Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

Let’s talk about fatigue—the root cause and how to fix it. It all starts with your mitochondria. The mitochondria are the energy factories deep inside your cells that make ATP. ATP is the energy of the body. Certain foods contribute to the energy-making process of the body more than other foods. It’s almost impossible to extract energy from ultra-processed foods. Important nutrients to support energy include: • Vitamin B1 • Vitamin B2 • Vitamin B3 • Folic acid • Vitamin B12 • Magnesium • Manganese • Selenium • Vitamin C • Coenzyme Q10 A healthy person makes a massive amount of ATP. You generate more ATP when you exercise, but ATP doesn’t get stored. Your body can either store sugar or fat as fuel. Fat is a much more efficient fuel source than sugar. When you go on a low-carb diet and get into ketosis, you become fat-adapted. Once you’re fat-adapted, you can burn fat as fuel a lot easier. This is why the keto diet, with a lot of nutrient-dense foods, is the best diet to increase energy. Exercise is the number one way to produce more mitochondria and boost your energy. This is just one more reason to exercise consistently. Other things to add to increase your energy and get rid of fatigue: • Intermittent fasting • Cold therapy • Phytonutrients Things to avoid to help support healthy energy levels: • Refined sugar and carbohydrates • Stress • Heavy metals • Smoking • Alcohol DATA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Let’s talk about stress and how to take care of your body during chronic stress. Stress can cause deficiencies—these deficiencies can then alter your ability to react to and recover from stress. Chronic stress can be very dangerous to your health. Too much stress can lead to: • Ulcers • Heart attack • Osteoporosis • High blood pressure • Anxiety • Depression • Poor immunity Deficiencies caused by stress can include: 1. Magnesium 2. Zinc 3. Thiamine (vitamin B1) 4. Potassium 5. Vitamin B5 6. Amino acids 7. Calcium 8. Vitamin D 9. Vitamin C When you go through stress, it’s easy to reach for junk foods. But it’s crucial you avoid sweets and junk food, even when you’re stressed. It’s also important to avoid foods high in sodium when you’re feeling stressed. The more stress you go through, the healthier you need to eat. Consuming red meat and a big leafy green salad would be a great meal to consume when you go through stress. An HRV (heart rate variability) device is a fantastic tool to help you measure your stress and how you respond to stress. This device can also help you better understand what type of exercise and nutrition your body needs at different times. The best ways to take care of your body during stress: • Stick to a very healthy diet (Healthy Keto®) • Get quality sleep • Exercise

Let’s talk about autophagy. Autophagy is an incredible process. It basically eats up the junk in your body and transforms it into usable things. This “junk” is unusable damaged proteins, which trigger inflammation. It also helps get rid of pathogens and viral antigens. Autophagy is like an anti-aging cleaning system of the body. But it doesn’t just clean things up—it provides raw material to build new cells and provide fuel when you need it. Two major things will stop autophagy: sugar and protein. But any significant amount of calories will also stop autophagy. Autophagy may act as a strong protective barrier against disease. But, if you already have cancer, autophagy can aid the growth and progression of cancer. Autophagy can help you if you’re healthy and can hurt you if you’re not healthy. Unfortunately, many people wait until they get sick before they utilize strategies like autophagy. The best way to trigger autophagy is to do fasting. You’ll notice more positive benefits from autophagy once you get into about 18 hours of fasting. You’ll notice even more benefits when you get up to 48 to 72 hours of fasting. You can take electrolytes, nutrients, and sea salt, but you shouldn’t consume any calories while fasting. An additional simple strategy to see more benefits from autophagy is to go on a low-sugar, low-carb diet. Consuming a moderate amount of protein is also crucial—not excess protein or low protein. Exercise is important to stimulate autophagy. Aerobic exercise (lower intensity and longer duration) will stimulate autophagy more than high-intensity exercise. But, I suggest doing both forms of exercise for different benefits. Certain phytonutrients and adaptogens can also trigger autophagy to a certain degree. DATA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Dr. Gil Carvalho made a video where he fact-checked one of my videos. I’m going to go through this video and fact-check the fact-checker. It turns out that Dr. Gil Carvalho seems to be a council member of a plant-based group whose president is very much against the keto diet. Listen as I dig deeper, uncovering conflicts of interest and searching for the truth.

