117: Navigating Low-Carb Diets: The Hidden Dangers and Sustainable Solutions for Entrepreneurs

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This quick and informative episode challenges common perceptions about low-carb diets, exposing their temporary benefits while highlighting long-term health risks. Learn how to create a balanced approach toward sustainable health, focusing on whole foods and mindful eating practices without neglecting the importance of carbohydrates. 
• Discusses the allure of low-carb diets during New Year's resolutions 
• Differentiates between simple and complex carbohydrates 
• Explores hormonal shifts and energy crashes related to low-carb dieting 
• Examines the impact on thyroid function and mental health 
• Advocates for a balanced and sustainable approach to nutrition 
• Emphasizes the need to listen to your body and adapt your diet accordingly 
• Offers strategies for incorporating variety and healthy fats in meals 
• Encourages intermittent fasting as a complementary practice 
• Warns against the risks of muscle loss on low-carb diets 
• Calls for a re-evaluation of health priorities as the New Year begins

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's that time of year again, new Year's
resolutions are in full swingand for many, the go-to solution
for better health is cuttingcarbs.
Low-carb diets like keto andAtkins are tempting because they
promise quick results, betterfocus and reduced cravings.
But before you commit to alow-carb lifestyle as your New

(00:24):
year health strategy, let's diveinto the long-term implications
.
Are you unknowingly affect yourenergy and hormonal balance,

(00:48):
and what you can do to build asustainable plan that supports
your health for years to come.
Stay tuned.
Hello, I'm Jeffrey Mort.
If you're like mostentrepreneurs, you're busy
taking care of business.
Yet who's taking care of you?
If you're ready to take yourenergy and performance, take
care are limitless.
I'm grateful you're here.
Yes, always grateful for youjoining me here today as we wrap

(01:28):
up another year and dive into anew year.
I'm grateful for you joiningand being part of this podcast
and being a faithful listener.
All we ask is that you can goover to your favorite podcast
platform and leave us a reviewat the end of the year and a
good one at that and let us knowwhat you like about the podcast

(01:49):
.
And if you want to reach out tome directly, there is a send us
a message feature in the shownotes that you can use there.
So let's talk today about theshort-term appeal of low carb
diets.
That's right, low carb diets.
They're popular for a reason,and that's because they work
fast.
By drastically cuttingcarbohydrates, your body shifts

(02:12):
into what's called ketosis,using fat for fuel instead of
glucose.
But that's not entirely true.
We're going to talk about thatin just a little bit.
But this metabolic change oftenleads to things like rapid
weight losses, which most peopleare looking for, reduced hunger
and cravings, which they wantas well, and improved focus and

(02:34):
mental clarity.
But for entrepreneurs thosequick wins they can be appealing
Like who doesn't want moreenergy and sharper focus to
tackle their goals in theirbusiness.
But here's the kicker Many ofthese benefits are temporary and
you know I'm not opposed to thelow-carb diets for short-term.

(02:54):
But we'll talk about that.
Let's clarify first of all,simple versus complex
carbohydrates.
Not all carbs are created equal, and understanding the
difference is absolutely crucialwhen you know.
When people say carbohydrates,I often wonder are they talking
about simple carbohydrates orcomplex carbohydrates?

(03:15):
And here's the differencesimple carbs are found in sugar,
pastries and processed foods,and these are quickly digested,
leading to rapid spikes andcrashes in blood sugar.
Now those are the carbohydratesthat I do not recommend to
anybody myself, my clients, mychildren, family, anybody.
Now complex carbohydrates, onthe other hand, they're found in

(03:38):
whole foods like brightlycolored fruits and vegetables,
whole grains and legumes, andthese digest more slowly,
providing steady energy andessential nutrients.
These are the good guys, theseare the good carbohydrates.
So the problem isn'tcarbohydrates themselves, it's
the type of carbs that youconsume.
A low carb diet often restrictsboth simple and complex carbs,

(04:03):
which can deprive your body ofkey nutrients needed for energy
and longevity, and we're goingto talk about that as well.
Now that we've cleared that up,let's dive into how low carb
diets impact your shirt, yourshort and long-term health.
So the hidden costs of goinglow carb are number one hormonal

(04:26):
shifts.
So while low carb diets caninitially stabilize insulin and
boost fat burning, long-term usecan disrupt hormonal balance.
That's right.
Prolonged low carb intake canincrease cortisol levels, which
is your body's primary stresshormone.
So elevated cortisol can worsenfatigue, it can impact mood and

