To Keto or Not to Keto?

So... I've been thinking about my diet recently, and ways to optimize it to get my body running smoother. I currently eat a very low-carb, low-histamine diet to control my candida symptoms. Hemp seed protein powder, lots of meats and veggies, and lots of oils and pecans/macademias provide most of my calories.

I am currently eating about 50-60 grams of carbs per day. I previously assumed I was doing the 'keto' diet, but after doing a bit more research, it seems like I am probably not actually in ketosis, as the ketosis range seems to be more like 20-40 grams of carbs per day.

I'm now in a tough position. I can't afford to eat more carbs, as they make my candida bloating/head-fog a bit worse, and I'm in the midst of a slow-going candida treatment. Furthermore, some research I've read indicates that a very low-carb diet that teeters on the edge of ketosis might actually be making me feel worse.

So... should I take the plunge and go into ketosis? I sort of want to... I'm just wary of the keto flu, and not looking forward to having to monitor my electrolytes/worry about a whole new subset of bodily problems.

Any advice?

Yea that’s not keto, need lower carbs. I’d def try it and see if it makes you feel better. Can be very good for managing candida, and the ketones will def make you feel like you’re running cleaner. You may get a keto flu for a few days but it’s not a big deal and passes. Get a ketone meter or at least keto sticks to see if you’re in ketosis

Whatever you do def eat a Whole Foods diet like dude suggested. A probiotic could also be helpful in combating the candida and pushing it out. Was talking to a girl w candida who did Visbiome 450 billion. The probiotic can take back territory from the candida.

Post Edited (dcd2103) : 12/25/2020 8:14:32 AM (GMT-7)

Thank you guys for the comments - I really appreciate it. My stomach has been feeling worse lately, and most of those 60 grams of carbs come from a small bowl of brown rice I eat each morning. I thought it was ok, but I'm starting to think I may have to remove that bowl to get rid of my candida.

Here's hoping the keto flu isn't bad! Today I'm down to 30 carbs.

potassium, magnesium, and other electrolytes do not seem to be an issue if you eat only whole foods ( for me and my partner in any case )

i have tried supplementing with magnesium and found v little difference - but there is quite a bit in most meats and eggs etc

salt seemed to be the biggest one we needed to consciously add.
i think there are two reasons for this:

1, if you are not eating any baked goods ( eg bread or pastry ) or other processed foods then you will not be getting the salt that is normally added in those ( quite a bit typically...)

2, Keto seems to increase your body's need for salt - so your need actually goes up - while your intake goes down - unless you add more.

i have never tried any of the therapeutic ketones or similar products out there.

they are certainly not necessary for healthy ketosis

what my partner and I are trying to do is allowing our bodies to enter a natural ketogenic state that we have all evolved with the ability to do.
so for us adding additional factory-produced products would go against the objective to run as clean and natural with as few pills and potions as possible.

as an observation: I think there is an understandable trait in human nature to be drawn to these wonder products - or to feel that we need them in order to succeed.

sadly this trait is then ruthlessly exploited by the marketing departments of supplement manufacturers.

Also when people part with their hard-earned money for these "special products" there is a tendency for some people to become invested in the "super product" and tend to attribute success to it that it perhaps doest quite deserve in the 100% rational sense. which tends to add to the hype.

I would say that if keto is going to work for you - it will very likely work for you without the need for any special "keto" products.

Dude - you are quite right to pull me up on that - I was shooting from the hip there a little...

its a long time since i did the exercise for myself and satisfied myself that i was getting enough but i didn't remember the detail - more the general conclusion i came to at the time - that if I ate only whole foods on the keto plan i was on i got enough -

I used this site at the time - it was a bit annoying - esp with its endless lists of processed foods i don't use - eg Macdonald's MacMuffin when searching under "egg"!! - but not sure if the data is the same or different than the one you linked to - similar I should imagine

https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/7455/2


revisiting i got:
around 100+mg from 8oz of beef
12 mg from 2 eggs = only 6mg per egg ( my bad - i would have guessed more )
37mg from 100g of mackerel
80 from around 50g of walnuts
12 - olives
12 - celery
13 - rocket salad per oz
that would be daily staples that get me to past 2/3of the RDA - with the remainder of what i eat getting me most of the way there i think.

its a good exercise and worth doing for macronutrient especially - eg when counting carbs when first getting into keto - or checking how much fiber you are getting etc

despite my poor memory of exactly which foods had which nutrient - the point I was trying to make was that though some raise concerns over nutrient deficiencies on low carb diets - after 2 years or more - as long as I eat whole foods it doesn't seem to occur and the only major mineral I seem to have to watch is salt/sodium - which is pretty easy to do.

i guess the old adage applies - "Your mileage may vary" - and - "do your own research" before launching into any intervention.