The BEST Keto and Intermittent Fasting Tips - Dr. Berg

Summary

This video offers essential tips for successfully combining the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. It starts with skipping breakfast and using MCT oil in coffee to curb hunger and boost energy. The speaker emphasizes the importance of nutrient-dense foods, electrolytes, and B vitamins to prevent fatigue and other symptoms. They also discuss strategies for satiety, avoiding hidden sugars, and the significance of sleep and exercise. The video concludes with advice on avoiding diet plateaus and the importance of focusing on health over weight loss.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start the day with MCT oil in coffee to curb hunger and provide energy.
• 🍋 Incorporate a whole lemon blended in water for a tart, vitamin C-rich drink that helps prevent kidney stones.
• 💧 Add electrolyte powder for potassium and magnesium to boost energy and prevent fatigue.
• 🥗 Prioritize vegetables or a salad before protein in meals to meet the daily intake of 7-10 cups.
• 🧂 Sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes on salads for B vitamins and a cheesy flavor.
• 🥩 Choose nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish for better health benefits.
• 🚫 Avoid artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars in keto-friendly products to maintain ketosis.
• 💤 Prioritize sleep and manage water intake before bedtime to ensure restful sleep and support ketosis.
• 💊 Ensure electrolyte balance with sea salt and potassium to maintain energy levels for exercise.
• 🌞 Get sunlight exposure to naturally increase melatonin production, aiding in better sleep quality.
• 🌱 Focus on overall health and appetite control rather than just weight loss as indicators of success.

Q & A

What is the first recommended step for starting a keto and intermittent fasting lifestyle?

The first step is to skip breakfast and add MCT oil to your coffee, starting with one tablespoon to avoid digestive issues and help with satiety and energy levels.

Why is MCT oil beneficial for those following a keto diet?

MCT oil is beneficial because it is a type of fat that can provide energy and suppress hunger for several hours, aiding in adherence to a keto diet.

What is the purpose of blending a whole lemon with water instead of just using lemon juice?

Blending a whole lemon with water provides more vitamin C and citrates, which help prevent kidney stones, along with the addition of electrolytes for increased energy.

Why should apple cider vinegar be included in the diet when following keto and intermittent fasting?

Apple cider vinegar aids digestion, helps with blood sugar levels, and can improve insulin resistance, which is beneficial for those on a keto diet.

What is the recommended order of consuming food during a meal while on a keto diet?

It is recommended to consume vegetables or salad before protein to ensure adequate intake of nutrients and to help with satiety.

Why are nutritional yeast flakes suggested to be sprinkled on salads in a keto diet?

Nutritional yeast flakes provide B vitamins, which can help reduce stress and have a flavor similar to parmesan cheese, enhancing the taste of salads.

What are the two major groups of nutrients that should be prioritized when starting a keto diet?

Electrolytes and B vitamins are the two major groups of nutrients that should be prioritized to prevent keto fatigue, keto rash, and other symptoms.

How much protein is typically recommended for each meal on a keto diet?

The recommended amount of protein ranges from three to eight ounces depending on factors like metabolism, age, and activity level.

Why is additional fat recommended at the end of a meal in a keto diet?

Additional fat helps with satiety and can extend the fasting period, making it easier to adhere to the intermittent fasting aspect of the diet.

What are some tips for ensuring a good night's sleep while following a keto and intermittent fasting lifestyle?

Tips include exercising during the day, getting at least one hour of sunlight exposure, avoiding excessive water intake before bed, and ensuring adequate electrolyte and vitamin D3 intake.

Why is it important to avoid artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars when on a keto diet?

Artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars can knock you out of ketosis, delaying the benefits of the diet and potentially leading to plateaus in progress.

What is the best indicator that the keto and intermittent fasting lifestyle is working?

The best indicator is a decrease in appetite rather than weight loss, as the focus should be on achieving a state of burning fat for energy and overall health improvements.

Why is it suggested to avoid snacking between dinner and bedtime on a keto diet?

