excess into fat and stores it for “later” in fat cells. The problem is that our body is unable to store carbohydrates “for later”. When you eat a meal rich in carbohydrates, it is digested very quickly and leaves the stomach. As the stomach empties, the feeling of hunger quickly returns. Fatigue and the feeling that you should eat something again also quickly appear. This is because glucose, into which carbohydrates are converted, can fuel the body for only a short time.

Even after a hearty meal, within an hour or two, we feel “hungry”. This gave rise to the misconception that one should eat five meals a day. However, these do not meet the body’s needs but merely silence the signals sent by the brain due to the lack of sugar. Moreover, excess sugar is processed and stored by the body as fat.

So how do you get rid of the feeling of hunger? The answer is to switch to using fat as the body’s fuel. Unlike sugars (carbohydrates), it can sustain our body continuously. Because it is constantly available to the body, being naturally stored by us, it allows for a continuous supply of necessary energy and nutrients. Furthermore, obtaining energy from fat helps to avoid the above-described hunger pangs caused by blood sugar spikes. During the transition period, the feeling of hunger occurs only initially because the brain is accustomed to obtaining energy from carbohydrates. We guarantee that this feeling passes over time, giving way to a range of positive effects: increased energy levels, better well-being, naturally occurring weight loss, and improved mood.

The state of ketosis is achieved in the body when it almost completely switches to obtaining energy from fat, as it has been deprived of an external source of glucose, which previously served as its energy source. A body in ketosis begins to produce so-called ketone bodies, which allow for the supply of energy to, among others, the brain, which until then was fueled only by glucose.

This is not true, although for over 30 years we’ve been told this at every turn. Do 100 calories from salmon provide the body with exactly the same as 100 calories from chocolate, candies, or ice cream? Of course not! Counting calories has led to a growing epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and common liver problems, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The body processes calories differently depending on their type. Of course, we lose weight when we consume fewer calories than before. The ketogenic diet is not based on any magic—it’s based on scientific knowledge about energy balance.

When you start eating according to the principles of a low-carbohydrate diet, you won’t have to pay attention to calories, because you’ll be consuming significantly fewer than before starting the keto diet.

To find out the actual carbohydrate content in a product, also known as net carbs, you need to subtract the fiber from the total carbohydrates. For example, if the label states 12 g of carbohydrates, with 10 g of fiber, this means that the actual amount of carbohydrates is 2 g.

Drinking broth is very important, especially in the initial period of adopting our principles of a new way of eating. It will help limit any potential side effects during the adaptation period because the broth (remember – without noodles!) provides the body with essential sodium and potassium. Additionally, broth helps achieve a feeling of fullness.

The initial side effects caused by the body’s keto adaptation to a new diet (and not a signal that something is wrong!) include fatigue, headaches, nausea, and irritability. Very rarely, diarrhea may also occur. In most cases, these last 2-5 days. The consumption of carbohydrates increases water retention in the body. When we stop eating them, the kidneys excrete the excess water from the body. This can lead to dehydration and sodium deficiency during the adaptation period, resulting in the symptoms mentioned above.

To minimize them, remember to drink broth once or twice a day. This will make the side effects practically unnoticeable. It is also important to ensure adequate water intake.

throughout the entire history of humanity. Although it was forgotten for a long time, it has recently regained popularity because it can bring tangible health benefits: intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss, support the fight against type 2 diabetes, and increase energy levels.

The human body actually operates in only two states: the fed state (high insulin levels) and the fasted state (low insulin levels). In one state, we store reserves, and in the other, we burn them. If both states are balanced, weight gain does not occur.

The most popular model of intermittent fasting is the 16:8 model, which means fasting for 16 hours and eating only during a so-called eating window. This could be, for example, the period from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

In stores, you can find various kinds of water generally referred to as mineral water. However, this is a marketing tactic meant to encourage purchases. When choosing water (the most important beverage for health), you should consider its mineral content, which should not be lower than 1000mg/l. By choosing mineral water, you provide your body with the essential minerals needed for proper functioning: potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc.

You have surely heard the claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There is a lot of truth in this, but due to misconceptions about the timing of this meal, the main essence of breakfast has been lost. Breakfast is the most important meal, but the later we eat it, the better. This is because after the night, our body is set to draw energy from our reserves, namely fat molecules from fat cells.

Vitamin D3 is the active form of vitamin D, and studies show that its deficiency is present in up to 90% of people. Its primary source is sunlight; however, nowadays, we spend far too little time outdoors. A deficiency in vitamin D adversely affects the functioning of the nervous system, which manifests as discomfort, fatigue, and even depression. This vitamin is crucial for the proper functioning of the circulatory system, helps maintain healthy bones, and improves mood. Vitamin D significantly accelerates fat burning (according to research, even twice as much!). This is partly due to the reduction in cortisol secretion—the stress hormone responsible, among other things, for fat accumulation around the abdomen. It is best to take vitamin D3 in combination with vitamin K2 because high doses of D3 can cause improper calcium management in the body. An excellent source of vitamin D3 is cod liver oil, which also contains essential unsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that strengthen the immune system and improve brain function.

Although water contains no calories, it is considered the most important nutrient. It provides the body with essential electrolytes and minerals for health, improves metabolism, suppresses appetite, and helps burn fat. Insufficient water intake causes fat accumulation, while increasing water consumption has the opposite effect.

Vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of fats and cholesterol. Studies have shown that taking it significantly accelerates the fat burning process. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin, which is why it should be taken before the first meal.