My Whole-Food Based Ketogenic Diet

As a nutritionist and naturopath, I am looking for the most optimal way to eat and live - for my clients and for myself.

During my adult life, I have always been trying to eat in a healthy way. For me, this meant buying and cooking real food and never using packaged and processed products. My diet has evolved over the years, always sticking to my best knowledge based on the latest research and scientific publications.

I have been on a low-carb diet for quite a long time and on the ketogenic diet for more than a year. My diet has slowly transitioned from a more plant-based type to a mostly animal-based way of eating, following the principles of the Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet (PKD - developed by Paleomedicina, Hungary) about 90% of the time.

I check my blood sugar and ketone levels from time to time. It is great to see but especially to feel the benefits of a stable blood sugar and the state of a nutritional ketosis. I still remember how it was to be “hangry” in the past while feeling weak, irritated, dizzy and having headaches. This never happens anymore. I can be hungry but if I don’t have the time or the possibility to eat real good quality food, I can easily skip a meal and eat later. The hunger goes away thanks to ketosis.

So what do I eat?

Most of the time I eat two meals a day: breakfast and a late lunch, without any snacks. My diet consists of different types of meats, organ meats, animal fats, eggs and vegetables. I rarely eat fruit, and if I do, I prefer berries in small portions.

I avoid dairy most of the time but I might have some butter or heavy cream occasionally. I do not consume any grains, vegetable oils - except for olive oil rarely, mostly when eating out -, added sugars and sweeteners - except for occasional honey -, legumes, nightshades and nuts and seeds. I might have some macadamia nuts rarely and exceptionally I use almonds and hazelnuts for Christmas baking.

I still drink my organic espresso and eat a piece or two 85-90% chocolate.

My usual breakfast consists of eggs, lard, bacon and pork cracklings or some sausage. When I have mangalica bacon and fresh cracklings, I usually skip the eggs.

6-7 hours later I have my lunch which can be any kind of meat, fish or organ meat with some seasonal vegetables like carrots, radish, asparagus, different veggies from the cabbage family or some salad like arugula or mushrooms.

What are the advantages of this diet?

As I mentioned before, I feel all the benefits of a stable blood sugar and insulin. I also have had a steady weight without making any efforts to that end and consistently high levels of energy. I almost never get sick and I have no pain or physical discomfort. My digestive issues totally went away and they only come back if I overeat certain vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower.

I could get rid of all my food addictions and cravings when I stopped eating grains and too much fruit. Fat, especially animal fat is extremely satiating which means that two meals a day are perfectly enough and there is no need for any snacks at all. My mind is clear, actually my brain fog disappeared years ago when I stopped eating gluten. It is great not to feel sleepy and tired after lunch and during the day in general.

I am very happy with the result of my diet today, but I am open to the possibility of modifying it, always following my best knowledge for a most optimal and healthy ageing.