NEW FAD DIETS THAT JUST DON’T WORK (AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD)

May 08, 2018

A while back, I wrote a blog post comparing the alkaline lifestyle to 5 of the big fad diets of the last 20 years, and why they don’t work when going alkaline does.

If you haven’t read it, I’d encourage you to go do so and find out why these diets just aren’t sustainable – or in most cases even good for you.

Paleo
Vegetarian/ Vegan
Low Calorie
Low Fat
Mediterranean

Well since then, several new fad diets have gotten really popular, so today, we’re going to take a close look at them and how they compare to going ALKAMIND.

If you’ve ever wondered if Whole30, the FODMAP diet, or Ketogenic are right for you, this post is perfect for you.

Let’s get started.

Whole30

The Whole30 diet has been around for 8 years, but it really picked up steam when it became a social media phenomenon.

There are some things to really like about Whole30. It eliminates processed food, sugar, alcohol, soy, grains, and dairy completely. So it does help people get rid of many trigger foods that’s ultimately making them sick.

But that’s also the problem with Whole30. The point of the 30-day diet is that at the end of it, you can reintroduce foods that were off limits one at a time and see how your body reacts.

That sounds like a good idea, but it means that people are basing foods that you should or should not eat on SYMPTOMS, which you may or may not have within 3 days before you reintroduce something else.

For example, if you reintroduce gluten on day 31, legumes on day 35, and on day 37, you start having stomachaches and heartburn, did the gluten cause that, the legumes, or something else altogether?

Or you might not have any symptoms when you reintroduce the acidic foods back, but that doesn’t mean those foods are good for you!

This is a completely subjective test that may be putting your body in danger.

Inflammation and leaky gut, many times more than not, are silent. What I mean by this, is just like a cavity, they build in the blood and body, and don’t express themselves until later.

It is NOT as black and white as this program makes it out to be. It is not always a direct cause and effect. For example, I eat a trigger food, I feel a symptom. Do you see how misleading this system could be?

The whole point of the 30 days off all of that ACIDIC junk is that your body can heal (which is good)… So then why would you reintroduce foods your body has to heal from?

Just remove the acidic foods, period!

But that’s not all. Whole30 also encourages a lot of meat consumption, similar to the Paleo diet. That unhealthy recommendation, along with the dubious idea that you can evaluate food allergies based on symptoms in 3 days, is why US News & World Report ranked Whole30 dead last in its ranking of weight loss diets (but I am not so sure how much credibility I lend to that stat either!).

Their goal is to REMOVE inflammation, yet meat is one of the MOST inflammatory foods. And Whole 30 wants you to eat “massive” amounts of animal based protein, such as chicken which has the highest levels of arachidonic acid compared to any other animal.

Arachadonic acid is an Omega-6 fat, which is PRO-inflammatory to the body. They also allow pork which is one of the dirtiest and most toxic animals you can eat.

Here are some other acidic ingredients which promote INFLAMMATION in your body.

VINEGAR: Nearly all forms of vinegar, including white, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, and rice, are allowed during the Whole30 program. (The only exception is malt vinegar, which generally contains gluten.)

Vinegar is highly acidic, not only for its sugar content, but more so because of the high amounts of YEAST they contain. Yes, even Apple Cider Vinegar!

FRUIT JUICE: Some products or recipes will include fruit juice as a stand-alone ingredient or natural sweetener, which is fine for the purposes of the Whole30, but not fine in terms of the ACID and INFLAMMATION they create in the body.

Fruit juice is high in fructose, the most inflammatory and toxic form of sugar you can put in your body.

The plan also allows high sugar fruits such as pineapple, which again, creates inflammation.

SALT: So Whole 30 makes an exception for ‘table salt’. The reasoning is because all restaurants and pre-packaged foods contain salt, we’re making salt an exception to our “no added sugar” rule (as table salt contains the sugar dextrose).

Just like there are good fats and bad fats, there are good salts and bad salts. There are salts that HEAL, and salts that KILL. The form of salt they are saying is ok is highly processed, bleached, filled with chemicals, and highly acid-forming to your blood.

The ONLY salt you should ever use is unrefined, unprocessed sea salt such as Celtic Grey, Himalayan, Real Salt, or Hawaiian Black Sea Salt.

So ‘they’ are allowing these foods, which is creating the very thing they are encouraging you to get rid of. Net Net, not a fan!

