My mom was recently diagnosed with breast and lung cancer, which caused me to dig in and better understand these types of cancer. I learned about a test called the “Galleri test” from a company named Grail. You’ll see from their website, https://www.galleri.com/, that this is a blood test that screens for over 50 types of cancers and can find them well before any type of symptoms show up or before traditional screening is done (which is only done for 5 types of cancer).
Dave Asprey just released a podcast today with the President of Grail, Dr. Josh Ofman. It is well worth listening to – less than an hour and full of facts about the test and how it can be used not just for early detection but also for people who are currently being treated to see how the treatment is working. There are very few podcasts out there talking about this test – some mention it as part of a broader discussion – but this one is solely about early cancer detection using the Galleri test by Grail.
Sadly, when I mentioned this test to my mom’s oncologist I got a blank stare – she had never heard of it. She quickly looked it up and then told me why it wouldn’t help. I smiled politely and went back to my own research. My point is, don’t expect your primary physician or oncologist to have heard of this.
Anyone can get this test – it must be ordered by a doctor and the results must be interpreted by a doctor, which makes sense. It is not cheap, but either is cancer.
Listen to the podcast, read their website, and hopefully you’ll be able to join me in getting yourself or a loved one tested early.
All posts by Val Peterson
Keto-Mojo ketone reader and movement snacks
In my last post I mentioned I was comparing the Keto-Mojo ketone blood tester to my existing Nova Max one. The Keto-Mojo one wins. It is far easier to use (even if I touch my skin while collecting blood it doesn’t through off an error like the Nova Max does), and the testing strips are much cheaper. When I compared results with the Nova Max, the Keto-Mojo reader tended to read .02 mmol higher.
I’ve also recently started doing weight training with TRX resistance bands. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard. But I knew I wasn’t going to go to a gym consistently, these are easy to use in my house, and I get as hard of a workout as I want.
Today I received an email from TRX titled “Three ways to improve your daily routine.” One of the suggestions that I really liked was the idea of “movement snacks.” Many of us compartmentalize our workouts and once they are done, we rarely look for ways to move more than what our workout called for. I’ve been unintentionally doing “movement snacks” for weeks now – when I want to read for fun, I read while walking on my treadmill. I do the same thing when I want to watch a TV show by myself. I’ve started making myself stand while researching something on my computer or reading email.
The article suggests things like parking far away from the entrance in a parking lot, or scheduling walking meetings. I really like the idea of walking meetings, even in a virtual world. By setting the expectation that it is a virtual walking meeting you don’t feel awkward taking steps while everyone else is sitting! An outdoor walking meeting would be even better for those who have to go into an office every day.
I hope some of this information was helpful – I’d love to hear what type of “movement snacks” you engage in daily!
Ways to Stay in Ketosis
The last few years I’ve been a bit lazy about following a ketogenic diet. I had spinal surgery in 2020, and haven’t gotten back into the kind of shape I was in prior to surgery, both with my diet and with exercise. I’m working to fix both of those now!
I’ve rededicated myself to getting back to following a ketogenic diet, and getting back into riding and hiking shape as I’ve definitely developed a passion for hiking since moving to Colorado several years ago. I was also diagnosed with diverticulosis in early 2021 and I’ve struggled to find foods that won’t cause a flare up. Sadly, it took me several months to figure out that a ketogenic diet would most likely help, given I hadn’t had any serious stomach issues in the 4 years I followed it religiously. Yes, I am sometimes a slow learner…
As much as I love the foods I’m allowed on a ketogenic diet, the reality for me is that I cannot stay in ketosis with just monitoring the food I eat. I have to do more, and below are some of the things that have worked well for me.
1. Fasting. I’ve done 5 day fasts, and I’ve done much shorter intermittent fasting, i.e. eating within a 6-8 hour window. If you are having trouble staying in ketosis, try just skipping a meal (as long as you do not have a medical condition that requires you to eat) and see if you can get back in to ketosis. If not wait longer to eat next time or try my next suggestion.
