An animal based ketogenic diet involves consuming only animal products, which can include meat, organs, animal fat, eggs, poultry, fish and sometimes dairy, while excluding all plant food groups. This is practically a zero carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat diet, where 65-80% of the calories are coming from dietary fat. When considering a ketogenic carnivore diet specifically for mental health, there are numerous personal testimonials, emerging research, and professional opinions that paint a complex picture.
Metabolic Psychiatry is a growing field that investigates the relationship between metabolic health and mental health disorders. It explores how metabolic dysfunctions like insulin resistance, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction can influence or contribute to psychiatric conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. The key aspects of Metabolic Psychiatry are:
Connection Between Metabolic Health and Mental Health: This field recognizes that many psychiatric patients have a high prevalence of metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The connection might be bidirectional, where poor metabolic health can lead to or exacerbate mental health issues, and vice versa.
Interventions: Metabolic Psychiatry often involves non-pharmacological interventions like dietary changes, particularly ketogenic diets, to improve metabolic health which might, in turn, alleviate psychiatric symptoms. The Ketogenic Diet has been more extensively studied for its impacts on mental health, particularly in treating conditions like epilepsy but also showing promise in mood disorders. The mechanism often involves ketone bodies providing an alternative energy source for the brain, potentially reducing inflammation and stabilizing neurotransmitter function. Within the ketogenic community, there's a subset that follows an animal-based ketogenic diet (carnivore diet) which shares similarities with the carnivore diet but might include higher fat content from animal sources. Other interventions might include lifestyle modifications like exercise, intermittent fasting, and even pharmacological approaches like metformin to address insulin resistance.
Research and Findings: There's growing evidence suggesting that improving metabolic health can have therapeutic effects on mental health. For instance, studies have shown improvements in symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia with ketogenic diets or other metabolic therapies. These diets are thought to stabilize brain energy metabolism, reduce inflammation, and balance neurotransmitter activity, which could explain their effectiveness.
Clinical Application: Clinics specializing in Metabolic Psychiatry, like the one at Stanford University, integrate these metabolic strategies into treatment plans for patients with psychiatric disorders, aiming to improve both their mental and physical health outcomes simultaneously.
Community and Advocacy: There's also a community aspect, with groups and platforms where patients and professionals share experiences and resources related to metabolic interventions for mental health, highlighting the role of community support in this new paradigm.
What health issues have improved for my clients with mental health conditions following an animal-based ketogenic diet?
Energy level
Brain fog
Depression
Anxiety
Headaches
Digestive problems
Lifelong constipation
Chronic pain
Sleep
Hairloss
Benefits of an Animal Based Diet for Emotional Health
Reduction in Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression - countless followers and advocates of a high fat carnivore diet report significant improvements in their mood, anxiety levels, and depressive symptoms. This might be attributed to several factors:
Nutrient Density: animal products are rich in nutrients like Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, choline, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin K2, carnitine, and omega-3 fatty acids, which play critical roles in neurotransmitter function and other processes, potentially contributing to better mood regulation.
Adequate protein and balanced amino acids: this diet assures sufficient amount of essential and non-essential amino acids the body and mind need and that the human body cannot produce by its own.
Blood Sugar Stability: the absence of carbohydrates and higher fat intake lead to more stable blood sugar levels, which helps mitigate mood swings and depressive episodes. High blood sugar and insulin spikes can contribute to mood instability.
Ketone Bodies: the production of ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate) from fat metabolism might have neuroprotective effects. Some studies suggest that ketones can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, which could play roles in mood regulation.
Neurotransmitter Balance: there's evidence suggesting that a ketogenic diet helps balancing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which can influence mood. The diet's effect on neurotransmitter pathways could contribute to mood stabilization and the reduction of symptoms of different mental illnesses.
Mental Clarity: many individuals on a ketogenic diet report experiencing clearer thinking and the absence of brain fog. This is most probably due to the brain's efficient use of ketones as an alternative fuel source to glucose, potentially leading to enhanced cognitive function. Mental illness is associated with metabolic dysfunction and energy deficiency in their brain.
Neurogenesis: some research indicates that ketones might promote neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons), which could benefit cognitive health over time.
Neuroprotection: conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have been studied in relation to the ketogenic diet. While not all results are conclusive, the diet's potential to provide protection to neurons and improve mitochondrial function could have secondary benefits for mental health by slowing disease progression.
Gut Health and Mental Health: there's increasing interest in the gut-brain axis, where gut health influences mental health. Plant foods can cause digestive issues and gut inflammation in many people, so removing them can potentially improve gut health, reduce gut and systemic inflammation. These all benefit mental health.
Elimination of Potential Food Sensitivities: for those with sensitivities or allergies to common plant foods, but also dairy and eggs, removing these from the diet might alleviate symptoms that could have been exacerbating emotional health issues.
Conclusion
An animal based diet's impact on emotional health is definitely a growing field of interest with promising personal testimonies. For those considering this method for its mental health benefits, it's important to work with a qualified nutritionist who has experience with the diet, and also to do so under medical supervision to adjust medication if necessary. Eliminating or reducing plant anti-nutrients could immensely benefit brain health through improved nutrient absorption, reduced inflammation, and better gut health.
Metabolic psychiatry represents a shift towards integrating metabolic health into psychiatric care, aiming for treatments that not only manage symptoms but also address underlying biological dysfunctions.
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