The way various ketosis-centric programs have been marketed has led to an influx of poor dietary advice, leading many to think ketosis is bad news for health.

That’s not necessarily correct. On the contrary, ketosis is simply the body’s own fuel source and is designed to preserve our energy and our life. However, it’s when diets focus solely on achieving a state of ketosis that the wheels can fall off! Let me explain …

There’s a misunderstanding, from people who need to put us into a box, that ketosis is the method behind the incredible results on our programs. It’s not. While some form of mild ketosis is normal during times of fasting, focussing on this process is as useless as counting calories. 

If you’re only focusing on getting into fully fledged ketosis – a metabolic state where your body uses fat and ketones rather than glucose (sugar) as its main fuel source - you’ll be focusing only macro nutrients, and probably not making the healthiest choices.  You may experience weight loss, but that also happens on AstonRx while also improving a range of other health markers. While some people on our program do enter ketosis, it’s not necessary to get results. 

If anyone is experiencing heavy ketosis on our programs, it’s usually because they aren’t eating their full quota of recommended plant foods. When carbohydrate intake has been low for a few days, glucose stores in the liver are depleted. The liver can make some glucose from amino acids, via a process known as gluconeogenesis, and the remainder is facilitated by ketones. Mild ketosis isn’t unhealthy. We don’t need high levels of carbohydrate for the brain to function and ketones can provide about 70 per cent of the fuel needed for the brain. In fact, we naturally enter a state of ketosis during sleep and a surgeon who took part in our program last year reported a much increased state of mental alertness during long hours in theatre. But there’s also no need to be in heavy ketosis, nor does this necessarily benefit you in any way. 

If you’re a Type 1 diabetic, ketosis is dangerous because their metabolism is unable to self-regulate, leading to ketoacidososis which is a life-threatening emergency. 

We may not eat simple carbohydrates such as sugar and processed food on AstonRX, but we don’t eliminate all the wonderful, fibre and vitamin rich plant foods. Without them, the microbiome isn’t being fed all the fibre and plant food it needs to thrive for our overall health, brain, mood, and well-being.