2. A hard workout in a fasted (or nearly fasted) state. Working out for at least an hour without having much to eat has always worked to boost my ketone levels. Earlier this week we were invited to dinner with friends and the main dish was paella, so I ended up eating rice. I had a hard session on the trainer earlier in the afternoon, so I was curious to see what my ketone levels would be today after eating rice at dinner. I finished my meal last night around 7:30, so I did not eat anything until 12:00 pm today. Before eating lunch I tested my blood for ketones and registered .07 mmol.
If I hadn’t had a tough workout yesterday afternoon in a nearly fasted state, I most likely would have registered lower ketones, and maybe none at all.
3. Tracking my food and drink intake. It is critical to track what you eat daily, and how that corresponds with your ketone levels. Tracking your food intake and what you drink will also help you stay accountable to a ketogenic diet, and it will help you figure out whether a particular food item is negatively impacting your ability to stay in ketosis. There are a lot of prepackaged foods now that are labeled as “Keto” but they usually contain sugar alcohols that can cause your ketone levels to drop (or at least that’s what happens for me). It is not cheap to check your blood, but it appears to be by far the most accurate way to measure ketones.
I currently use a Nova Max ketone meter to test my blood. The testing strips are very expensive ($2.50 each), so I’ve ordered a new one made by KETO MOJO that I read some good reviews about, and the testing sticks are much more affordable at $1.00 each. I’ll post here once it arrives and I’ve had a chance to compare it to the Nova Max meter.
Early season century – fueling for the long ride
I rode a century today with my husband, who also follows a ketogenic diet. We stayed at a hotel the night before so we knew breakfast would be a challenge. Since there are a lot of questions about how to fuel for a long ride on a ketogenic diet, I thought I’d share what we eat during the day in case it is helpful to others.
First of all, I need to point out that we have been following a ketogenic diet for 4 years now, so our bodies are fully adapted to burning both carbs and ketones for energy. I say this so nobody reads this and tries this before their body is fully fat-adapted.
For breakfast, Jonathan had a Stabilyze bar, and half of a peanut butter sandwich made with vegan oat bread (no grains or eggs, and low carb). I had a full peanut butter sandwich and half of an Atkins shake. We also had coffee with cream. Neither of us ate again for about 38 miles, when he had some peanut butter filled pretzels, and I had a handful of salted almonds and a bite of a Stabilyze bar. The rest of the day I tried to finish the Stabilyze bar but was unable to, but did have a handful of peanuts and almonds periodically, as did Jonathan. We each had one bottle with ZipFizz and the rest of the day we drank water.
Our total riding time was 6 hours, and neither of us was very hungry when we finished but we forced ourselves to eat a hot dog at the finish. I’m guessing our ketone levels were pretty high which was why we weren’t very hungry. We carried all of our own food as aid stations typically have snacks that are high in sugar and carbs. The only thing we ate at the aid stations was peanuts, and we shared half of a banana with peanut butter on it at one stop.
The biggest thing for us was staying hydrated, so we tried to be very diligent about drinking. I have many more sore muscles than Jonathan, but we both feel pretty good about this early season century. I hope those of you reading find this helpful, and I welcome your thoughts and questions!
Fueling for long rides
There have been lots of questions lately from readers who are new to a ketogenic diet and are doing their first long ride. My hope is to give some guidance on what has worked for me, and what I’ve learned in the 3 years I’ve been following a ketogenic diet and doing long, short, and everything in between rides.
When you are starting a ketogenic diet and training your body to become fat-adapted, be prepared to have some really crappy training rides. Don’t worry, it gets better. But it takes time for your body to transition from burning carbs as the primary source of fuel, to utilizing ketones as a fuel source. If there are carbs available, your body will utilize those first.