Let’s talk about alternative sweeteners. Trying alternative sweeteners when starting the ketogenic diet can make the transition much easier. Notice I said alternative sweeteners and not artificial sweeteners. While alternative sweeteners aren’t completely natural, they are less artificial and less harmful than artificial sweeteners. Keto snacks and desserts often have different kinds of alternative or artificial sweeteners. Trying keto snacks and keto desserts isn’t a bad thing, but it’s crucial to check the ingredients. Just because it’s labeled “keto” doesn’t make it healthy. Out of all of the sweeteners, erythritol and xylitol* are two of the best. But it’s still better to only consume small amounts. Monk fruit and stevia are also great options. However, with stevia, it’s important to make sure that the product doesn’t also contain maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is higher on the glycemic index than sugar. Maltitol, agave nectar, and functional fibers should also be avoided. Including too much of these sugar alcohols (even the good ones) in your diet can cause bloating, fluid retention, diarrhea, and can upset the gut microbiome. They may also prevent you from getting rid of cravings. I think sugar alternatives are great to help a person transition off of consuming sugar and for an occasional treat—but they shouldn’t be consumed on a regular basis. *Pet owners should keep in mind that certain alternative sweeteners, like xylitol, can be highly toxic to animals. Sugar alternatives can be found in a wide range of products and may go by different names. It’s best to keep these types of products far out of reach from your pets. DATA: https://alexleaf.com/isomalto-oligosa...

Magnesium comes in many different forms. Today, I want to cover magnesium threonate or magnesium L-threonate. This is a specific type of magnesium. Threonate transports magnesium across the blood-brain barrier to the hippocampus. The hippocampus is involved in memory, learning, focus, and concentration. People typically take magnesium L-threonate when they want to support the brain. A magnesium deficiency can lead to various issues related to the brain and throughout the body. Benefits of magnesium L-threonate: • It may help reduce worry and anxiety (especially when trying to sleep) • It may help decrease neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration • It’s a calcium regulator and antagonist • It helps maintain and support the blood-brain barrier • It can act as an antioxidant • It helps support BDNF • It may help with androgenic alopecia If you want to use magnesium to support the brain, I would use magnesium threonate. To support other issues like cramping or fatigue or to support the heart, I would take magnesium glycinate. Magnesium citrate can be helpful as well, especially to help prevent kidney stones. DATA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Let’s talk about vitamin A—the benefits of vitamin A and the dark side. Vitamin A is a non-keratinizing vitamin. Keratinization is a condition that causes skin issues. Both a vitamin A deficiency and excess vitamin A can affect the internal and external skin in many ways. Vitamin A is involved in supporting the immune system as well. There is an association between vitamin A deficiency and autoimmune conditions like Graves’ and Hashimoto’s. Vitamin A also allows iodine to be absorbed. Signs of vitamin A deficiency: • Poor night vision • Blindness • Dry eyes • Poor immunity • Skin problems • Bone issues Signs of too much vitamin A: • Abnormal bone formation • Dry lips • Dry skin • Double vision • Alopecia • Oily skin • Peeling skin • Heart valve calcification • Hypercalcemia • Intracranial pressure Vitamin A toxicity is rare, but taking a synthetic vitamin A supplement may increase your risk. Synthetic vitamin A may also increase the risk of lung cancer. Accutane, a form of synthetic vitamin A, has serious potential side effects. I suggest getting your vitamin A from food sources or natural food-based supplements. Foods high in vitamin A (retinol): • Cod liver oil • Egg yolks • Grass-fed butter • Grass-fed cheese • Liver Beta carotene is the precursor to the active form of vitamin A (retinol). Beta carotene is in foods like carrots and spinach. But, if you’re relying on beta carotene alone to get your vitamin A or if you have a liver or gallbladder issue, you could be deficient in vitamin A.

