Arthritis is an umbrella term, mainly describing diseases that create pain and stiffness in the joints of your body. Osteoarthritis is the most common and affects nearly 27 million Americans with Rheumatoid arthritis next in line at 1.5 million. (1, 2)

Thankfully, your diet can play a role in how intense your symptoms become. Survey results suggest that 24% of those with Rheumatoid arthritis said that their diet played a significant role in aiding symptoms. (3) On top of that, diets like Keto Zone can contribute to weight loss, which also alleviates symptoms by easing joint pressure.

What foods should you include in your diet to help with arthritis pain?

1. Fatty Fish

Wild salmon, sardines, and trout are great keto-friendly foods to boost your Omega-3 fatty acid intake, which in turn decreases joint pain, stiffness, and swelling related to arthritis. (4, 5, 6)

Studies show Rheumatoid arthritis may also be correlated to lack of vitamin D, and luckily, fish contain lots of vitamin D. (7, 8)

To reap the benefits, it’s important to eat at least 2 servings of fish per week or take an Omega-3 supplement.

2. Turmeric

Thanks to the curcumin in turmeric, it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory that can even be compared to NSAIDs, like aspirin, Advil, and Motrin. You must consume 1000mg of curcumin per day to see positive results, which equates to around 5 teaspoons of turmeric. (9)

Sprinkle it on top of your food, add it into your tea, or use recipes like Keto Zone Golden Milk Turmeric Latte. If you’re not a fan of its strong taste, you can also take turmeric in supplement form.

3. Collagen Protein

The cartilage in your joints is made up of collagen, and when you consume collagen, it travels to damaged tissue like arthritis pain points. (10)

Studies show that those who eat 10 grams of collagen protein per day see improvements in joint pain and increased mobility. (11, 12, 13)

You typically consume collagen in two ways: bone broth and supplements. Try this Keto Zone Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Bone Broth and purchase Keto Zone Hydrolyzed Chicken + Marine Collagen with Probiotics for an easy way to knock out your collagen fix.

4. Garlic

Garlic doesn’t just contribute to great flavor and bad breath. It contains powerful active anti-inflammatories like organosulfur compounds and thiacremonone. (14, 15)

These and other anti-inflammatory properties contribute to a lower risk of hip osteoarthritis, a stronger immune system, and less joint pain. (16, 17, 18, 19)

Besides its antiarthritic features, one of the best parts about garlic is how easy it is to include in recipes, like these Keto Zone Mozzarella Garlic Dinner Rolls.

5. Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil specifically provides a lower risk of arthritis, decreased inflammation levels, and the protection of bone cells. (20, 21)

On top of that, it can prevent further development of arthritis, slow down cartilage loss, and lessen swelling. (22)

Coat your meats and veggies in it, use it as a salad dressing, or even apply it directly to your joints to see its effects on reduced stiffness and pain. (23) For best results, avoid cooking with it at high temperatures and read Are You Safe from the Danger of Fake Olive Oil? to ensure you’re purchasing the right kind.

6. Berries

Berries like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are keto’s only fruit exceptions for good reason. They contain quercetin, which has been shown to block inflammatory processes and decrease already present inflammation due to arthritis. (24,25)

Blueberries, in particular, have flavonoid antioxidants called anthocyanins that lower inflammation, swelling, and pain, and can even reverse arthritis completely. To top it off, self-reports of those with arthritis claimed blueberries as a top food for inflammation symptoms, making it the most credited food for easing arthritis. (26,27)

Eat berries on their own, add them to your yogurt, or make Keto Zone Crepes with Blueberries and Cream.

Bottom Line

In addition to all of the above foods, the Keto Zone diet can help lessen inflammatory symptoms and induce weight loss to ease joint pain.

Ready to start? Purchase all of your needed Keto Zone supplements here.

The post Top 6 Keto Foods for Arthritis Pain appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

There’s never been a better time to take steps to improve skin health. It’s estimated that over 7% of US adults (approximately 16.5 million) are affected by atopic dermatitis and of these, 40% experience moderate or severe disease (1).  What’s more, this doesn’t account for other skin issues such as psoriasis. It’s time to improve our nutrition and heal our skin from the inside-out.

Here are 5 Tips for Healthy Skin on Keto Zone.

