Dr. Mark and Dr. Chip's Healthy Blogs

The Benefits of a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet The MMT diet is a cyclical  ketogenic diet , high in healthy fats and fiber, low in net carbs with a moderate amount of protein. Nutritional ketosis is the metabolic state associated with an increased production of ketones in your liver; i.e., the biological reflection of being able to burn fat, and is defined as having blood ketones in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L. However, a key component that differentiates MMT from most other ketogenic eating plans is its emphasis on CYCLICAL ketosis. Once your body starts to burn fat for fuel, you need to switch to a cyclical ketogenic diet, as long-term continuous ketosis has some serious drawbacks that may actually undermine your health and longevity. The "metabolic magic" in the mitochondria actually occurs during the refeeding phase, not during the starvation phase. Alas, you cannot get to that magic unless you first go through the starvation phase. This is why we refer to the MMT p...

Vegetables are low in calories but rich in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients. In addition, many are low in carbs and high in fiber, making them ideal for low-carb eating. Whether you're on a low-carb eating or not, eating more vegetables is always a great idea. Here is a list of the  10 best low-carb vegetables to include in your eating plan. 1. Bell peppers  are anti-inflammatory and high in vitamins A and C. They contain 6 grams of digestible (net) carbs per serving. 2. Broccoli  contains 4 grams of digestible carbs per serving. It's high in vitamins C and K and may reduce insulin resistance and help prevent cancer. 3. Asparagus  contains 4 grams of digestible carbs per serving. It's a good source of several vitamins and may help protect against certain types of cancer. 4. Mushrooms  contain 1 gram of digestible carbs per serving. They can reduce inflammation in people with metabolic syndrome. 5. Zucchini  and other types of summer squas...

What causes Kidney Stones? Kidney stones are normally very painful so folks that have had them, want to never have them again.  Kidney stones are symptom of an underlying issue and can have many causes. In the natural healing world, we feel that anything can cause anything so the cause must be looked at very individually.  The kidney stone itself is a uric acid deposit, coming from improper protein metabolism and drainage issues in the kidney. A simple cause of kidney stones can be dehydration, lack of drinking good quality water and getting mineral or sea salt to help the kidneys work correctly.  Incomplete digestion of proteins or mal-absorption of nutrients necessary for complete digestion of proteins indicates a digestive or intestinal problem. Toxic liver and an overloaded lymphatic system can also trigger kidney stones as this over works the kidneys.  Subluxation of the mid thoracic vertebra with reduction of nerve flow to the kidneys reducing corre...

Breakfast:   Start your day off with a good source of protein, such as, Eggs (organic or free range), Uncured Bacon, Sausage (with no sugar or MSG), and Nuts that are high in protein, such as, Macadamia, Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, and Cashews.   You could mix these nuts with some plain Greek Yogurt.   A protein powder shake is another good choice, make sure your powder is low in sugar, in your shake you can add a few blueberries, avocados, spinach, and kale.   To make it dairy free just use water or unsweetened Almond or Coconut milk.   Another idea is to have a no sugar nut butter on celery or cucumber slices. (great for lunch too) There are lots of great ways to fix Eggs, scrambled, boiled, over easy/hard, omelets with veggies. The day before or on the weekend to get ready for your busy week, make up an egg casserole with sausage and veggies, top with cheese if you can have dairy.   Cut in squares and baggie up squares for a ready to go breakfast in ...

Ketogenic Diet May Be Key to Cancer Recovery By Dr. Mercola To some, a ketogenic diet amounts to nothing less than a drug-free cancer treatment. The diet calls for eliminating carbohydrates, replacing them with healthy fats and protein. The premise is that since cancer cells need glucose to thrive, and carbohydrates turn into glucose in your body, then cutting out carbs literally starves the cancer cells. This type of diet, in which you replace carbs with moderate amounts of high quality protein and high amounts of beneficial fat, is what I recommend for everyone, whether you have cancer or not. It’s simply a diet that will help optimize your weight and health overall, as eating this way will help you convert from carb burning mode to fat burning. Ketogenic Diet May Be Key to Brain Cancer Recovery The featured video shows Thomas Seyfried, Ph.D, who is one of the leaders in teasing the details of how to treat cancer nutritionally. I am scheduled to interview him shortly ...

Improve Your Life: What 10 Things Should You Do Every Day To Improve Your Life? Get out in nature You probably seriously underestimate how important this is. (Actually, there’s  research that says you do .) Being in nature reduces  stress , makes you more  creative , improves your memory  and may even  make you a better person . Exercise We all know how important this is, but few people do it consistently. Other than health benefits too numerous to mention, exercise  makes  you  smarter ,  happier , improves  sleep , increases libido  and  makes you feel better about your body . A Harvard study that has tracked a group of men for more than 70 years identified it as  one of the secrets to a good life .  Spend time with friends and family Harvard happiness expert  Daniel Gilber t identified this as  one of the biggest sources of happiness in our lives . Relationships are worth more than you thi...