Paleo-Ketogenic Diet combines benefits of ketogenic and paleo diets but eliminates shortcomings of both. I suppose you can think of it as the ultimate elimination diet as well.
Paleomedicina Clinic and the Paleo-Ketogenic Diet
According to Paleomedicina, a clinic in Hungary that I did my gut permeability test at, the origin of the chronic disease is attributed to the following:
- Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
- Excessive carbohydrate consumption
- Additives and chemicals in food
Paleomedicina says that Paleo-Ketogenic diet is the only one that normalizes intestinal permeability, which is the underlying cause of most medical and neurological diseases.
Healing of the leaky gut can result in a full recovery from diseases that are thought to be incurable, such as my Rheumatoid Arthritis.
How Paleo-Ketogenic Diet Works
The mechanisms by which Paleo-Ketogenic diet works are:
- removal of chemicals and food additives
- removal of plant toxins such as lectins, phytates, saponins, protease inhibitors, oxalates
- reduction of carbohydrates and switching to burning fat for energy (ketosis)
- adding animal fats, ruminant and organ meats to aid the gut in the healing process (animal fats help to restore normal gut)
Foods To Remove While on Paleo-Ketogenic Diet
I have been on the conventional ketogenic diet for quite some time now, and still the list of foods I had to remove was quite long:
- all painkillers and supplements
- all vegetable oils including olive oil, coconut oil and MCT (yes, I know, these are staples of the ketogenic diets)
- coffee, tea and all noncaffeinated coffee substitutes (even though I used to drink it without sugar or cream)
- all-natural sweeteners: stevia, allulose, monk fruit, xylitol, etc.
- all dairy: including heavy cream (yes, another totally keto food), whey protein, and even my homemade kefir
- Nuts, nut milks and nut flours
- Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, soya sauce, etc.
- Spices except salt
- Deli meats (because of the food additives)
- Nightshade vegetables: potatoes, peppers, eggplant, goji berries
- Vegetables that you would eat raw such as leafy greens
- Fruit, even keto friendly berries
Standard American Diet
If you are on the Standard American diet, there is still more to go:
- Anything grain: bread, pasta, crackers, cereal, tortilla, pancakes, pastry, cookies, pies, cakes, rice, rice noodles, rice cakes
- Refined sugar, sodas, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame
- All fruit, fruit juices, jams, dried fruit, trail mixes
- Beans and legumes
- All treats and snacks
Left with…a Paleo-Ketogenic Diet
So now you should be down to:
- Red meat including organ meats
- Eggs (Some people may have to remove eggs as well)
- Animal fats (tallow, lard, duck fat, butter – I chose to include it, some people may react to butter as well)
- Fish and chicken, provided they are from clean sources
- Water
- Fruit, honey, and cooked mostly root vegetables should be added after the leaky gut is gone
Finally
Paleo-Ketogenic diet isn’t easy, and food addictions are very real, I certainly have plenty of them, but I wanted to be pain free, so I did it.
At first, I started implementing the diet gradually, and then halfway into it, I decided to go all in. However painful, mostly because of cravings and my eating habits, 10 days into the diet, I noticed major improvements in pain and mobility of my joints.
I was even dreaming about different foods I was craving!