5 Tips for Healthy Skin on Keto Zone

1. Eat a Variety of Healthy Fats

The Keto Zone diet is automatically a health-skin diet because it encourages a high intake of a variety of healthy fats. Unlike other keto diets, which ofter recommend any fat, Keto Zone stands above with recommendations of the best fats for human health, including skin health.  For healthy skin on Keto Zone, include:

• Omega-3 fats from fish and seafood, chia, flax, hemp heart seeds and more
• Omega-9 fats from olive oil, avocados, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, and more
• Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) from MCT Oil Powder, MCT Oil, coconut oil, and more
• Small amounts of naturally occurring Omega-6 fats. Omega-6s fatty acids are essential in the diet in small amounts and are important for skin health. We get plenty by simply eating whole foods like nuts, seeds, vegetables, meats, and more. However, it’s important to avoid concentrated forms of cheap omega-6 oils like soybean oil and those in processed foods (2). Too much omega-6 (common in modern western processed diet) causes an overload and inflammatory reactions in the body.

It’s important to eat a variety of all of these fats (click on this link to find out how to increase fat intake), and not just the omega-3s and MCTs. Together, these fats work to enable healthy skin on Keto Zone, promote abdominal fat loss (3, 4), improve whole-body and brain health (5), and more.

2. Add Hydrolyzed Collagen

Collagen is an amazing food for the skin. In particular, Type I Collagen makes up 90% of our hair, skin, and nails. When you eat it, it can improve your skin’s health and appearance. How? It:

• Improves Elasticity and Hydration of Skin – The elasticity of your skin is very important as you age. Naturally, it decreases. But, a 2014 study of 46 women, ages 35-55, showed that 8 weeks of collagen powder supplementation improved skin elasticity within just 4 weeks (6), creating a youthful appearance.
• Reduces Wrinkles – Another 2014 study concluded that collagen supplementation reduced wrinkles after just 8 weeks of use (7). Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology concluded that collagen supplementation not only improved skin moisture but also produced younger-looking, less-fragmented skin (8).
• Improved Skin and Tissue Structure – Skin and tissue structure are vitally important to healthy skin. When the structure is healthy, less breakdown in skin layers occur. In a 2017 lab study, researchers found that 6 months of oral consumption of collagen increased the collagen content in the skin to improve the skin structure.

Type I Collagen is best from marine sources such as those found in Keto Zone Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder(5).

3. Stay Hydrated

There is a lot of misinformation regarding hydration and keto diet. However, one thing is clear: Hydration is very important for healthy skin on Keto Zone.

When you first start keto, hydration can be a bit difficult because of electrolye balance shifts. To avoid dehydration during the first phase getting into the Keto Zone, add Instant Ketones to your diet, drink 8 oz. of bullion or broth 3-4 times per day, and keep drinking water.

Then, once in the Keto Zone, simple:

1. Drink 64-80 oz. fluids per day. You can usually accomplish this by drinking to thirst. Older adults are typically more at risk for dehydration (9). Make sure to consume fluids throughout the day.
2. Then, unless you have high blood pressure, consume salt with meals and add a daily serving of Instant Ketones any time you are re-entering the Keto Zone or feeling dehydrated.
3. Make sure to eat a variety of high potassium, calcium, and magnesium foods. Most adults should also supplement with 200-400 mg of magnesium per day.
4. If you exercise and sweat, add 24-32 oz. fluid and 600-800 mg sodium for every hour of your workout. This does not need to be consumed during the workout, but before, during as needed, and after is fine. You can use a low-carb electrolyte drink like Nuun if desired.
5. Be diligent after any period out of the Keto Zone. You’ll go through the glycogen-depleting phase again, and need to supplement with extra electrolytes to avoid the Keto Flu.

4. Eat Lots of Anti-Inflammatory Foods

In addition to omega-3 fats, you can add anti-inflammatory foods for healthy skin on Keto Zone. In fact, reducing whole-body inflammation reduces inflammation in the skin. To increase anti-inflammatory foods, add:

• Turmeric: Study after study has shown that both ingested and topical curcumin turmeric formulations statistically and significantly improve skin disease severity and should be considered for therapeutic benefits (10).
• Ginger: One powerful active component in ginger is called 6-shogaol. In animal studies, 6-shogaol has been shown to inhibit free radicals and their pathways that affect skin inflammation. Further, it can alleviate allergic dermatitis skin lesions by inhibiting immune mediators and may be an effective alternative therapy for AD (11).
• Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, and other spices
• Vibrantly-Colored Vegetables and Herbs

5. Focus on Gut Health

The microbiome of healthy bacteria in your gut is vitally important to your immune function, overall bodily inflammation, and healthy skin on Keto Zone. In fact, your intestines house hundreds of trillions of bacteria. 

