PK Nutrition

Paleo-Keto Lifestyle

A paleo-keto diet takes the best of paleo and keto science and combines them into a lifestyle much akin to our paleolithic ancestors. Both diets are low in carbohydrate, high in fat, moderate in protein and fibre. The only difference is that keto is lower in carbohydrate than paleo. The starting point is a paleo lifestyle. This can be all that is needed to heal many chronic health issues. If it does not, then further intervention is needed and a paleo-keto lifestyle is encouraged. The paleo lifestyle is for the rest of your life, whereas a paleo-keto lifestyle should be seen as a treatment for a period of time to heal the brain and the body. If you are not sure about trying paleo or keto, then I recommend that you just give it a go for 28 days, see how you feel and then decide if you want to continue with this way of living.

Why keto?

The aim of a PK diet is to help you to achieve Nutritional Ketosis, where your body is enabled to burn fat for fuel instead of just glucose. When this happens you become a Fat Burning Animal! This is sometimes called Fat Adapted or Metabolically Flexible. You can achieve nutritional ketosis by eating a very low carbohydrate diet, with lots of healthy fats and moderate amounts of protein and fibre.

Burning ketones for energy (alongside a small amount of glucose) is a much cleaner source of energy for our cells. In addition, reducing the amount of glucose in your gut helps to heal the gut, immune system, nervous system and hormonal system. As well as reducing inflammation, being fat adapted also stabilises blood glucose, preventing metabolic syndrome which can lead to many health disorders including diabetes and obesity.

A keto diet, like paleo, is not only satiating, but satisfying and energising and once in nutritional ketosis many good things start to happen including: more sustained energy, increased mental clarity, a calmer digestive system, reduced anxiety, less cravings, improved sleep and clearer skin.

Though it sounds simple it is actually quite challenging to achieve and that is why it is best to work with a professional to help you get there. Once fat adapted you can add back in healthy carbohydrates, but this is very individual, and I help guide you through the process of cyclical carbohydrate feasting.

Try a New Lifestyle for 28 days

All I ask is that you commit to trying this lifestyle for 28 days. When my clients agree to this, they often tell me it was far easier than they expected.

With a PK lifestyle, you are not relying on willpower or restrictive calorie counting — approaches that can feel tedious, difficult to maintain, and ineffective in the long term. Instead, you will enjoy nourishing, satisfying foods such as meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and a flexible approach to eating.

If you have a large appetite, experience carbohydrate cravings, have struggled with yo-yo dieting, or feel your metabolism has slowed over time, PK living may be exactly what you need.

Many people also report benefits such as:

• improved energy levels

• greater mental clarity

• calmer digestion

• reduced anxiety and cravings

• better sleep

• clearer skin

Throughout the 28 days, you will be fully supported. I will check in daily to help you implement the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes, guiding you towards optimal health and improved physical and emotional wellbeing.

Your clinical picture and health history is assessed by:

 Firstly a free 20-minute discovery call.

• An initial 1-hour face-to-face appointment – online or in-person.
• A completed Medical Symptoms Questionnaire (MSQ). The MSQ, designed by the Institute for Functional Medicine, provides a comprehensive baseline of your health status, measuring health indicators from head to toe, all of which are impacted by nutrition and lifestyle.
• A 3-day food diary to give me an idea of where you are now with your nutritional status.

Testing with Regenerus Labs

To support my work with clients I run a full range of functional testing, working directly with Regenerus Labs. Regenerus offer over 150 tests, so if during my work with you, if we feel that testing is necessary to decide on a course of action, then we can choose which is the best test for you.

If a client is showing symptoms of thyroid fatigue, then I tend to test this early on, as it is difficult to follow a paleo-keto lifestyle, and get into nutritional ketosis, without a fully functioning thyroid gland. If fatigue is a problem I also order a hair mineral test so we can see if there are any micronutrient deficiencies or toxic chemical overloads.

Other than that, initially I go by what I uncover in previous GP (or other) blood test results and the client’s clinical picture and health history, the latter of which I find a much more valuable diagnostic tool than any blood test will reveal.