FODMAP Diet

If you haven’t heard of FODMAP foods, it’s most likely because you don’t suffer from digestive complaints like IBS, constipation, gas, bloating, diarrhea, Crohn’s Disease, or colitis.

In recent years, this has become a popular diet for patients who suffer from those chronic inflammatory conditions to find out what’s causing their symptoms.

The idea is that you temporarily eliminate FODMAP foods, which are short-chain carbohydrates that ferment in the digestive tract and may be causing unwanted symptoms.

FODMAP foods to eliminate include beans, many vegetables, fruits, wheat, some nuts, dairy products, and most drinks other than water. You’re left with fruits and veggies that supposedly don’t trigger an intestinal response, meat and seafood, and a lot of processed foods.

In fact, aspartame is on the OK to eat list – yikes!

This is meant to be a temporary diet because it’s so restrictive, but it’s hard to even call it a diet at all. It’s no way to lose weight. People eating this way rely on processed carbs and meat as their primary diet which is CRAZY!

Not only does this diet have the same problem as Whole30, where you don’t really know as you reintroduce foods what is causing your symptoms or underlying health problems that may or may not have symptoms, but it also allows you to eat even MORE trigger foods compared to Whole 30.

So there’s no true healing for your gut. In fact, it will make you INFLAMED. Let’s take a closer look at a daily FODMAP diet that is supposed to help your gut.

This typical low-FODMAP menu which ‘they’ consider ‘healthy’ (take from Radicata Nutrition):

Low-FODMAP Breakfast

a couple of gluten-free or spelt toasts with margarine and strawberry jam, or
a bowl of corn flakes with lactose-free milk and a serving of low-FODMAP fruit (orange or kiwi)

Low-FODMAP Lunch

ham or tuna sandwich on gluten-free or spelt bread, or
gluten-free pasta with margarine and tomato

Low-FODMAP Dinner

tofu with quinoa and low-FODMAP vegetables, or
lean meat or poultry with potato or rice and low-FODMAP vegetables

Low-FODMAP Snacks

lactose-free yogurt and gluten-free muffin, or
rice cakes with peanut butter,
a serving of low-FODMAP fruit (banana or cantaloupe), or
gluten-free pretzels

Unfortunately, the typical low-FODMAP diet is high in processed carbs and sugar, low in nutrients, and HIGHLY acid-forming and inflammatory for your gut.

Anyone dealing with IBS (Irritable Bowell Syndrome, which I suffered with for years) or any other inflammatory bowel issue, such as Chrohn’s, or Celiac, will get worse on this diet.

Here’s what I have to say about this ACID diet:

There is no such thing as gluten-fee (I dive into this concept in my new book GET OFF YOUR ACID);
High sugar fruits ferment and cause bloating, and feed unhealthy bacteria in your gut;
FODMAP allow grains which can spike insulin more than sugar, plus can become contaminated with fungal mycotoxins which can cause cancer cells;
Peanuts contain 21 forms of aflatoxin which is a cancer-causing fungus;
Combining a protein like chicken (remember earlier, the MOST inflammatory of ALL meats due to the high levels of arachidonic acid) and a starch like potatoes is the SINGLE-WORST FOOD COMBINATION you can do.

Proteins digest in your stomach by an acid chemical, and while the potatoes are broken down in the stomach, they are DIGESTED in the small intestine by alkaline chemicals – the result? The two cancel each other out, and the two foods sit there, putrefying, rotting, and fermenting in your gut, creating gas, bloating, and unhealthy bacteria.

I can go on and on, but I’m not going to – you get the point! STAY AWAY, especially if you are having gut issues!

Ketogenic

This one has really splashed onto the scene in the past year, and there’s a lot to like about it.

The idea is that you feed your body lots of healthy fats and starve it of carbohydrates and sugar, so it will start to burn fat for fuel.

As I stated in my new book GET OFF YOUR ACID (page 97), in the absence of sugar, your body breaks down fat (dietary fat and/or stored fat) to generate ketone bodies, or ketones (which is where the diet’s name comes from), for ENERGY.

Ketones are a very clean source of energy, and the ideal and preferred source of fuel for your body, especially your brain.

On the diet, which unlike Whole30 and FODMAP is meant to be maintained long term, you cut all refined carbs, sugars, fruits that are high in sugar, and potatoes.

Instead you eat nuts, fish, meat, veggies, seeds, high-fat dairy products, low-sugar fruits, especially avocados, and oils like coconut and olive oil. When you eat anything, fat should be a part of the meal.