(04:51):
stability, it can affect yoursleep and it can interfere with
overall hormonal Harmony.
Number two energy crashes.
Over relying on fat as yourprimary fuel source can lead to
dips in energy.
Many individuals on a low-carbdiet report feeling sluggish,

(05:12):
especially during high-demandperiods, and nobody wants that.
For entrepreneurs, this canmean fewer productive hours and
less focus on what truly matters, and we're going to get more
into the energy cycle in just acouple of moments here.
Number three thyroid function.
Thyroid hormones regulate yourmetabolism and long-term

(05:35):
low-carb dieting can suppresstheir production, which can
result in things like fatigue,even weight plateaus.
So totally counterintuitive ofwhat we're going for here on,
you know, on diet, on arestrictive diet also a drop in
vitality.
Again, your thyroid is thegovernor of your metabolism, the

(05:55):
governor of your energy, sothat can be detrimental to your
vitality as well.
And then number four mentalhealth effects.
Yeah, that's right.
Carbs aren't just fuel.
They are vital for productionof serotonin, which stabilizes
mood and promotes happiness.
Serotonin is your happy hormone, so chronic carb restriction

(06:18):
can lead to increased anxiety orfeelings of even depression.
I've seen the data that provesthis in clinical practice, using
at home functional lab testinglike the Big Five Bundle or the
Vitamin Tox Test Starter Kitthat shows how detrimental low
carb diets can be to overallbalance and well being.

(06:42):
So what about longevity?
We mentioned longevity earlier.
If your goal is to buildsustainable health and wellness,
then balance is the key.
Long-term adherence torestrictive diets can decrease
your body's resilience, canlimit essential nutrients like
fiber, antioxidants, vitaminsfound in fruits and whole grains

(07:04):
, and can also cause unintendedconsequences like nutrient
deficiencies, im imbalances inminerals, vitamin deficiencies,
things like that, and this canimpact not just your energy but
your ability to thrive as ahigh-performing entrepreneur
over time.
Now I want to give you a planhere, but of course I'm not

(07:25):
giving you any medical advice ormedical treatment plans or
anything like that.
But what I do want to give youis a balanced approach to
nutrition, just a really broadbrush balance approach here.
Uh, you know, in my practiceover at love and eg wellness, we
use the lab testing to be ableto pinpoint the imbalances and
then we can give a bioindividualized, a personalized

(07:48):
wellness plan to each clientover there.
This is just a broad-branchbalanced approach to nutrition.
So, instead of restricting carbsentirely, you may want to
consider a more sustainableapproach, such as, number one,
prioritizing whole foods, soswapping processed carbohydrates
for whole complex carbohydratesthat release energy gradually,

(08:11):
as we talked about at the top ofthe program.
Think sweet potatoes, thinkquinoa, think oats, especially
organic oats, and you can knowif these things are beneficial
for you or not by running what'scalled a, an IgG food
sensitivity test that tests over190 foods to look at a delayed

(08:34):
when I say delayed that's like24 to 72 hours delayed immune
response that could causeinflammation in the body.
So you know you could be eatingsweet potatoes but have a food
sensitivity to them and not evenknow that.
And that can go for things likespinach and strawberries and
grains and all kinds of things.
And then of course you knowgluten, eggs, dairy chicken,

(08:56):
almonds.
Those are all the top five foodsensitivities that are the most
common.
But that food sensitivity testcan be done right at home and
can really help dial in the dietand prioritize the right whole
foods for your body.
And then that leads us to numbertwo listening to your body,
tuning into how you actuallyfeel.

(09:17):
If your energy dips or yourmood declines, you know a day,
two days, three days after beingon a low carb diet or eating
something different, it's asignal to adjust not just your
diet but all of the importantcategories of the de-stress
protocol that are taught at theIntegrative Health Practitioner
Institute.
So de-stress, diet, exercise,stress reduction, toxin removal,

(09:40):
rest, emotional balance,science-backed supplementation
success mindset.
It all plays into balancing outthe body and listening to your
body.
So if you're leaving a workoutwith less energy than you went
into it with, then you probablydid too much in that workout.
So I'm not going to go too deepinto the de-stress protocol.