Snacking can disrupt ketosis and lead to weight loss plateaus; it's better to consume nutrient-dense foods with more fat at meals to reduce the desire to snack.

What is the role of sea salt in maintaining energy levels during exercise on a keto diet?

Sea salt helps to replenish sodium, which is crucial for preventing muscle weakness and maintaining energy levels during exercise.

How can one ensure they are consuming enough potassium while on a keto diet?

Potassium can be obtained from salads, electrolyte powders, and by adding more sea salt to meals to prevent deficiency and maintain energy levels.

Outlines

00:00

🍵 Keto and Intermittent Fasting Tips

The video starts with an introduction to essential tips for successfully combining the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting. The speaker suggests skipping breakfast by adding MCT oil to coffee, which helps curb hunger and provides energy. They also recommend blending a whole lemon with water and adding electrolyte powder for a nutrient boost and to prevent kidney stones. The speaker emphasizes the importance of eating a large salad before protein to ensure adequate vegetable intake and suggests using nutritional yeast flakes for B vitamins. They also stress the importance of electrolytes and B vitamins to prevent keto-related fatigue and symptoms.

05:01

🥩 Nutrient-Dense Foods for Satisfaction

This paragraph discusses the importance of nutrient-dense foods for feeling satisfied while on a keto diet. Insulin resistance is identified as a reason for not feeling satisfied, and the solution is to consume high-quality foods like grass-fed beef, seafood, and pasture-raised eggs. The speaker explains that these foods have more nutrients and can help prevent nutritional deficiencies. They also provide tips for fasting, such as drinking herbal teas like green and turmeric tea to aid in autophagy and overall health. The paragraph concludes with advice on avoiding snacks and ensuring adequate hydration before bedtime to promote better sleep.

10:04

💤 Prioritizing Sleep and Avoiding Plateaus

The speaker highlights the importance of sleep for overall health and weight loss, suggesting that poor sleep can increase cortisol levels and affect metabolism. They provide tips for improving sleep, such as exercising during the day, getting sunlight exposure for natural melatonin production, and taking vitamin D3 supplements if necessary. The paragraph also addresses the issue of plateauing in ketosis, warning against artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars in keto-friendly products. The speaker advises reading ingredients carefully and avoiding products with maltodextrin, which can kick you out of ketosis.

15:04

🌱 Focusing on Health Over Weight Loss

In the final paragraph, the speaker emphasizes that appetite suppression is a better indicator of success in the keto diet than weight loss alone. They encourage viewers to focus on health and energy levels rather than the scale. The speaker also advises against frequent weighing and suggests that starting with a low-carb or fasting approach is better than doing nothing at all. They conclude by recommending a video on consuming 7 to 10 cups of vegetables for additional health benefits.

Keywords

💡Keto

The term 'Keto' refers to the ketogenic diet, which is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. In the video, the ketogenic diet is the primary focus, with tips provided for its successful implementation, such as starting the day with MCT oil in coffee to suppress hunger and increase energy.

💡Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that alternates between periods of eating and fasting. The video discusses combining this with the ketogenic diet for enhanced results, emphasizing the importance of not eating breakfast and extending the fasting period until noon for the first meal.

💡MCT Oil

MCT oil, or medium-chain triglyceride oil, is a type of fat that is easily absorbed by the body and quickly converted into energy. The script mentions starting the day with MCT oil in coffee to prevent hunger for several hours, which is a strategy to adhere to the keto diet's requirements.

💡Lemon Water

Lemon water is a beverage made from fresh lemon juice diluted in water. The video suggests blending an entire lemon with water and adding electrolyte powder for a vitamin C boost and to prevent kidney stones, illustrating a health-conscious approach to hydration.

💡Electrolytes

Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electric charge and are essential for various bodily functions, including nerve and muscle function. The script highlights the importance of replenishing electrolytes like potassium and magnesium during the keto diet to prevent fatigue and dehydration.

