Awesomeness of Ketosis

Colonel’s Blog, Earthdate 25 May 2023…

Hey Y’all!

Happy day before Friday! The weather is again warm and sunny. As I’ve mentioned, we’re always 2 weeks away from a drought…and it’s been awhile since it rained. Most all of the puddles have dried up and the ground is getting dusty. We’re being very careful with how much we allow the ruminants to graze. We want to make sure we leave enough grass to keep the ground covered and cool. So, we’ve gone back to giving them large paddocks to graze. Today we moved the cows across the creek into the pasture near the house. We moved the sheep out of that same pasture and down near the creek. We’re going to get a rotation going where the sheep fall in behind the beef herd by about 3-4 days. Only one lamb got left behind in the move but we carried it to rejoin the flock and it eventually found its mom. The bottle lamb is still doing very well and comes running when she hears us drive up. The havoc in the bird yard yesterday has completely calmed down. The ducks laid their eggs in their same house, and only one chicken decided to lay an egg in that area. Missy spent the entire day today in the yard with the birds. That’s so impressive! It is really difficult to get a guardian dog to imprint onto birds and she is doing great. Finally, the garden seems to be doing much better this year and the plants are growing well. We will deliver 25 preordered chickens this evening and with two set aside for another friend/customer, we will only have a couple of chickens left—very cool!

A few days ago, I chatted about the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis and the importance of understanding the difference. Now that we all understand that ketosis isn’t something to be afraid of or even concerned about, I’d like to chat a bit about the state of ketosis, how to get there, and the benefits of being there. Ketosis is a metabolic state that occurs when our bodies shift from relying on carbohydrates for energy to utilizing stored fats as the primary fuel source. To achieve this state, you must adopt a low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet. By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, typically below 50 grams per day, our bodies gradually exhaust their glycogen stores and begin producing ketones from the breakdown of fat. These ketones serve as an efficient energy source for our brains and muscles. When we first started the ketogenic journey, we used an app for our iPhones called Carb Manager. We chose the paid version because it had recipes. The app allows you to set a goal for daily carb intake and by logging all foods eaten, it helped us learn how to do this keto thing. We initially chose a very low carb daily goal (below 20) because we can’t do anything with moderation! Entering ketosis involves a transition period as our bodies adapt to this new way of fueling. During this time, known as the "keto adaptation phase," folks may experience various symptoms collectively referred to as the "keto flu." These symptoms can include temporary fatigue, brain fog, increased thirst, and changes in digestion. However, these effects don’t last long and diminish as the body becomes more adept at utilizing ketones for energy. For us, the biggest thing we saw was that when we stopped eating processed foods (they have tons of carbs!) we weren’t getting enough salt and our muscles cramped. We had to be diligent to get enough salt and even made our own version of a keto-aide. You often hear about ketosis or the keto diet as a method of losing weight but the benefits of being in ketosis extend beyond weight loss. These may include improved mental clarity and focus, sustained energy levels throughout the day, reduced inflammation, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and better metabolic health. As we became established in a state of ketosis, the thing we noticed most was a lack of hunger. As our bodies began burning stored fat, hunger stopped ruling our lives and we ate because we wanted to , not because we were ravenous. The next thing we noticed was increased mental clarity—I mean really noticeable, like the feeling after the first cup of coffee in the morning except all the time. If this keto thing interests you at all, Shelley and I both are happy to chat with you, or the easiest book we’ve read that explains the whole thing is Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet: Burn Fat, Balance Appetite Hormones, and Lose Weight. Soon, I’ll chat more about ketones and how awesome they are, but for now I hope you are starting to see the Awesomeness of Ketosis.

Local Farm Report for 24 May 2023:

Harvest:

35 Chicken eggs

13 Duck eggs

0 Goose eggs

4 1/2 Gallons of milk

Cheers! Psycho & Shelley