(10:01):
You can go back to episodes,the even episodes starting with
episode 12.
So we're going way back here inthe Breaking Boundaries podcast
, but 12, 14, 16, 18, and so on,those ones brought you through
the de-stress protocol and I didthat on purpose with creating a
catalog, a library of podcastepisodes that you can use as a

(10:23):
resource to be able to help youdial in and listen to your body.
So, number three, focus onvariety Incorporate brightly
colored, organic fruits andvegetables.
So use the Clean 15 and DirtyDozen shopping list to be able
to know which fruits andvegetables that you can buy

(10:44):
non-organic, that tested lowestor the cleanest for lack of
pesticides.
That's done by theEnvironmental Working Group
every spring, so we'll be comingup on the 2025 testing and
they'll be publishing thatsomewhere around March or April,
I believe.
So, brightly colored fruits andvegetables, healthy fats like

(11:06):
avocado and extra virgin oliveoil.
You know, when it comes tohealthy fats, those are really
the top two right there Avocadosand extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil would beorganic, of course, first

(11:27):
pressed, cold pressed in a glassbottle, a dark bottle, so it's
not, you know, getting anysunlight, and high in
polyphenols if it could belabeled as that.
And what else?
For, focus on variety Leanproteins.
Lean proteins like wild-caughtsalmon, pasture-raised poultry
can definitely be beneficial foryou there as well, and
incorporating these all intoyour meals.

(11:48):
A diverse plate supportshormonal balance and energy
production.
You can also consider thestress mood metabolism test to
see where those hormones are at.
That's very, very important.
And this is done not with bloodwork but with a saliva test.
Because when hormones aretested through blood work, but
with a saliva test, because whenhormones are tested through
blood work, they are bound toproteins and actually very

(12:09):
inaccurate um for theavailability, the
bioavailability, of thosehormones.
So saliva is actually a bettermedium to be able to test those
hormones with, and that's whatwe use in our private wellness
practice.
This can be done right at home,the privacy of your own home,
to be able to look at hormonessuch as cortisol, estrogen,
progesterone, testosterone, dheaall the important ones for how

(12:34):
you're feeling in your mood.
That's why it's called thestress mood metabolism test.
And number four embraceintermittent fasting.
So pairing fasting with abalanced diet can activate
something that's calledautophagy and you've heard me
talk about this before if you'velistened to the podcast for a
while.
Autophagy is your body'sself-cleaning process without

(12:55):
the need for extreme carbrestriction.
So for most people, 12 to 14hours of an overnight fast is
ideal.
You may want to consider usinga continuous glucose monitor to
understand how your lifestylechoices meaning diet and
exercise, stress levels allaffect your blood sugar.

(13:16):
Now, your blood sugar.
Why is this important?
Because blood sugar, glucose,is needed to produce energy as
adenosine triphosphate.
So now we're getting into alittle bit of biology here or
pathophysiology, but the ATP,adenosine triphosphate as you
may or may not know, is thecurrency of energy that your

(13:40):
body utilizes and that isderived from glucose.
So you you may or may not knowthat glucose is converted from
complex carbohydrates.
That's right.
So low-carb often results in lowenergy, and something else that
you you'll be surprised at islow carb can also cause muscle

(14:04):
loss.
So a lot of times on a low carbdiet, the weight that is lost
is not visceral fat in the body,but it's a lot of times comes
from muscle loss.
And the reason is this becausethe body prefers glucose for
energy rather than ketones forenergy.
So the body is going to tapinto those glucose reserves.

(14:25):
And where is it reserved?
Well, a little bit of it isreserved in the liver.
So it's going to use that upfirst, and then it's going to go
after the glucose that isstored in muscle tissue, and so
that creates muscle loss.
So a lot of times the weightthat's lost is actually muscle
that's being lost, and that'sthe reason why because the body

(14:47):
is smart and it wants thatglucose before it taps into
ketones.
So before you resolve to cut outcarbs for the new year, ask
yourself is this sustainable?
And I just gave you all thereasons to answer that question.
Will it give me the energy andbalance I need to thrive in the
long term?

(15:08):
At love energy wellness, webelieve in a holistic approach
to nutrition that honors bothyour short-term and long-term
goals and vitality.
So, ready to take control ofyour health and wellness, join
our love energy wellnesscommunity for our seasonal detox
group to reset your body andyour mind and learn sustainable

(15:29):
strategies for optimal health,or visit our transform page to
get started on your own anytime.
Remember your health is yourgreatest asset and balance is
the key to unlocking your fullpotential.
So until next time, stayhealthy, stay balanced and keep
breaking boundaries.