I really agree with so much of this diet and the approach, BUT…

The Ketogenic Diet in and of itself, is ACIDIC! In fact, it’s HIGHLY ACIDIC, and not very sustainable with a few significant drawbacks.

People who eat SOLEY KETO are eating eggs, cheese, dairy, bacon, etc.

Eggs (and chicken) are the MOST inflammatory meat, having the highest levels of arachidonic acid, otherwise known as Omega-6s (BAD).

Dairy is flat out scary!

Dairy products are filled with sugar and casein, a protein that is linked to certain cancers in humans, due to its high acid content.

Cow’s milk has twenty times more casein than human milk and is poorly digested and very damaging to the human immune system. Most dairy products are made from milk of cows that feed on grains and are loaded with pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and other acidic hormones and pesticide residues.

Because you’re eating so much animal protein (Americans on average consume 5X too much protein!) and high-fat dairy, you’re not getting enough minerals from vegetables.

While there are many upsides to the Ketogenic Diet, the high acid potential of this diet, plus the huge misunderstanding of HOW to apply it, makes it quite dangerous.

Your goal is NOT to be in full ketosis 100% of the time. This can cause problems over the long-term. So you really must understand how to measure the ketones in your body, to know how to go IN and OUT of this state.

A 2017 study from the Journal of Physiology of elite race walkers found that those who followed a ketogenic diet needed more oxygen during their races and their performance suffered.

It is my belief because the diet produces too much acid, triggering a state of chronic low-grade acidosis.

When you exercise with more acid in the body, the workout becomes harder, much in the same way that lactic acid buildup will affect a runner’s ability to perform.

So how can we utilize all the upside of the Ketogenic Diet, minus the downside I just talked about? ALKAMIND DIET!

In fact, the Alkamind Diet is a hybrid of the Alkaline Diet AND the Ketogenic Diet, which is why I think it is the MOST powerful and effective diet (read: Lifestyle) out of any you will find.

That said, if you eat a keto diet, you could maintain the 80/20 alkaline lifestyle, where you eat 80% alkaline and 20% acidic. Most of the foods you eat will be alkaline, with the 20% acidic coming from meat and dairy.

I don’t recommend dairy for ANYONE, especially our growing children, as we are the ONLY mammals to consume another mammals breast milk after weaning.

Cow’s don’t even drink cow’s milk, or have yogurt!

And despite the milk mustached campaign, dairy doesn’t belong in your body, nor the body’s of your growing children!

It does NOT make your bones stronger, in fact, it leaches calcium from your bones (not my opinion, but research, so don’t shoot the messenger:)"😊"

Because of the high lactose content, phosphorous content, and the heavily imbalanced 10:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium, your body actually needs more INTERNAL calcium from your bones to buffer the acidic components of the dairy.

If you are going to eat meat, which some people biologically may need, keep it clean (grass fed), and make it the sideshow, not the main event.

What separates the Alkamind Diet from a typical alkaline diet (and ketogenic diet) is that it’s a complimentary, conscious blend of alkaline and ketogenic where you’re eating plenty of healthy fats, dark green leafy vegetables, cruciferous and sulfur-based vegetable’s (combined 80%), moderate protein (15%), and little vegetable carbs (5%).

With the Alkamind diet, you can reach the ketogenic state, and at the same time, replenish your body and cells with the most important nutrients at the same time, minerals and chlorphyll.

The Alkamind Diet – Not a Fad, But a Lifestyle

If you’ve ever felt like no diets work, you’re absolutely right. Anything where you end up feeling restricted is not sustainable.

Quit the diet game forever. No more restrictions.

Instead, start with one change and make it each and every day. Add instead of take away. That’s how you’re going to make lasting changes that lead to the weight loss you want.

As long as you keep the alkaline principles at the foundation of all that you do, you will move towards health. Add a dark, leafy green and healthy fat to your smoothie every morning. Switch your usual lunch meat for avocado. Make your afternoon snack raw almonds and macadamia nuts instead of a cupcake.

Aim for eating as many vegetables as you can, and you’ll be well on your way to getting off your acid.

If you’re ready to take the plunge and see just how good you can feel by embracing the alkaline lifestyle, find out how in my new book, Get Off Your Acid: 7 Steps in 7 Days to Lose Weight, Fight Inflammation, and Reclaim Your Health and Energy.