Reverse Your Risk of Diabetes with These Simple Dietary Changes

Have you ever felt trapped in a body that doesn't reflect your true potential? In 2008, Ben Azadi found himself obese, depressed, and desperate for change. Fast forward to today, and Azadi is a renowned functional health practitioner with over 16 years of experience, the author of four best-selling books, and host of the award-winning Metabolic Freedom Podcast. His personal journey of losing 80 pounds in just 9 months sparked a mission to help people live healthier lives. Let's dive into Azadi's transformative approach to melting fat and stopping aging.

Unlock Your Body's Fat-Burning Potential with Ketosis

Azadi's weight loss journey began with understanding the science of ketosis. "When we lower our carbohydrate intake, we allow our body to turn on a switch that allows us to burn body fat," he explains in the video. By reducing carbs, insulin levels drop, unlocking the key to fat burning. The liver then produces ketones, which fuel the body and brain while reducing inflammation.

Discover the Ancient Roots of the Keto Diet

While keto has become a popular weight loss strategy, Azadi emphasizes it's more than just a diet. "It's a metabolic process that our ancestors all went through," he notes. This natural state offers benefits beyond fat loss, including improved mental clarity and energy production.

Leverage Keto for Disease Prevention

Jeff Volek, PhD, RD, supports this approach, adding: "We've reached a critical mass of scientific evidence at this point. Nutrition experts now agree that low-carb diets provide benefits beyond disease management. In other words, they've been shown to not only help people with diet-related diseases, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, they can also help generally healthy people reduce their risk of developing those diseases in the first place."

Choose Clean Keto for Optimal Results

Not all keto diets are created equal. Azadi stresses the importance of "clean keto" versus "dirty keto." He warns against inflammatory fats, stating, "There are a set of fats, these dietary fats that are arguably more inflammatory than sugar and smoking." Instead, focus on high-quality proteins and healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, seafood, and eggs.

Master the Art of Healthy Fat Selection

"Fats, for example, when you do keto, you're going to eat more fats, but not all fats are created equal," Azadi explains. He recommends focusing on "saturated fats and monounsaturated fats to give your audience an example: coconut, coconut oil, olive, olive oil, seafood, eggs, et cetera. Those would be healthy fats."

Avoid the Hidden Dangers of Seed Oils

Azadi is particularly cautious about seed oils. "These seed oils, these vegetable oils you mentioned, they stick around in your body for years. The half-life is 680 days," he warns. This means that even after stopping consumption, these oils can continue to cause inflammation in your body for a long time.

Navigate Restaurants with a Seed Oil Allergy Card

To avoid these harmful oils, Azadi suggests using a "seed oil allergy card" when dining out. This card politely informs restaurants of your need to avoid certain oils, helping you maintain your clean keto diet even when eating out.

Amplify Your Results with Intermittent Fasting

Azadi combines keto with intermittent fasting for enhanced results. "When we are in a fasted state, so many things happen in the body that are remarkable," he says. Fasting triggers autophagy, a cellular cleanup process that can help prevent diseases like cancer and autoimmune conditions.

RELATED: Top 7 Carbs You Should Eat Every Day to Lose Weight, According to a Kinesiologist

Ease into Fasting Gradually

However, he cautions against jumping into fasting too quickly. "The first step is to gradually decrease their total carbs," Azadi advises. Start with keto to become fat-adapted, then gradually introduce fasting periods.

Become Your Own Health Experiment

One size doesn't fit all when it comes to health. "Do your own experiment and see what works for you," Azadi suggests. This approach allows you to fine-tune your diet and lifestyle based on your unique needs and responses.

Customize Your Approach Based on Gender

This is particularly important for women, as Azadi notes: "Men and women definitely do it differently. So men could be more aggressive... Menstruating women want to go with their hormonal cycle."

Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Foods

While following a keto diet, it's crucial to focus on nutrient-dense foods. Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE, notes about eggs: "Eggs are a great source of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, selenium, and iron." These nutrient-rich foods can help support overall health while following a low-carb lifestyle.

RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Best Body as a Mesomorph

Boost Heart Health with Keto-Friendly Foods

Flora Clarke, MSc, adds to this, explaining the benefits of keto-friendly foods like avocados: "Research shows that eating avocados regularly can reduce levels of 'bad' cholesterol and improve your heart health."

Stabilize Blood Sugar for Steady Energy

A key benefit of the keto diet is its ability to manage blood sugar levels. "Low-carb meals and snacks are ideal if you want to maintain steady energy throughout the day without blood sugar spiking and dropping," says Volek.

Enhance Satiety with Protein-Rich Foods

Regarding keto-friendly foods like cottage cheese, OSF Healthcare states, "Cottage cheese is especially good for people living with diabetes. It is low in carbohydrates. In addition, the protein in cottage cheese slows digestion, which promotes satiety and can prevent blood sugar spikes."

RELATED: I'm a Dietitian and These 7 Morning Habits Changed My Life

Harness the Healing Power of Positive Thoughts

Perhaps Azadi's most powerful insight is the impact of our thoughts on our health. "Our thoughts have the ability to communicate with our DNA," he explains. Positive, grateful thoughts can create anti-inflammatory proteins and protect our DNA, while negative thoughts do the opposite.

Transform Your Health with Daily Thought Practices

Azadi considers this the ultimate biohack: "We have 60,000 opportunities every day to put the body in either a healing state or an inflammatory state." By cultivating awareness of our thoughts and creating a supportive environment, we can significantly impact our health and longevity.

RELATED: Believing These 5 Weight Loss Lies Kept Me Obese

Shape Your Health Journey Through Your Environment

Azadi underlines the importance of your environment in shaping your health journey. "Our environment determines the thoughts that we think and the values that we have, the values that we have, and the thoughts that we think determine the actions we take or don't take. And that determines the results we get," he explains. He advises being mindful of the people and influences in your life. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss I’m a Nutritionist and Here Are 25 Weight Loss Truths You Need to Hear.