A Modified Keto Diet for Optimal Cellular Health

Sidenote: it’s also easier than a strict ketogenic diet….

Caring for our bodies and our brains takes a great deal of effort, and it starts with a nourishing, healthy diet. Consuming tasty, nutrient-dense foods is crucial to supporting and optimizing our cellular function, which in turn builds a strong foundation for overall wellness.

While we all know that we must eat well to live well, understanding how can be complicated by misinformation. Dietary fads, such as low-fat or vegetarian diets, are often not based on supportive medical literature; while those that are, like a strict ketogenic diet, are almost always too challenging and impossible to follow.

But that shouldn’t be. Science has repeatedly verified that high-lipid, low-carbohydrate diets are an intelligent way to address health challenges. Such research is the foundation of BodyBio’s Membrane Stabilizing Diet; and for the past twelve years, physicians around the world have recommended it to their patients to help them heal both mind and body.

Developed by BodyBio, the Membrane Stabilizing Diet presents a modified approach to the keto diet. Like keto, it encourages consumption of unprocessed organic food that is free of noxious oils, added sugars, and artificial elements. However, it takes a less strident approach to limiting consumption of carbohydrates and protein, eliminating only those carbohydrates that are known to spike insulin and are suspected of harboring mycotoxins, as some grains do.

Instead, ketosis is rapidly achieved by introducing foods rich in essential fatty acids (such as BodyBio Balance Oil) and phosphatidylcholine (BodyBio PC) into the diet.

These nutrients are vital to the repair of the cell membranes. For many years, scientists believed that the nucleus of a cell told it what to do; but we have since discovered that nucleus only tells it what it is. It’s the cell membrane that dictates what the cell should do and when to do it — making it all the more important that the membrane be unimpaired.

The Membrane Stabilizing Diet aims to supply the body with enough quality nutrients to build and maintain the membranes of trillions of cells, as well as a healthy gut microbiome. That also means avoiding foods that will cause harm.

No Commercial Oils

Most supermarket oils not only possess questionable ancestry, quality and age; they are also rancid. While olive oil and other monounsaturated fats are touted for their cardiac friendliness, it’s the polyphenols in authentic products that provide the benefit — and these are compromised by processing and heat extraction. Instead, look for bioactive oils that contain omega-3s and omega-6s, such as safflower and flaxseed. And if you need a product to cook with, your best option is organic coconut oil.

No GMO Foods

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are foods that carry a gene from another species — sometimes plant, sometimes animal, sometimes bacterial or viral. Corn, for example, might carry a gene from a bacterium known to be toxic to insects by destroying their digestive tracts. While this microorganism may have no direct impact on your health, it could wreak havoc on your gut microbiome and lead to a host of intestinal concerns. Time will tell whether GMO foods are harmful or not — but if governments are wary of them, you should be, too.

No Processed Foods

It’s well-established that trans-fats are toxic to the liver and brain, as well as to the cardiovascular system. However, a food label may list them as absent if the amount is lower than 0.5 gram in a serving. Two servings, then, can add up to nearly a whole gram of trans fats — and eating a few processed foods with half-grams adds up to several. Too many trans fats can lead to fatigue, neurodegeneration, hyperactivity, and learning disabilities.

No Grains

Some grains — especially from countries lacking sanitation — may be contaminated with any variety of mycotoxic bodies, ranging from ochratoxins in oats to fumonisins in corn. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) also notes that developed nations are not immune to these fungi. As careful as we consumers might be, there is little regulatory oversight to mycotoxicity in cereal products. In fact, a 2017 study found all baby cereals were laden with fungal toxins: oats being worst, followed by mixed grains. (Cappozo 2017). One way farmers forestall fungal attacks on their grains? Spraying them with desiccant herbicides like glyphosate.

With the commercial food landscape riddled with so many minefields, it can be difficult to know where to begin. But the Membrane Stabilizing Diet was designed to make it easier.

Once you have eliminated or restricted your intake of harmful foods, your cells will begin to heal and your body as well as your brain will start to reap the benefits. At the same time, you should also adjust your eating habits to optimize your digestive health; which is not only impacted by toxicity, but timing, stress, and medications such as antibiotics.

Proper digestion is paramount to receiving optimal nutrition. Indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, reflux, abdominal pain, colitis, hemorrhoids, nausea, bloating, gas, and belching are all common ailments and symptoms that many people accept as ‘normal’ — yet they are far from that. Rather, they are indicative of the overall health of our microbiome: 100 trillion microorganisms inhabiting the human body, found primarily in our gut.

So in addition to following the food recommendations of the Membrane Stabilizing Diet, try doing the following:

• Give yourself at least 30 minutes to eat. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to tell your gut that you’re satiated.
• Take small bites of food, and chew food thoroughly (30x per bite). That might sound excessive — but give it a chance! It has a truly positive effect on health and weight.
• Stop eating when you are full. This easier to do when you eat slowly.

You may also seek digestive support from a licensed dietician or healthcare practitioner, who may have additional recommendations based on your individual disposition. Natural probiotics include bitters (dandelion, arugula), homemade kefir, fermented vegetables, bone broth, and peppermint and coconut oils. Common supplements also include bile salts, butyrate, balanced electrolytes, magnesium/potassium/sodium bicarbonates, mastic gum, phosphatidylcholine, balanced essential fatty acids (such as SR3 oil); and supplements like Visbiome™: a colonizing lactic acid bacteria.

It takes a lot of determination, patience, and perseverance to change one’s lifestyle and eating habits. The Membrane Stabilizing Diet was designed to help you do both, by offering new ways to prepare food and digest it properly. Your life depends on your cell membranes, and taking good care of them is an important part of any healing process. Precise nourishment with a targeted neurometabolic diet that is organic, low-carb, and nutrient-dense; along with supportive lipids and other nutrients, will ensure that your cells are both cleansed and nourished.