The good bacteria therein, known as probiotics, help digest your food, produce neurotransmitters, and modulate your immune system.

As long as they are healthy and abundant, they can decrease overall inflammation and reduce autoimmune skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis.

Want even more Healthy Skin of Keto Zone Tips? Check out these, specifically for dry winter skin.

Bottom Line

You’ve got an incredible opportunity for healthy skin on Keto Zone. Follow these 5 tips for your best skin and improve its health and appearance today!

The post 5 Tips for Healthy Skin on Keto Zone appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

Oftentimes, people make mistakes as they get too busy to make their own foods, feel comfortable enough they stop double-checking their foods, or they simply don’t know better.

Now, with our simple guidance, you will.

Here are the Top 8 Keto Mistakes you might not know you’re making, and easy solutions!

Top 8 Keto Mistakes and Easy Solutions

Keto Mistake #1 – The “Ultra-Processed” Keto Diet

Whether you’re following Keto Zone, Paleo, Mediterranean, or even a Vegan diet, you can easily make the mistake of eating ultra-processed foods.

Once a “diet” becomes trendy, food manufacturers from all over will begin to make “products” for this trendy diet, in order to make money.

Some products are great. Most products are not.

Some are slightly processed, and others are ultra-processed. Ultra-processed foods are simply those high in sugars, unhealthy, processed fats, junk “fake” ingredients, and more. They are strongly linked to poor health outcomes (1,2).

Just because a product claims it’s low-carb, doesn’t make it a healthy Keto Zone food.

In fact, with Keto Zone, we urge you to study all the ingredients in any commercial food and look beyond low-carb and high-fat.

For example, the low-carb portion should be naturally low-carb or made with healthy-low carb sweeteners (more below). The high-fat portion should come from healthy fats, and not low-quality, cheap, inflammatory fats, such as soybean oil or hydrogenated oils.

How can you avoid this mistake?

Solution:

• First, cook as many meals as you can from home.
• Use and eat foods that are single-ingredient foods, such as eggs, meats, vegetables, and healthy oils like olive oil.
• When buying commercial food, ignore all marketing on the front of the packaging. Look first at the ingredients, and then at the nutrition label (read guide here).
• Find more tips here

Keto Mistake #2 – Avoiding Fiber

We all need fiber. While we may not actually need quite as much as has been recommended in the past, our guts need fiber-based foods to feed our healthy bacteria (soluble fibers and prebiotics).

You must be proactive to avoid fiber keto mistakes  to ensure you’re getting enough.

When you’ve eliminated many high-carbohydrate foods, such as grains, beans, most fruits, and legumes, you mind yourself low on fiber. However, as you replace low-quality starchy foods such as bread and pasta, with natural Keto Zone foods like inulin, nuts, nut flours, and vegetables, you’ll find your fiber intake increases in quantity and quality ( 3).

Solution:

To get more fiber, eat daily:

• 3 servings of vegetables (6-10 grams of fiber)
• ¼ cup nuts or 2 tablespoons nut meal (4 grams fiber)
• 2 tablespoons of seeds, such as hemp seeds (4 grams fiber)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds per day (8 grams fiber)

Keto Mistake #3 – Not Researching or Using Supplements

I wish we could get all the nutrients we need with foods alone. I do.

However, the diminishing quality of our soil, processed foods, use of pesticides and antibiotics, and our own digestion ailments can make it tough to consume, digest, and absorb everything we need.

High-quality supplements make up the differences in the nutrients we need, but don’t get in foods.

Solution:

Some important supplements on Keto Zone include:

• Instant Ketones: In supplemental powder form, these ketones provide a readily available source of ketones. They are especially important when getting into ketosis.
• Fat-Zyme: If you have trouble digesting fats, this enzyme and nutrient combination supplement can help you feel better and get into the Keto Zone.
• Magnesium: Magnesium deficiency is common in all adults and can be easily fixed with supplementation.
• Omega-3s: Krill Oil: is a great source of anti-inflammatory fats and antioxidants for brain, cardiovascular, and overall health.
• MCT Oil Powder: When increasing fats, it’s important to choose the healthiest fat quality. MCT Oil Powder is an extremely healthy, easy-to-use fat in drinks and more.
• Thyroid Zone and Hormone Zone: Especially as women age, these supplements can protect bones, help balance estrogens, and fight fatigue.

Keto Mistake #4 – Going Low-Carb and Low-Fat

The Keto Zone Diet is all about minimal carbs, and large amounts of fat. Unfortunately, people make many keto mistakes with fat intake.