💡B Vitamins

B vitamins are a group of eight essential nutrients that play a crucial role in energy production and cellular metabolism. The video recommends nutritional yeast as a source of B vitamins to prevent symptoms like keto fatigue and rashes associated with the ketogenic diet.

💡Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is rich in B vitamins and has a cheesy, nutty flavor. The script suggests sprinkling it on salads as a way to increase B vitamin intake, which is vital for energy levels and overall health during a keto diet.

💡Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar made from fermented apple cider. The video mentions its benefits for digestion and blood sugar management, recommending its consumption in water before meals as part of the keto and fasting regimen.

💡Vegetables

Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The script emphasizes consuming a large quantity of vegetables, aiming for seven to ten cups per day, as part of the keto diet to ensure nutrient density and satiety.

💡Nutrient-Dense Foods

Nutrient-dense foods are those that provide a high amount of nutrients relative to their calorie content. The video stresses the importance of choosing nutrient-dense options like grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish to feel more satisfied and to support overall health during the diet.

💡Autophagy

Autophagy is a cellular process in which the body breaks down and recycles its own waste products, including damaged cells and proteins. The script mentions that certain herbal teas like turmeric can help to stimulate autophagy, contributing to the benefits of fasting and overall health.

💡Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. The video discusses the importance of melatonin for sleep quality, especially during the keto diet, and suggests getting it naturally through sunlight exposure rather than supplements.

💡Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that increases blood sugar through gluconeogenesis and plays a role in stress response. The script mentions that poor sleep can lead to increased cortisol levels, which can affect metabolism and cravings, thus impacting the success of the keto diet.

💡Dirty Keto

Dirty keto refers to a less strict form of the ketogenic diet that may include high-fat, processed foods. The video acknowledges that starting with a low-carb diet, even if it's 'dirty keto,' is better than not starting at all, emphasizing the importance of taking gradual steps towards healthier eating.

💡Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is often used as a food additive. The script warns against hidden sugars like maltodextrin in supposedly keto-friendly products, which can kick people out of ketosis due to its high glycemic index.

Highlights

Start the day with a cup of coffee and MCT oil to suppress hunger and provide energy.

Blend a whole lemon with water and add electrolyte powder for a vitamin C boost and kidney stone prevention.

Skip breakfast and have your first meal at noon to optimize fasting.

Consume apple cider vinegar in water to aid digestion and blood sugar management.

Eat vegetables or salad before protein to meet daily vegetable intake and enhance satiety.

Sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes on salads for B vitamins and a cheesy flavor.

Ensure electrolyte and B vitamin intake to prevent keto fatigue and other symptoms.

Consume adequate protein, adjusting for age, metabolism, and activity level.

Increase dietary fat intake to extend fasting periods and enhance satisfaction.

Choose nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed beef and seafood to feel more satisfied.

Avoid snacking between dinner and bedtime to maintain ketosis.

Ensure good sleep by managing evening fluid intake and promoting daytime sun exposure.

Exercise during the day to improve sleep and manage energy levels.

Increase dietary sodium and potassium to maintain energy and prevent muscle weakness.

Avoid artificial sweeteners and hidden sugars to prevent derailing ketosis.

Read food labels carefully to avoid hidden sugars and ingredients like maltodextrin.

Focus on health and energy levels rather than weight loss as an indicator of success.

Start with a low-carb diet or fasting as an initial step if the full regimen feels overwhelming.

Consider watching additional content on consuming 7 to 10 cups of vegetables for further guidance.