If you feel hungry on a ride, try to determine whether you’re actually just thirsty, rather than hungry. Once you are fat-adapted, you shouldn’t need anything to eat on a ride shorter than 3 hours. But how you hydrate is very important, as many people need more electrolytes when on a ketogenic diet. I’ve tried a number of electrolyte drinks in my bottle – Nuun, Vega, and I’ve settled for the most part on ZipFizz because of its natural ingredients and it includes magnesium, potassium and sodium. It is sweetened with Xylitol, a sweetener derived from birch trees, and one that I find to taste the best and that does not hurt my stomach. You can learn more about ZipFizz here: http://www.zipfizz.com/
For food, I’ve tried a lot of low-carb bars over the years. Again, I try to find ones that use natural sweeteners, with minimal artificial ingredients. My 2 go-to bars are the Atkins Harvest Trail bar (8g protein, 4g net carbs, 1g sugar, 9g fiber) and Stabilyze bars (they have a little sugar from Agave, but still only 6g net carbs total, with lots of organic ingredients). For longer rides (over 2.5 hours) I carry shelled pistachios, almonds or peanuts with me. For really long rides (5+ hours) I will either plan a lunch stop where I can eat something that I know will sit ok in my stomach (eggs, cheese, nuts) or I will carry a peanut butter sandwich using a grain free, vegan bread from a company in Colorado called “Outside the Breadbox.” One reader offered that he uses cauliflower flatbread for his peanut butter sandwich.
In the summer I make sure I take salt tabs before and during my long rides to help prevent cramping and to replace sodium lost while sweating. If I get in a pinch, there are a few Kind bars that only have 5g of sugar now that can normally be found in convenience stores.
I think it’s worth saying again – as you are training your body to become fat-adapted, there will be some rough days. It’s ok if you need to use more carbs for fuel as you’re training your body. Be more strict with your diet off the bike until you get the confidence that you can ride 2+ hours without “fueling up” prior or during the ride. I’ve done a 1.5 hour ride after 4 days of fasting and had no issues at all. Our minds typically get in the way of our performance, not our bodies!
I hope this helps, and I also have several older posts from 2015 where I go into more detail about how I fueled for long rides back then – just know it’s very different than what I do now (I was far more neurotic back then). Happy riding!
Women Are More At Risk for Alzheimer’s
But unfortunately no one has figured out why just yet. According to this blog on Alzmeimers.net, https://www.alzheimers.net/8-12-15-why-is-alzheimers-more-likely-in-women/ over half of the people living in the U.S. with Alzheimers’ are women. In fact, the chances of men developing Alzheimer’s is 1 in 11, and for women the chances are 1 in 6.
There are 2 working theories noted in the blog: When women carry the ApoE-4 gene, they are twice as likely as women without the gene to develop Alzheimer’s. Men who carry the ApoE-4 gene only have a slightly increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The second theory is based on heart health. Men are more likely to die of heart disease prior to age 65, and those who don’t are presumed to have healthier hearts which may in turn protect their brains better from Alzheimer’s. But unfortunately, nobody has been able to determine with any certainty why the risk for women is nearly double that for men.
While not good news, it certainly reinforces my decision years ago to switch to a lifestyle that gave me the best chance of never developing dementia. I’m pleasantly surprised at how “mainstream” ketogenic diets have become. I walked into our local Natural Grocers store yesterday and was blown away by row after row of ketogenic supplements, protein powders, and books were on the shelves. In fact, I’m trying out a new product from Garden of Life called “Keto Fit.” It’s a weight loss shake that is made with grass fed butter and whey, probiotics, and has contains 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbs. And it was developed with help from Dr. Perlmutter, so that helped me buy into it. Here’s a link to learn more about it: https://www.gardenoflife.com/content/product/keto-fit-weight-loss-shake/.
I tried a vanilla shake this morning after a fairly long ride on the trainer (still enjoying Zwift) and it tasted good!
