Misconceptions and Truths About the Ketogenic Diet with Richard Smith

Off the top of your head, think about the healthy foods you eat regularly. Does your diet contain seed oils and carbs? How about protein-rich and fatty food?

There are a lot of misconceptions about what foods are healthy or not. Many of these beliefs are further perpetuated by the media, big food companies and even nutrition advice from the government. For instance, did you know that “heart-healthy foods” with omega-6 are highly inflammatory and that high cholesterol levels can help in healing? The key is to find what works best for your body, but it’s not always easy with misinformation so rampant.

In this episode, Richard Smith discusses how the ketogenic diet has changed his life. Not only did it reverse his health issues significantly, but it also made him into a bodybuilding champion. He also explains how “healthy” foods are doing the exact opposite of what we’re led to believe. Whether or not you wish to start a ketogenic diet, it’s vital to go back to the basics of nutrition and learn what is harmful and helpful to your body. 

If you want to learn more about the ketogenic diet for a healthier and stronger body, then this episode is for you!

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Learn how the ketogenic diet can benefit both athletes and non-athletes. 

2. Discover how your perspective on “healthy” foods may be wrong and harmful.

3. Understand how to get back to the basics of health and nutrition.  

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Episode Highlights

[02:47] Richard’s Background

Richard used to be clinically obese and diabetic in his 20s. He also suffered from chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, migraines, and arthritic pains. He tried many lifestyles and diets but lacked proper knowledge of nutrition and did not understand what foods are healthy. 

Richard used to take different medications, but these increased his anxiety and headache. He also tried cutting off bread from his diet. It helped him lose 28 pounds in 4 weeks. His friend then introduced him to the ketogenic diet.

[08:04] How the Ketogenic Diet Helped Richard

Richard struggled with transitioning to the ketogenic diet. His headaches worsened, and he had an intense sugar craving. He persevered, and the ketogenic diet changed his life. He lost 107 pounds in 12 months, reversed diabetes, and erased his migraines.

People have a misconception that cholesterol is bad fuel and people can’t live without carbohydrates. Yet, there are many scientific studies that state otherwise.

[13:33] How Richard Started Keto Pro

The truth about “healthy” food is the opposite of what we are usually taught. The insight was so shocking that Richard wanted to share his learnings through coaching. He quit his job and started Keto Pro. 

Richard further developed his understanding of the ketogenic diet through research and self-experimentation.

[19:57] Different People Need Different Things 

Genetic differences can dictate what is important. For example, Lisa shares how her Maori and Pacific Island friends are better suited for low-carb diets. What works for someone else may not work for you. Be open-minded and constantly experiment to find what suits your body best.

If you want to change your health, you need to start with the basics.

[22:23] How to Start a Ketogenic Diet

First, cut off grains. Second, drop vegetable and seed oils. Grains play a role in developing autoimmune diseases. They can release lectin that makes our antibodies attack proteins in our body.

Richard recommends removing all grains. This includes bread, pasta, rice, and cereals. Although white rice is low in lectin, it can be easy to over-consume. Rice is also high in carbohydrates, which can make you insulin resistant.

[25:45] Why You Should Reduce Carbohydrates

Excess carbohydrates can create metabolic dysregulation. 

Insulin resistance happens over some time. Carbohydrate consumption can be different for everyone. If you’re insulin resistant, reduce your consumption.   

Most people are taught the caloric model for healthy eating. This does not account for nuances and micronutrients. Listen to the full episode to learn more!

[29:38] How the Ketogenic Diet can Help Athletes 

Carbohydrate-dependent athletes can find it hard to run long marathons since they need to refuel around every 20 minutes. Meanwhile, fat-adapted athletes can run 100k without needing to refuel and worrying about electrolytes. 

Lectins tend to bind to insulin receptors and take five times more storage than fat. Lectins can also prevent the absorption of other nutrients, which can easily lead to overeating since we need more nutrients.   

Ketogenic diets can not only help with weight loss but can also build lean muscle. To prove this, Richard joined physique competitions despite his anxiety.

[42:04] How to Utilise Fat and Protein

Richard shares that even with his poor genes, the ketogenic diet helped him gain the physique to become a bodybuilding champion. Carbohydrates do not grow muscles. Instead, it’s the co-ingestion of fat with protein.

A good starting point is 70% fat and 25% protein to induce a ketogenic state. However, Richard recommends increasing proteins after 2–3 weeks.  

There is still a lot of fear surrounding protein in the ketogenic community. Proteins do not pull people away from the ketogenic state. Increasing your protein intake can also make the diet more sustainable.

[46:21] Should We Cycle In and Out of Ketosis? 

Maintaining a ketogenic state helps Richard more than cycling in and out of ketosis. Since his body is keto-adapted, he can process a large volume of carbohydrates and maintain a ketogenic state. 

Over time, the ketogenic diet can train your body to become metabolically flexible.

[48:56] Importance of Exogenous Ketones

Beginners can use exogenous ketones to get into ketosis easier. This can also aid in the transition. However, Richard does not recommend combining exogenous ketones with a high-carbohydrate diet. 