Transcripts

so i wanted to do this one video

to explain the most important

tips and tricks

with doing keto and intermittent fasting

all in one video it's not going to be a

terribly long video but i wanted to

cover the most important things to help

you be more successful

and really experiencing the results that

you're looking for so let's start at the

beginning

you wake up in the morning what do you

do well most people drink a cup of

coffee right so the first goal is to

skip your breakfast

and the best way to do that is to

add some mct oil in your coffee

start with one tablespoon because if you

start with too much you can end up with

diarrhea

so mct oil is

a type of fat

usually from coconut oil that's going to

allow you to

not be hungry for the next several hours

okay so you put that in your coffee you

mix it up if you work up to two

tablespoons you're gonna find that

you're really not gonna be hungry it's

gonna actually give you energy now what

i normally do is after the coffee and

you can do this before the coffee

i like lemon water but i take the whole

lemon and i blend it with water

i don't take the juice of the lemon

anymore now it's going to be very very

tart so you can add

you know several drops of stevia or what

i do is i put my electrolyte powder in

this mixture like one scoop that way you

get the potassium magnesium so you have

more energy so we have this super

powered lemon water with electrolytes or

without it that gives you a lot of

vitamin c but it also gives you

something called citrates

which help

prevent

kidney stones okay so now that you're

not hungry

in the morning you go all the way to

noon and you have your first meal

i recommend doing maybe a tablespoon of

apple cider vinegar in a glass of water

drink that

that will help you digest it's also

going to help your blood sugars but you

don't have to necessarily do it before

the meal you can do it

while you're fasting but apple cider

vinegar is a really good thing to take

when you're doing this for energy for

blood sugars to help speed up the

improvement of the insulin resistance

now as far as the meal goes i always

recommend doing your vegetable or salad

before your protein why because i found

that if you're going to do what i

usually recommend is between seven to

ten cups of vegetables per day which a

lot of people can't do that initially

that means you're gonna have to do a big

salad right i mean a five cup salad is

not that big and maybe you could do five

cup salad and then for dinner do like

three cups or two cups right it's not

hard to do that now if you're doing

other vegetables like broccoli

cabbage

brussels sprouts more dense vegetables

you're not going to be doing seven to

ten cups okay maybe you do four to five

cups so i recommend in doing the

vegetable or salad first because it's

that way it seems to work out a little

bit better so on the salad

one thing that i do that actually tastes

quite good is i sprinkle

nutritional yeast flakes on the salad

it's a way to get my b vitamins uh

through the day and it will definitely

reduce your stress and it actually

tastes a little bit like parmesan cheese

so it's a a great thing to sprinkle on

your salad i would highly recommend

getting the one that's non-fortified

because the fortification they put these

synthetic vitamins in there and i'll put

a link down below if you want more

information on that the two major groups

of nutrients that i recommend as a bare

minimum would be the electrolytes and

the b vitamins

when you're doing keto to prevent the

keto fatigue the keto rash and any other

symptoms because when you first start

this you're going to dump a lot of water

and you're going to lose a lot of

electrolytes and some people get really

tired after they do this and they become

dehydrated so we want to put back in the

electrolytes plus when you're burning

more fat

you do need your b vitamins and a lot of

people are

borderline deficient going into this so

they may have fatigue if they don't add

the b vitamins one of the best sources

of the b vitamins is nutritional yeast

so you have your vegetable your protein

okay

how much protein

well that really depends on you know

your metabolism your age if you're male

or female i usually recommend between

three to six

to seven to eight ounces of actual

protein now if you're younger and you

exercise have a little bit more but if

you do too much protein especially at

dinner that could keep you from sleeping

at night all right so at the end of the

meal

i like to add some additional fat why

because

that way i can fast longer and i'm more

satisfied so i might consume a handful

of pecans i might do a whole avocado i

might do

macadamia nuts i might add more olive

oil to the salad

i might just have some more butter on my

food but that fat will help you to fast

longer now at the end of this meal some

people might feel full but they might

not feel satisfied and there's a couple

reasons for that number one they have

insulin resistance okay and that's going

to take some time to fix that and when

you have insulin resistance you just

don't pull the nutrients that much so

you're always going to feel a little um

unsatisfied so that tends to cause you

to eat more the other reason why you

might not feel satisfied is the food

that you're eating is not nutrient dense

okay when you do grass-fed

beef

oh my gosh it has so many more nutrients

than corn fed beef and you won't know it

until you try it so even though it might

have more of an i don't know earthy

taste to it or

kind of a different taste

it's way more nutrient dense more

omega-3 fatty acids there's even

phytonutrients in there because the

cow has eaten a lot of grass

so we have way more beta-carotene and

way more retinol vitamin a and vitamin e

and more trace minerals i mean if you

think about it a cow that is fed a lot

of corn

[Music]