Let’s talk about the first sign of methylcobalamin deficiency. Methylcobalamin is vitamin B12, and it’s essential for DNA, red blood cells, and your myelin sheath. Vitamin B12 also helps support your spinal column and brain. If you’re deficient in vitamin B12, you could experience tingling, numbness, or burning sensations. Other signs of vitamin B12 deficiency can include: • Chronic pain • Depression • Muscle wasting • Blurry vision • Tinnitus • Anemia • Mouth ulcers • Sore throat • Hair loss You could also experience symptoms if you have too much vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 toxicity will typically occur if you’re taking too much synthetic vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)—not the natural version (methylcobalamin). Cyanocobalamin can build up in the body and cause symptoms such as: • Acne • Palpitations • Anxiety • Red cheeks • Headaches • Insomnia • Akathisia • Suicidal thoughts You could be deficient in vitamin B12 long before you start to feel any effects. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t damage being done. One of the first symptoms you would eventually feel is extreme fatigue. Foods high in vitamin B12 are animal products. There is no vitamin B12 in plants. Top causes of vitamin B12 deficiency: • Malabsorption • Plant-based or vegan diets • Gastric bypass • Atrophy of the stomach • Gastritis • H. pylori infection • Ulcers • Inflammation in the intestines • Aspirin • Alcohol • Junk foods • Antibiotics • Antacids or PPIs • Birth control pills • Pregnancy • Lactation • Smoking • Polymorphism

There are obvious foods that can kill you, like refined sugar and carbs—but that’s not what we're going to talk about today. Today, I’m going to cover six surprising foods that can kill you and a few potential natural antidotes. The top deadliest foods: 1. Pufferfish (fugu) 2. Death cap mushroom 3. Korean baby octopus 4. Green potatoes 5. Raw chicken 6. Foods containing cyanide: • The seeds or pits of apples, peaches, pears, and apricots • Bitter almonds • Cassava It’s best to avoid any of the above at all costs. If you do somehow consume death cap mushrooms, milk thistle and NAC are two potential antidotes that may help. Methylene blue is another potential antidote that has been used to help counter cyanide poisoning. DATA: https://www.britannica.com/story/7-of... https://news.ucsc.edu/2017/03/mitchel... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Sticking to keto and intermittent fasting is the best way to meet your health goals. But, if you make a mistake on keto, it’s not the end of the world. Today, I’m going to share how to block the effects of sugar and carbs, as well as other potentially problematic things. 1. Sugar • Consume fiber • Take electrolytes, B vitamins, and trace minerals 2. Grains • Consume shellfish • Take glutamine or consume foods high in glutamine • Consume B vitamins (nutritional yeast) • Take vitamin E • Consume foods high in vitamin C • Consume foods high in antioxidants • Take benfotiamine • Take alpha-lipoic acid • Exercise • Take berberine • Consume cinnamon • Consume apple cider vinegar • Consume healthy fats • Do intermittent and prolonged fasting 3. Alcohol • Consume vitamin B1 or nutritional yeast • Drink pickle juice or take electrolytes • Take milk thistle 4. Certain medications • Take milk thistle • Take CoQ10 (if you’re on a statin) • Take vitamin B1 and B12 (if you’re on metformin) • Take a probiotic (if you take an antibiotic) • Take betaine hydrochloride (if you took an antacid) 5. Excess sodium • Consume foods high in potassium 6. Oxalates • Consume cheese • Consume foods high in magnesium 7. Excess water • Consume sodium and other electrolytes 8. Keto and IF side effects • Take electrolytes • Consume B vitamins 9. Stress • Take vitamin B1, magnesium, and zinc • Exercise and physical work • Sleep

Today, we’re going to talk about the best natural things to do for difficulty breathing, air hunger, or dyspnea. Traditionally, people may have heard of this symptom being caused by asthma, pneumonia, COPD, lung infection, anemia, or a heart condition. But what if you rule these conditions out and still have problems breathing? This is called pseudo-dyspnea. With pseudo-dyspnea, you may feel better with exercise and worse with rest. Top causes of pseudo-dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and natural remedies: 1. Silent reflux Natural solutions: • Chlorophyll • Wheatgrass juice powder • Betaine hydrochloride (if there isn’t irritation to the gut or esophagus) • Apple cider vinegar diluted in water and consumed through a straw (if there isn’t irritation to the gut or esophagus) 2. Alkalosis Natural solutions: • Betaine hydrochloride (if there isn’t irritation to the gut or esophagus) • Apple cider vinegar diluted in water and consumed through a straw (if there isn’t irritation to the gut or esophagus) • Healthy Keto® and intermittent fasting • TUDCA 3. Costochondritis Natural support: • Massaging and stretching the spine • Using a mobility stick 4. COVID Natural support: • Thiamine (vitamin B1) DATA: ▶️ • Shortness of Breath / Air Hunger / Si... https://www.hormonesmatter.com/recove...