Trying Out Zwift
I’ve recently been suffering on the trainer. I listen to music, but generally hate every minute of it, largely because it’s painful and I’m bored. Then I decided to try Zwift – an indoor cycling “game” that connects to your smart trainer – https://zwift.com/
I’ve done 2 rides on Zwift and have enjoyed how interactive it is. You see other riders, the terrain you’re riding, you can draft off of other riders, and all of your data is right in front of you: power, speed, incline, weight to power ratio and more. I have found myself riding longer and harder when I use the Zwift app, so that is certainly a positive thing. It’s still painful, but I’m not bored!
You can do a free 7-day trial before paying something like $15/month. You can also upload your data directly to Strava, GarminConnect, Training Peaks, and other apps.
If you haven’t tried it yet and need a way to keep your cycling fitness through the winter when outdoor riding is a challenge, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Check out my interview on RoadBikeRider.com
Just over a month ago I was contacted by Lars Hundley, owner and publisher of RoadBikeRider.com. He had read my blog and wondered if I’d be interested in writing an article for his online publication on the topic of ketogenic diets for cyclists. I was happy to agree. We decided to have him interview me over a series of emails, and he put together the final piece which you can find here: A Beginner’s Guide to Ketogenic Diets for Cyclists.
If you’re not familiar with RoadBikeRider.com, please check it out. You can sign up for their weekly newsletter at no charge, and there is a premium option for a small charge. It has a variety of excellent articles for cyclists of all abilities, as well as e-books and reviews of all types of cycling products. And now it has a great article on ketogenic diets for cyclists!
Lower ketone levels – but why?
I’m currently on a multi-day fast. Less than 24 hours into it, I measured my ketone levels and I was at .5 mmol, which did not surprise me. This morning, I measured my blood after being up for about an hour and my levels were shockingly low – .3 mmol. This evening, after fasting just under 48 hours, they were up to 1.0 mmol.
So I set out to figure out why my ketone levels were low in the morning, and it turns out that I am not alone. I found a lot of discussion groups that discussed this topic, but the best explanation I found was from Thomas DeLauer, in this YouTube video. He explained that when your body wakes up, you have a rise in cortisol. This triggers the liver to go through glycolysis. Glycolysis is the process of your body converting any stored carbohydrates into glucose. This causes the pancreas to secrete insulin. When there’s insulin in the blood, ketones are lower. As the day goes on, and activity increases, so do the number of ketones in your blood.
So I got that question answered. But I then looked back to prior multi-day fasts from last year and realized that my ketone levels are rarely very high. I think the highest I registered was 2.4 mmol after 3 days of fasting. That led me to question why this was. Mark Sisson came to the rescue in this article that offers several explanations on why my ketone levels stay relatively low.
The theory I choose to believe is this: Being keto-adapted for over 3 years now, I have built so much fat-burning metabolic energy in my muscles that I can burn free fatty acids directly and don’t require additional ketones. Who knows if that’s right, but it’s certainly the theory I like best! At any rate, I’m going to take the advice of others and worry more about how my body feels and my energy level rather than ketone levels.
There is a lot of other great information for athletes in the Mark Sisson article, so definitely take a moment to read it.
How Did I Miss This Documentary?
Just yesterday I found a documentary from 2014 on women’s cycling called, “Half the Road.” It was written and produced by Kathryn Bertine, a professional cyclist who has been a staunch advocate of equal treatment for women in professional cycling for several years. She, along with other notable names like Chrissie Wellington, was an integral part of getting the ASO to bring back women’s cycling to the Tour de France ( the women’s race was called “Le Tour”).
If you haven’t watched it, please do. It doesn’t matter whether you are a female cyclist. If you are a fan of cycling, this documentary should resonate with you. You can find it on Amazon (and it’s free if you’re a Prime member) here. It has nothing to do with nutrition, it’s just delivers a powerful message that should matter to all of us as cycling fans.