{"id":24,"date":"2019-05-30T15:22:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T15:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bensnaturalhealth.com\/blog\/?p=24"},"modified":"2026-05-30T08:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:00:20","slug":"ketogenic-diet-and-prostate-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bensnaturalhealth.com\/blog\/prostate-health\/ketogenic-diet-and-prostate-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ketogenic Diet and Prostate Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"On my website and in my newsletters, I recommend the ketogenic diet for prostate<\/a> and general health.\n\n\n\n\n\nI’m beginning to get quite a few questions from people who wish to better understand this relationship between ketosis and the health of the prostate.\n\n\n\n\n\nIt’s quite a complicated relationship, and I don’t want to befuddle you with the science so I’m going to keep this brief explanation as simple and straightforward as I can.\n\n\n\n\n\nI’m being asked by both men who have prostate cancer, and others who have an enlarged prostate (BPH).\n\n\n\n\n\nSo, I’m going to divide the question into two parts and both parts are equally important whether you are in one situation or another.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is the Ketogenic Diet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\nThe ketogenic diet is a high fat, low-carb diet, which involves reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. On a ketogenic diet, your insulin levels become very low, which increases fat burning dramatically.\n\n\n\n\n\nIt becomes easier to access your fat stores to burn them off. It has been shown to offer several health benefits, including weight loss<\/a>, helping to control blood sugar, increased energy<\/a> and mental focus, and better prostate health.\n\n\n\n\n\nOne study<\/a> points out that this low-carb diet leads to weight loss and favorable changes in serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.\n\n\n\n\n\nA ketogenic diet seeks to eliminate all grain and sugar in all their forms since the body equally quickly converts both to glucose in the bloodstream. Similarly, and for the same reason, you should avoid all starchy vegetables, especially potatoes.\n\n\n\n\n\nYou are allowed to eat non-starchy vegetable carbohydrates. You should eat a high-fat diet, with low to moderate amounts of high-quality protein.<\/a> But keep in mind this should be from healthy fats, such as fatty acids found in omega 3<\/a> fish and not saturated fat.\n\n\n\n\n\nI am talking about high-quality fats like avocados, the right kind of butter, coconut oil, macadamia nuts, almonds, olives, along with omega-three fats from small fatty fish like sardines, herring, or mackerel.\n\n\n\n\n\nIf those are difficult, then my wild and raw krill oil sourced from Antarctica is a perfect substitute. More detailed information about is freely available on .\n\n\n\n\n
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Is it the same as the Atkins or Paleo Diet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\nNot really. In general, keto diets are diets that result in being in a state of mild ketosis most of the time.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Atkins diet<\/a> starts in ketosis and remains in ketosis until you have lost a fair amount of weight. This is also called the \u201cinduction\u201d phase of the diet. After this phase, you then slowly introduce carbs back into your diet and keeping it at low levels. Junk and processed foods are avoided.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Paleo diet<\/a> isn\u2019t always a keto diet. It often focuses on whole foods and avoids any cultivated and processed foods. For example, if you consumed only meat and potatoes, then you have a Paleo diet. But not necessarily a keto diet. The reason is that the starch from the potatoes keeps you out of ketosis.\n\n\n\n\n
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How To Set Up Your Keto Diet<\/strong>: Step By Step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\nStep One: <\/strong>First, you take your lean body weight and multiply it by one. That number will be the total number of grams of protein that you need to eat per day.\n\n\n\n\n\nStep Two:<\/strong> Next, multiply this number by 4 to calculate the total calories that come from protein. The rest of your daily requirements will come from fats.\n\n\n\n\n\nYou don\u2019t need to calculate carb grams because by default; you\u2019ll likely reach your 30-50 grams per day. This can be done by simply including green vegetables and carbs that come from your fat and protein sources.\n\n\n\n\n\nStep Three: <\/strong>To figure out your fat grams, take the total number of calories it takes to maintain your body weight. Typically, it\u2019s around 14-16 calories per pound of body weight. Subtract your protein calories from that number and then divide by 9. This will give you the total fat grams you need per day.\n\n\n\n\n\nStep Four: <\/strong>Lastly, divide these numbers by the number of meals you wish to eat per day.\n\n\n\n\n
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What do I eat on a Keto Diet?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\nFats will be the majority of your daily calorie intake. This will be a combination of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. Good sources of dietary fat are wild-caught fish, animal fat, avocados, egg yolks, and olive oil.<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen it comes to proteins, you should balance it out in your meals with fattier side dishes and sauces. You can have fish, whole eggs, beef, pork, and poultry as protein sources.\n\n\n\n\n\nNon-starchy vegetables are a vital part of a healthy keto diet, and the best ones are those high in nutrients and low in carbohydrates. Anything that resembles spinach or kale will be a good choice.\n\n\n\n\n
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What foods should I avoid?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\nAvoid sugar at all costs. It\u2019s not wise for you to consume processed drinks like soda, juices, and sports drinks, as well as chocolate and ice cream. Grains and wheat products also contain lots of carbs, so you should beware of pasta, cereal, cakes, and pastries.\n\n\n\n\n\nVegetables like potatoes and yams, because they contain a lot of starch, should be avoided entirely. Also avoid any large fruits like oranges, bananas<\/a>, and apples because they\u2019re high in sugar. Eat berries in moderation.\n\n\n\n\n
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How does a Keto Diet work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\nYour body adapts to the nutrients that are put in it. It processes different types of nutrients into the fuels that it needs. Carbs, fats and, proteins can all be processed for energy.\n\n\n\n\n\nThese are broken down into glucose, which is needed to create ATP (energy molecule).\n\n\n\n\n\nGlucose is our primary source of fuel for most people, and it\u2019s obtained mainly from carbs. But what happens if your carb intake is low? Ketosis will kick in, and your body will use your stored fat as energy.\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is how a ketogenic diet works. Ketosis happens when your body has no more glucose to use for energy. The body has no access to excess carbs. Thus, the body will burn fat and create ketones<\/a>, which are then used as fuel for the body.\n\n\n\n\n\nKetosis is an amazing process. Studies show that the body, particularly the brain, actually prefers using ketones. It is 70% more efficient in using ketones for energy.\n\n\n\n\n
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Can I lose weight on a Keto Diet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\nAbsolutely! There is substantial evidence that keto diets are beneficial for weight loss.\n\n\n\n\n\nA 2014 review published in the\u00a0<\/a>International Journal of Environmental\u00a0Research & Public Health<\/a><\/em>\u00a0states:\n\n\n\n\n
One of the most studied strategies in the recent years for weight loss is the ketogenic diet. Many studies have shown that this kind of nutritional approach has a solid physiological and biochemical basis and is able to induce effective weight loss along with improvement in several cardiovascular risk parameters.<\/em><\/strong><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\nOne study shows that people on a keto diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a typical low-calorie, low-fat diet. The participants also had improved triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels.\n\n\n\n\n\nAnother study found that people on a low-carb diet can lose as much as 15.2 lbs, while people on a low-fat diet lost only 4.6 lbs. Over three months, a low-carb diet can cause three times more weight loss.\n\n\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s how a keto diet promotes weight loss:\n\n\n\n\n