Anyone tried or doing a Palaeolithic Ketogenic Diet (PKD) plus Alternate-Day Fasting (ADF) protocol?

(James Barnett) #1

Looking into historical accounts and research it appears that because of the scarcity of animals to hunt, that between these hunts we would either fast or graze on other natural food products to keep us ticking over. This of course would explain our omnivorous nature.

In light of this, it appears a diet that would best mimic this would be a PKD + ADF protocol where you eat natural foods in between hunts and then feast after the hunt on feast days. Of course, historically a human being wouldn’t find an animal every other day or so and it’d be maybe after 2 days here, 4 days there, 8 days the next, and then 2 days again etc.

For example:

Monday: Feast day - feast and eat a lot of meat/fish (fat + protein)
Tuesday: Fasting - all day fasting
Wednesday: Grazing before hunt - gathering energy in preparation for hunt

On the grazing day, before the feast, you go hardest at the gym to mimic the energy output that would be required on a hunt.

Repeat the above process.

Also, with this in mind, we also have the added benefits:

  1. Separating the intake of carbs and the bulk of our fat/protein macronutrients.
  2. The whole day of fasting allows us to obtain the benefits of autophagy
  3. Grazing on carbs before big exercise output would provide you with additional energy

Has anyone tried this protocol? I’m looking at giving it a go and putting together my own protocol around this specific area.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

There is a lot of evidence of what our ancestors ate, but interpreting it is the source of a lot of discussions. I don’t believe it is possible to make too many categorical statements, although it appears that a few are possible. Carbon-isotope analyisis of the bones reveals pretty precisely, apparently, just how much or little plant matter was eaten by the people at an archaeological dig. It is also pretty clear from the condition of the bones whether the site belonged to hunter-gatherers or to farmers. The farmers’ bones are stunted and show signs of various health problems, whereas hunter-gatherer bones are longer, straighter, and much healthier. Michael Eades has a couple of excellent lectures on the topic, and they are floating around YouTube in various versions.

It is also important not to retroject into the past guesses based on our experience in the present. It is easy to make an assumption that the climate conditions of one’s immediate ancestors, for example, would have applied to the human race as a whole. Our habit of eating only muscle meat may or may not have applied, a million years ago, because there is no way to tell which parts of the animals in a given midden were eaten by the people, and which parts were fed to their dogs. Likewise, our experience of intensely sweet fruits may lead us to erroneous conclusions, because it is difficult to tell just how sweet the fruits of a million years ago would have really been.

(Jane) #3

What are your goals? Better health? Weight loss? Something else?

The reason I ask is the grazing all day will keep your insulin high and you will store fat, but if fat loss isn’t one of your goals then I don’t see a problem with it as long as you don’t graze on processed junk. You will likely burn it off at the gym.

I like your schedule of the fat+protein the day before fasting to increase your chances of autophagy. If you fasted after your grazing day you are wasting fasting time burning up glycogen stores. Now I say this as a theory since there needs to be a LOT more study on the mechanisms of autophagy. what increases it, what stops it, etc.

If you try this, please let us know how it worked for you and what you eat on your grazing days. I would be curious if the grazing every 3 days makes it harder to fast (it would trigger hunger for me) but maybe not for you.

(Ken) #4

The relatively low human population and the massive amount of herding animals insured a steady supply of meat and fat. Not only fresh, but in the form of pemmican. It was only after the Younger Dryas and the extinction of most Ice Age Megafauna that mankind switched to other food sources, including grains.

Having said that, I usually follow a Paleo pattern, and have used OMAD to lose fat.

You can find lot’s of info about Paleo eating on Beyondveg.com.

#5

Anyone persisting with the PKD form of the keto WOE. I see there is an ADF “club” thread.