Your body needs large amounts of healthy fats to provide the substrates for ketones and to keep your body healthy.

High-quality fats are needed, not optional.

A huge health-wrecking mistake is to minimize carbs and fats.

When you do this, you won’t get the health benefits of healthy fats, you will go too low in calories, which can affect metabolism, and will likely be overly-hungry.

Solution:

• Aim for 75% or more calories from fats in your diet and about 20-30 grams net carbs each day.
• If eating around 1,500 calories per day, then consume just 30 or so grams of carbs (120 calories), 125 grams of fat, and about 64 grams of protein.

As you can see, fats are important.

One way to add fat is to use “fat bombs” as snacks.

Keto Mistake #5 – Choosing Inflammatory Fats

Not all fats are created equal. Some are highly inflammatory, while some are healthy. Choose the latter.

Sure, you can eat a high-fat diet loaded with processed fats, trans-fats, and inflammatory fats. But, what good would this be?

Use the fats in your diet to promote health in addition to entering the Keto Zone.

Solution:

Avoid:

• High omega-6 fats in processed foods such as soybean oil, corn oil, and vegetable oil.
• Trans-fats from hydrogenated fat sources

Eat:

• Omega-3 fats from fish, krill, and other seafood
• Healthy omega-9 fats from nuts, avocados, and olive oil
• MCT oils from MCT Oil Powder and coconut oil
• Fats from high-quality animal sources such as eggs, free-range livestock, and wild sources

Keto Mistake #6 – Eating Foods Loaded with Saccharin, Aspartame, and Sucralose

When eating low-carb, you’ll find all sorts of foods and recipes with aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. These are not the best ingredients for your health.

Why?

For one, they disrupt the healthy bacteria in the gut (4). Healthy gut bacteria is a cornerstone of overall health, and disruptions can induce hormone imbalances, digestive issues, inflammation, food intolerances, and more.

Additionally, aspartame and saccharin have had a sketchy history with cancer risk, and should be avoided.

Solution:

Find foods that use higher-quality, natural sugar substitutes. These include stevia, xylitol, and erythritol.

Keto Mistake #7 – Over-Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a great, health-promoting tool on Keto Zone.

However, some people make the mistake of fasting too much; usually by combining different fasting styles.

If you use the 5:2 method, fast for 2 days per week, and then also use the 16:8 method, fasting 16 hours per day, and then add in 2 days that are restricted to 500 calories each (total), you’re likely going to be hungry.

Hunger itself is not always a problem, but too much can lead to binges, disrupted sleep, and more.

Solution:

• When intermittent fasting, choose just one method and do it well.

If you find yourself so hungry that you’re having a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, make sure you’re not combining fasting styles, and that you’re eating enough during your eating window (add more fats if needed).

Keto Mistake #8 – Thinking Keto Zone is a Quick Fix

If you find that the Internet is overflowing with “diet success stories” that seem too good to be true, remember that they probably are.

Now, Keto Zone usually delivers quicker and better results than any other diet.

However, it’s still a marathon, not a sprint.

Getting into and staying in ketosis, requires study, work, and commitment. While it’s simple, it’s not necessarily easy day in and day out.

Solution:

• Look at the Keto Zone as a lifestyle, for the rest of your life.
• Focus on gaining health, energy, awareness, and overall wellness rather than just weight loss.

As long as you’re making progress, keep going! Everyone’s different, and everyone’s weight loss story is their own. Don’t compare, and stay positive.

Bottom Line

Keto Zone is extremely effective and healthy. However, if it’s not followed as directed, mistakes can be made. Make sure to these Top 8 Keto Mistakes.

The post Top 8 Keto Mistakes To Avoid appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

But, they are also dangerous. When they are consumed in too high amounts, especially in relation to omega-3s, they increase inflammation and chronic disease in our bodies.

And, here’s the thing: You can easily get all the omega-6s you need by eating one-ingredient natural Keto Zone foods. Omega-6s are in naturally found in almost all foods including:

• Meats
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Vegetables
• Dairy
• More

However, modern diets and foods now include extremely dangerous concentrated omega-6s. They are literally found in almost every processed food in your grocery store, and in very high amounts.

Yes, even in the so-called “health foods.”

Here’s Why and How to Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone diet.

Why Avoid Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet?

Experts believe that a diet with a ratio of 2:1 omega-6s fat to omega-3s fat is healthiest. That is, for every 2 grams of omega-6 consumed, 1 gram of omega-3 is consumed.

