New to RECODE, help with diet please

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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MsCindy
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New to RECODE, help with diet please

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Hi, I'm Cindy, and new here. I haven't had ApoE tests results back yet, but my father's entire family, including extended, died of Alzheimer's, so I'm pretty sure I have at least one ApoE4 allele. I'm already feeling some scary brain bubbles at 63, and I know it's time to act. I have Bredersen's book, and have spent the last 6 weeks implementing as much of it as I can. I've been on the ketogenic diet for over a month now, and I'm fully in the ketosis levels he recommends. But in order to get there, I've had to lower my carbs to around 20 grams, and raise my fats to 75-80% of my food. Calories are around 1200. I had been on a non-fat diet for 30 years before this to keep my weight down, so this is a huge change for me. My question is about the fats.

My doctor is very upset because my lipids are all high, so I want as much of the fat as possible in my diet to be good fats. I'm cooking mostly with avocado oil and using olive oil raw on everything I can think of. But it still isn't enough to give me 1200 calories or to maintain ketosis for me. Are there some diet tips someone can give me to help me get me get more good fats in my diet? I do eat nuts of all kinds, but they also add carbs. Or maybe is there a recipe section somewhere for ideas for people like me who are kind of clueless?

Thanks in advance for any help!
Cindy
ncjlhp
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Re: New to RECODE, help with diet please

Post by ncjlhp »

Cindy,
I am new also and it is quite a change of thinking of my existing food paradigm also! There are so many people on this board with way more experience and knowledge, but from what I gather, olive oil is good as well as some others. I was listening to the Awakening From Alzheimer's podcasts and they all seem to recommend a lot of these good oils! And vast reductions of animal products- very unlike some of the low carb diets I have used in the past.
Best wishes to you as you learn more!
Jan
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CarrieS
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Re: New to RECODE, help with diet please

Post by CarrieS »

Good Morning MsCindy and welcome to the website. May I commend you on the great changes that you've made already! It can be confusing as we make the recommended changes. Dr. Stavia has put together a Primer to help break down diet and lifestyle changes. You can find it here: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1418 Member Ski has a simplified version titled New here? Some Best Practices viewtopic.php?f=2&t=557
As ncjlhp mentioned, there is a lot of experience and knowledge in these forums that may be helpful in answering the questions that you have. Here are a few tips to help you navigate this site. You can find the search function by clicking on the 3 vertical dots to the right of your name. Type in key words like "keto" to bring up forum posts on that subject (I found 1042 posts). You can also find the Wiki by clicking on those 3 vertical dots. The Wiki is a great source of more in depth information and Section 9 is "What can I eat - Recipes from members".
This is a very supportive community so keep asking questions. Hugs to you on your journey!
APOe4/4
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MsCindy
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New to RECODE, help with diet please

Post by MsCindy »

Thank you so much, Carrie! And you too, Jan! I'm so excited to have this huge hope of not following my family down the Alzheimer's path. Your tips are very helpful, and I'll get busy reading. :-)
A big hug to both of you!
Cindy
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CarrieS
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Re: New to RECODE, help with diet please

Post by CarrieS »

I'm right there with you being "excited to have this huge hope of not following my family down the Alzheimer's path". My maternal grandmother and mother both died after a very long struggle from complications of AD so I am grateful to have hope by making positive changes in mind/body/spirit that my mother and grandmother didn't know about. I've learned to listen to my body and trust my intuition about what works and what doesn't for me. I made the changes over the course of a few years and continue to tweak. Your positive attitude is a blessing!
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Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
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Certificate for Reversing Cognitive Decline for Coaches (FMCA)
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SusanJ
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Re: New to RECODE, help with diet please

Post by SusanJ »

MsCindy, a month isn't very long, and it takes a while for the body to settle into ketosis. Some of our members (search for Tincup's diet description) find that in the longer term, you can eat higher amounts of good carbs and still stay in ketosis.

You're eating the right stuff, and you might try macadamia nuts if you don't already eat them. For other ideas, we've started a new recipe page - it doesn't have a lot yet, but you might find some ideas. I also like Against All Grain and Elana's Pantry for recipe ideas, which can be modified to meet your needs. Just stay away from the dessert pages. ;)
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