Exogenous ketones can boost mental clarity and recovery during training. It can also help people who suffered from brain injuries, aneurysms, strokes, and concussions.

[55:14] Rethink Healthy Food 

Inflammation is a sign that you’re doing something wrong.

Your lifestyle may be the root cause of your health problems. Consider possible lifestyle changes before resorting to medication and surgery. 

High cholesterol levels and protein levels can help with healing and recovery. In the full episode, Richard shares how he healed from surgery 7 weeks earlier than expected.

[1:01:26] What Oils Should We Avoid?

Sunflower, safflower, canola, and peanut oils come from seeds. The process to create them uses chemicals like hexane that can damage the body. Reducing saturated fats and replacing them with seed and vegetable oils can increase your risk of death. 

Cholesterol is essential for us to function. In fact, you can find cholesterol in every cell in your body. Richard consumes tallow, lard, ghee, avocado oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. He also recommends eating fish rather than fish oils for omega-3.

[1:05:54] Back to Basics

Go back to the basics and cut out processed food. Understand how food and nutrition work. While restricting sugar is good, remember that all carbohydrates break down into sugar.

Don’t underestimate the gut-brain connection. Poor gut health can easily lead to depression and anxiety.

Age does not correlate with size. If you have a lot of visceral fat, that’s a sign of metabolic dysregulation.

[1:16:41] Introducing Keto Pro 

Richard shares the importance of research and development, rather than marketing, for Keto Pro. His products have the world’s highest purity rating at 99.9%. Keto Pro also offers electrolytes mixed with molybdenum, selenium, and aster xantham.

They use all-natural ingredients and without artificial sweeteners. 

Richard is committed to serving the best product possible to help people. Find out more about Keto Pro’s products in the full episode.

Resources

• Gain exclusive access and bonuses to Pushing the Limits Podcast by becoming a patron!

• Episode 189: Understanding Autophagy and Increasing Your Longevity with Dr Elena Seranova

• Episode 183: Sirtuins and NAD Supplements for Longevity with Dr Elena Seranova

• Ancel Keys and the lipid hypothesis: early breakthroughs to current management of dyslipidemia (BCMJ)

• Insulin vs Glucagon: The relevance of dietary protein by Dr Benjamin Bikman

• BioDiet by David Harper and Dale Drewery

• Coingestion of protein with carbohydrate during recovery from endurance exercise stimulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis in humans (NCBI)

• Sodium and health - concordance and controversy (BMJ)

• The Undiscussed Side Effects of Birth Control Pills

• Get your premium exogenous ketones at Keto Pro. Use this code to get some sweet discounts on any of your purchase: Lisatamati12

• You can also access educational videos about keto here! 

• Try out the No Guilt, All Taste Chocolate Almond Brownie Keto Bar.

• Interested in Richard’s full story and before/after pictures? Find out more here.    

• Connect with Richard: Twitter | Instagram

7 Powerful Quotes

“I tried every sort of diet and lifestyle that you can think of and nothing seemed to work, almost to the point you had thrown in the towel and given up. But I hated the way I looked. I hated the fact I didn't have energy. It didn't sit right with me; it didn't seem normal.”

“This whole reeducation piece — this is what we're trying to teach people that these foods are causing inflammation and insulin resistance. One of the factors that many overlook is that people look at the caloric model: it's X amount of calories — calories in, calories out. “

“I don't want that food. But if I do, I'm willing to accept the consequences today because tomorrow I'm going to be backing in strict and avoiding migraines and seed oils. But ketones — as you say — a fantastic way to help induce a ketogenic state.”

“A lot of people will ask the question, ‘Well, I've had my bloods done. I'm not diabetic, therefore, I'm not insulin-resistant.’ Insulin resistance happens over a long time… But insulin rises to continue to keep us healthy and drive these nutrients into the cells. Insulin will rise over time, and it'll continue to raise until the point where it can't raise any more. “

“But for me, it comes down to the core foundation, and I think, comes back to reeducating about the effects of these carbohydrates and seed oils. I think as long as you're mindful, when you reeducate someone, you're arming them with a tool, and you're giving them the means to make that decision.”

“I've done it the right way. It's just difficult to market a product, especially. We're a small company and keep it within. The UK isn't as big as it is in the US and the rest of the world. So I think it comes down to reeducating people and explaining that there's a lot of common misconceptions about keto and the cholesterol ketoacidosis.”

“I keep going back to why I started to do what I do, and it was in order to help people.”

About Richard 

Richard Smith is a nutritionist and professional athlete who became a British Champion. He used to suffer from pre-diabetes, kidney stones, high blood pressure, high glucose levels, and many illnesses. He took various medications but none of them work, forcing him to take a full pack of paracetamol every single day. Eventually, he tried the ketogenic diet, and it changed his life forever.    

The ketogenic lifestyle reversed his illnesses. Seeing the benefits of the lifestyle, Richard created Keto Pro to give people access to affordable and high-quality ketogenic products. 

Learn more about the ketogenic lifestyle on Keto Pro.  You can also connect with Richard on Twitter and Instagram.     

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