by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola:
Story at-a-glance
- Low-carb/high-fat diets ultimately backfire because they inhibit glucose metabolism, which is the most efficient form of energy production in the mitochondria; they also impair thyroid function
- One of the reasons why ketogenic and carnivore diets are usually helpful for a time is because, if implemented properly, you’re radically reducing your intake of omega-6 fats, linoleic acid (LA) in particular, which is one of the primary drivers of ill health
- LA is a primary driver of disease, in large part due to its detrimental effect on mitochondrial function and, hence, energy production
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
- Your body has a certain amount of energy and a number of biological processes that it can turn on or turn off with that energy pool. The more energy you have available, the more functions your body can turn on. When your energy production is lower than required to maintain all functions, your body needs to downregulate certain functions, which ultimately results in problems
- One of the easiest ways to assess how much energy your body is producing is to take your body temperature. Take your temperature 30 to 40 minutes after breakfast and midday. You want to see a rise in temperature
Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published December 31, 2023.
The interview above features Ashley Armstrong, who’s an expert in two areas. One is producing some of the healthiest food in the United States, and the second is understanding how your body uses it and how to select the right types of food to optimize your biology, based on the late biologist and thyroid expert, Ray Peat’s, principles of bioenergetic medicine. She also is a certified personal trainer with a Ph.D., MS and BS in engineering.
Like many others who are trying to improve their health, Armstrong tried low-carb diets, fasting, keto and even carnivore diets in the past. But while these all led to improvements initially, they didn’t eliminate them, which ultimately led her to investigate Peat’s principles.
“Ray Peat, he honestly saved my life and I owe so much to that man,” she says. “I’m forever grateful for him. The biggest wake-up for me was measuring my body temperature. I was on a carnivore diet and measured my body temperature — it was 96.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
I was like, wow, no wonder my hair is thinning. No wonder my complexion is so pale. No wonder I’m not sleeping through the night. There was just a number of red flags. That body temperature measurement just woke me up. It’s what I needed to [realize] I’m not thriving, I’m just surviving.
I’ve been implementing Dr. Peat’s principles for over three years now. I have more energy in life than I think I’ve ever had, even as a teenager. And it’s just amazing to see how being not restricted with your food, just being strategic with macros, types of food, how powerful that can be for your energy production.”
The Problem with Low-Carb and Keto
As I’ve detailed in previous articles over the past year, low-carb/high-fat diets ultimately backfire because they inhibit glucose metabolism, which is the most efficient form of energy production in your mitochondria; they also impair thyroid function. Your thyroid is crucial for energy production, and if your thyroid doesn’t work, you’re down the creek without a paddle.
One of the reasons for this is because ketogenic diets increase the stress hormones — cortisol, glucagon and adrenaline. On the other hand, one of the reasons why ketogenic and carnivore diets are usually helpful for a time is because, if implemented properly, you’re radically reducing your intake of omega-6 fats, linoleic acid (LA) in particular, which is one of the primary drivers of ill health.