that is very unnatural

has much more marbled fatty

protein like their their muscles are

more fatty well guess what some of these

cows develop insulin resistance

and that creates a nutritional

deficiency in the cow and then you eat

that meat and you have less nutrition so

ideally to feel more satisfied you have

more nutrient-dense foods so

grass-fed beef seafood is really

nutrient-dense

especially with the trace minerals

shellfish is another good one if you

could do liver that would be good

eggs pasture-raised organic eggs are

very nutrient-dense

wild-caught fish is more nutrient-dense

like salmon versus

a skinless chicken breast or protein

powder or getting your foods from a fast

food restaurant even though you take the

bun off to make it keto friendly

it's low quality but i don't want to

overwhelm you okay so there's really two

phases to this the first phase is just

to do low carb even if it's dirty keto

doesn't matter just start doing low carb

second phase is to increase the quality

of what you're eating okay

and that takes a little bit more

knowledge a little bit more time so

do what you can

something is better than nothing so if

you have to start doing low carb and

regardless of the quality do that so we

have this first meal now we're going to

fast until dinner okay now a couple tips

for fasting you can do different types

of herbal teas

green tea is a really good one turmeric

tea is a really good one to help you

fast longer and to spike autophagy which

gives you all these other cool benefits

of anti-aging and more uh brain health

all right we get to the second meal you

can do another drink with apple cider

vinegar with water uh to help your

digestion

and then do your fat at this time maybe

you want to do a good handful of

sunflower seeds which gives you a little

bit more fat and the b1 now at this time

it might be six o'clock okay

let's say hypothetically you're going to

go to bed at 10 o'clock i wouldn't

recommend if you're older and you

potentially might have bladder problems

waking up at the middle of the night i

would recommend not drinking past

like i don't know seven so that would be

three hours before you go to bed so in

other words drink a lot of water through

the day and definitely

maybe after dinner and maybe right at

seven but not drink a lot of liquid like

seven eight or nine o'clock because

that sleep is going to be very very

important and the less water you drink

the better now this is a really key

thing between the last meal and before

you go to bed a lot of times i know this

might be hard to believe they

want a snack on foods and this is the

killer for

staying in ketosis

some people non-stop snacking between

the time that they eat dinner and the

time they go to bed so the most

important tip is to just do not have

snack foods in your house

get these potential

tempting snacks out of the house if you

absolutely must

eat something

just eat celery it's crunchy and that

way it'll give you something to chew on

but

boy this is a real problem for a lot of

people so if you do what i said eat

nutrient dense foods and more fat at the

end of the meal your chances of snacking

will be less

all right

sleeping is going to be very important

if you don't sleep well you're going to

find that you're going to crave in the

morning because it's going to increase

cortisol you'll be more stressed it's

going to be harder to get the results

that you want it's going to affect your

metabolism so a couple little tips for

sleeping

during the day if you can exercise that

would be awesome because exercise will

deplete your energy it improves your

blood sugars it will help your sleep if

you can exercise outside or be outside

during the day that's also going to be

important because the exposure to the

sun is going to give you a lot of

melatonin melatonin is going to help you

sleep so if possible ideally you want to

get at least one hour at least one hour

of exposure to the sun not necessarily

being in the direct sunlight but just

being outside even if you have a hat on

or close

because the uv light from the sun will

penetrate

your clothing and your hat and that will

start building up your melatonin okay

not to mention getting the vitamin d

vitamin d helps your sleep so during the

winter

if you're not getting enough sun and you

and you want to spike your your sleep

take about 10 000 iu's of vitamin d3

right before sleep okay that's going to

help

your sleep cycles and if you have this

excessive thinking

before bed be one before sleep very very

effective so we want to limit too much

protein at the second meal especially to

help you sleep because if you're sitting