In a modern diet, this means a lot of omega-3s eaten, and a restricted amount of omega-6s. Unfortunately, 2:1 is almost impossible in modern times, and a ratio of 4:1 is a good goal (1).

Believe it or not, most Americans ratio is between 12:1 to 25:1. This is extremely dangerous.

High levels of omega-6s promote chronic inflammation in the body, which negatively affects your heart, brain, hormone balance, and entire body.

It’s imperative to cut down your intake. Here’s how.

Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet

As you’ll read, omega-6s are abundant in the modern diet, mostly due to the use of cheap oils and ingredients in processed foods.

In fact, processed foods generally contain the cheapest ingredients possible in order to keep profit margins as high as possible. Cheap soybean oil the main culprit and is associated with declines in:

• Metabolic Health. Lab studies show that soybean oil is one of the most detrimental foods to metabolic health (2).
• Cardiovascular Health: Soybean oil has been shown to cause harmful abnormalities to cholesterol and triglycerides (3).
• Overall health and inflammation: Many studies have concluded that concentrated sources of omega-6 fats increase inflammation in the body (4).

Here’s what to avoid:

High Omega-6 Oils in Home Cooking:

When cooking at home, make sure to use oils that are not high Omega-6s. Here’s a quick list of what to use and avoid, with grams of omega-6s listed per 1 Tablespoon oil (5):

Use:

• Organic coconut oil (0.4 gm Omega-6)
• Olive Oil (1.3)
• Avocado oil (1.8)
• Occasional Use: high-oleic sunflower (0.5), high-oleic safflower oils (2.0)

Avoid:

• Safflower oil (10.1 gm Omega-6)
• Grapeseed oil (9.5)
• Vegetable Oil (7.9)
• Wheat Germ Oil (7.5)
• Corn Oil (7.3)
• Walnut Oil (7.3)
• Cottonseed Oil (7.0)
• Soybean (7.0)
• Sunflower Oil (5.4)
• Canola Oil (3.0)

Commercial Condiments and Dressings made with Omega-6 Oils:

Most all commercial condiments and dressings are made with soybean oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, or canola oil. These cheap fats are loaded with omega-6s, which cause more pro-inflammatory hormones to be produced in our bodies. Instead, look for olive oil dressings or make your own at home.

Unhealthy TV Dinners:

Like dressings, most TV dinners contain both cheap oils (like soybean) and very high amounts of sodium. On top of the inflammation from unhealthy fats, the sodium can cause a puffy appearance.

Carefully look at your ingredients lists to avoid foods with soybean oils.

Deep-Fried Foods, Especially from Fast Food Restaurants:

When oils are heated to very high heats, they can actually produce free radicals that are harmful when eaten. Just like the free radicals that enter the body from the environment, these free radicals in food take aim at the body’s cells and do damage.  Free radicals and their accumulative oxidative stress are the main culprits in aging tissues.

The most common food used in restaurants is corn oil. It is high omega-6 to start with, and worse when used at very high deep-frying heats.

In fact, consumption of corn and vegetable oils may impair cell respiration and reduce immune functions within the body.

Margarine and Processed Foods with Hydrogenated Oils:

Hydrogenated oils are created when liquid oil is chemically altered to become solid. This is termed “transfat” due to the new chemical structure. Transfats are highly inflammatory and thereby do damage to your heart, skin, and all systems.

Most times, the oils that are hydrogenated are high Omega-6 oils such as soybean, vegetable, and canola oils.

Chips and Snacks with Hydrogenated Oils: 

Just like margarine, any processed snack food can contain trans-fatty acids made from omega-6 oils.

The problem?

Snacks with these synthetic increase interleukin-6 in the body and this is a sign of overall inflammation. In fact, liver cells show increased cellular stress with hydrogenated oil consumption (6).

Watch out for “hydrogenated oils” in ingredients lists EVEN IF the label states zero grams of trans fats. Look for better options or make your own Keto Zone chips!

Omega 9-6-3 Complex Supplements:

When taking omega supplements, use supplements that contain only omega-3s, NOT omega-3 and omega-6 complexes. These complexes were first designed to deliver a healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, but did not consider that most all modern diets are already overloaded with omega-6 fat! There’s no need to add more via supplement.

Bottom Line

Omega-6 foods are lurking around every corner, in your grocery store, pantry, refrigerator, and favorite restaurant. But as a smart consumer, you can Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet and reduce inflammation in your body.

The post Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.