Let’s talk about what happens to your body when you drink soda. In a ten-ounce soda, there are up to ten teaspoons of sugar. Instead of cane sugar, soda companies are also using high-fructose corn syrup. High-fructose corn syrup can create even more problems than cane sugar, especially for the liver. The effects of fructose on the liver are actually similar to the effects of alcohol on the liver. Fructose creates more fat than glucose, and it doesn’t satisfy. Fructose can potentially lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The high-fructose corn syrup combined with caffeine in soda may lead to issues with your blood pressure, heart, brain, bones, and kidneys. Soda is also a key contributor to childhood obesity. The sugar in soda feeds unfriendly bacteria, yeast, and fungus. It can also suppress your immune system and make you more susceptible to infections. This can lead to other issues, including increased tumor growth. It’s crucial to point out that cancer thrives on sugar. Sugary drinks also block vitamin C and deplete vitamin B1 and vitamin D. Soft drinks are associated with over 180,000 deaths worldwide. But combining soda with a fast food meal is an even deadlier situation. DATA: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2010/0... https://usrtk.org/sweeteners/beverage... https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsp... https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio... https://usrtk.org/food-related-diseas...

Let’s talk about what would happen if you went two weeks with less than five hours of sleep each night. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep is the best way to support a healthy body. But many people aren’t getting enough quality sleep. There are so many health benefits of sleep. This is when our bodies recover, burn fat, and detoxify the most. Here are the top side effects of not getting enough sleep: • Fatigue • Mood changes • Poor cognitive function (with memory, focus, concentration) • Sympathetic hyperactivity • An increased risk of cardiovascular problems, stroke, and diabetes • Weight gain • Fatty liver • Immune system impairment • Poor recovery from injury, stress, or exercise If you have sleep apnea or you're a heavy snorer, you may experience an imbalance of oxygen and CO2, which can cause poor sleep. Other potential severe side effects of sleep apnea can include: • Brain atrophy • Increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular incidents, stroke, and diabetes There are many different natural things you can try for sleep apnea. Check out my other videos for more information. What to do if you’re not getting enough sleep: 1. Take a nap 2. Keep your room cool (between 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and leave your window open if possible 3. Try to keep the humidity in your room at 50% 4. Turn off all electronics in your room when you’re sleeping 5. Don’t overeat or undereat in the evening, and make sure to consume enough protein 6. Don’t eat too late in the evening 7. As it gets dark, start dimming the lights and avoiding blue light

I’ve done a lot of videos on cortisol, especially as it relates to the adrenal body type or adrenal glands. But I haven’t done a video on the foods that lower cortisol. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Of course, there are a lot of benefits to reducing cortisol, but we’re not going to get into that today. Instead, I want to cover the foods that can help you lower cortisol naturally. Cortisol adapts the body to a stress state. It's important to note that the body doesn’t know the difference between mental stress and physical stress. A high level of sugar in your blood affects cortisol and adrenaline. In other words, consuming sugar, refined carbs, and starches keeps you in stress mode. On the flip side, the Healthy Keto® diet and intermittent fasting help lower cortisol and promote a sense of calm. The best foods to lower cortisol and stress: 1. Egg yolks 2. Organ meats 3. Nutritional yeast or sunflower seeds 4. Dark leafy green vegetables 5. Salmon and other fatty fish 6. Probiotics and fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, pickles, kimchi) DATA: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://link.springer.com/article/10....

Today, I’m going to share one of the best ways to reduce stress. It can also help those who struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep at night. This simple stress-release technique works fast, is free, and has many health benefits. It will help balance the parasympathetic nervous system, which is all about “rest and digest.” This easy breathing technique is based on a book called Heart Coherence 365. What you need to remember is 365, which stands for: • 3 times a day • 6 breaths per minute • 5 minutes Three times a day, you’re going to take six breaths per minute for five minutes. It’s important to make sure you take deep, even breaths through your nose using your stomach. You should feel your diaphragm going out and in. This breathing technique for stress can also help improve HRV (heart rate variability). HRV has a lot to do with your health and fitness reserves. An HRV (heart rate variability) device can help you better understand and improve your health and nervous system balance. DATA: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-coherenc...