on a tremendous amount of protein that's

undigested

it's going to affect your sleep make

sure you get enough melatonin by getting

sun don't take the melatonin supplement

okay that's gonna create another problem

get your melatonin from the infrared

wave from the sun and then you have the

b1 and then the d3 all right and i

forgot to mention this with exercise

to maintain energy with exercise you

need your electrolytes especially

sodium okay and potassium so make sure

when you do this keto that you start

adding more sea salt to your meals if

you don't you'll be deficient in sodium

and that's going to make weak muscles

you're going to feel like wow i just

don't have the energy to exercise it's

usually low sodium which is very easily

handled by putting more sea salt on your

foods now as far as the potassium that's

another electrolyte that's going to keep

your energy up and you can you're going

to get potassium and magnesium from your

salads and the electrolyte powder and i

even want people to feel the difference

by adding just more sea salt and

potassium to

how much

more effective their exercise is in

endurance strength and the desire to

exercise versus being deficient in those

two boy it's dramatic you just don't

feel like working out you don't have the

energy you're dragging all day now a

couple more important things so if

you've checked out just check back in

because this is going to be really

important

we don't want you to plateau right it's

the little things that make a big

difference for example

one way to knock yourself out of ketosis

is by doing the diet

artificial sweeteners okay they can

really mess you up so that's a really

important point

the other point is there's hidden

sugar in even keto-friendly

bars desserts

snacks yes and even though you might be

below the 50 grams of carbs

maltodextrin dextrin are not classified

as sugars believe it or not i've done a

whole video on that

don't trust it read the ingredients

first

in fact if you can avoid the keto snacks

altogether you're probably going to be

in better shape also the so-called keto

electrolyte powders out there have

maltodextrin hidden in their natural

flavorings yes

so that's another thing that i didn't

even know until probably a year and a

half ago but they use maltodextrin as a

spray agent to dry out

certain

flavorings so i had a hard time finding

a company that didn't add the

maltodextrin to the ingredients both in

the citrate form of the minerals as well

as in the natural flavorings so

maltodextrin is worse than sugar it's

worse than glucose it's like really high

in the glycemic index all right a couple

of things

honey

is sugar okay avoid it read ingredients

with honey and avoid it and there's a

lot of other forms of sugar like date

sugar and coconut water there's a lot of

sugar in that and so realize just a

little bit of that sugar or carb can

knock you out of ketosis for a

considerable amount of time up to 48

hours so if you're wondering why you're

not getting results because every other

day you're having these hidden

sweeteners

that's why you see the goal is to get

you to do this right long enough

for you to feel

what you should feel like

as far as the energy the cognitive

benefits not just the weight loss

but just feeling really good because

that healthy feeling that feeling of

wellness the feeling of

being energetic

is so so important especially as you get

older you'll find out it's very valuable

last few tips the best indicator to know

that this is working is your appetite

okay your appetite goes away not weight

loss because it's get healthy

then lose weight not lose weight to get

healthy

so one of the best indicators of getting

healthy is switching over to burning

your fat that's a very very healthy

state that's going to create a lot of

additional health benefits so the loss

of appetite means that you're doing this

okay so go by that as the most important

thing especially when you start out

don't weigh yourself too frequently

because we don't want to focus on your

weight okay we want to focus on energy

appetite cravings going away and then

your clothes feeling looser and last

little point if this is overwhelming

something is better than nothing

just

do low carb okay or

just do fasting as a starting

entry point because even if you have to

start with dirty keto and and do the

atkins bars to help you which is a

loaded with a bunch of crap but at least

it's

below 50 grams of carbs that would be

better than nothing now the next best

video i think you should watch would be

the one that i did on the 7 to 10 cups

of vegetables check that one out i put

it right here

you