It is interesting to discover the fact that our ancestors ate keto! The truth is that for thousands of years, our hunter and gatherer ancestors survived on an extremely low carb diet. Ultimately, they often went for long periods, with little or no food.
Notwithstanding, they still mustered up the energy to head out and hunt! Indeed, the tribe would starve without food! More importantly, they were fat adapted. To put it another way, they could tap into their fat stores to provide the stamina necessary for such robust exertion.
KETONE BODIES
In the absence of sugar and carbohydrates, the body makes ketone bodies in the liver to utilize as a source of energy. In today’s modern society where carbohydrates are king, most peoples bodies have forgotten how to tap into their fat stores. It makes sense to consider our origins and remember that our ancestors ate keto!
REMINDING OURSELVES THAT OUR ANCESTORS ATE KETO!
The Keto diet is what our ancestors ate, as it reminds the body how to tap into fat stores for energy. The liver uses stored fat to make ketone bodies which provide energy. Hence the name, ‘ketosis.’ The keto diet hinges on the removal of sugar from the menu, along with simple carbohydrates.
EXAMPLES OF SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES
Examples of the most common simple carbohydrates are; sugar, pasta, rice, bread, and starchy vegetables. The diet is substituted instead with a one that includes a much higher percentage of fat. The body produces ketone bodies to compensate for the lack of glucose that it makes from simple carbs and sugar.
This process takes place in the liver. Deprived of carbohydrates, insulin production slows, and the body enters a state that mimics starvation without depriving the body of necessary calories to sustain growth and development. When choosing foods to eat, it helps inform our choices by remembering that our ancestors ate keto.
KETO DIET-WHAT IS IT-HOW DOES IT WORK?