Ketogenic and GAPS Diet Breakfast Ideas

When you are trying to follow a healing diet like the GAPS diet, it can be difficult to come up with breakfast ideas. If you have made it through the long introductory phase of mostly meat stock and bone broth, you can start introducing some fun GAPS diet breakfast foods.

Keeping the breakfasts ketogenic for me has increased the satiety and helped to reduce inflammation that can come from carbohydrates.

Bacon and Eggs

This is a standard on the ketogenic diet. It can get a bit old, but most people love the savory taste of bacon and eggs. Eggs are allowed on a GAPS diet once you have introduced them and shown that you don’t react to them.

Scrambled eggs
Fried eggs
Deviled eggs (with homemade mayonnaise that is GAPS legal)
Crustless Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

When selecting bacon, keep in mind that the regular store-bought bacon often has some additives that may not fit into a GAPS diet. You may want to opt for higher quality uncured bacon and cure it yourself. If you’re like me, you’ll throw all caution to the wind and consume the small amount of nitrates and nitrites in conventional bacon and hope for the best.

Berries

Berries are low carbohydrate and fit into both a ketogenic diet and a GAPS diet for healing and sealing the gut. Berries are a great addition to breakfasts. They add color and flavor to your plate and tantalize the palate.

For the ketogenic and GAPS diet, the best options for berries will be strawberries and blueberries. They are the lowest in carbohydrates and easily found in most grocery stores.

Berries can be combined with homemade yogurt for additional fat and protein.

GAPS Greek Yogurt Recipe

All dairy can be problematic for people who have autoimmune conditions. The GAPS diet recommends waiting until you have completed the introductory diet to test out your sensitivity to dairy. However, usually after a few months on the GAPS diet, dairy allergies subside and you can safely eat them. It is still recommended fermenting your own dairy.

The ketogenic diet allows for about 20 grams of carbohydrates. In a serving of Greek yogurt there are only 6 carbohydrates, so you can safely eat Greek yogurt without throwing yourself into ketosis.

This recipe is from Jeanette’sHealthyLiving:

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon grass-fed organic whole milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus L. acidophilus and S. thermophilus

Instructions:

Heat milk in a large pot until it reaches a simmer. This will be at about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let milk cool to room temperature.
Remove 1 cup of cooled milk and place in a bowl. Stir in yogurt until blended. Stir mixture into a pot and mix until it is well blended. Portion milk into mason jars.
Place in dehydrator and set to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave for 24 hours. Remove. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Good for 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from Elaine Gottschall’s Breaking The Vicious Cycle

Chaffles

The word chaffle is a combination of cheese and waffles. It really is a crunchy form of a cheese omelet, but it comes out in the shape of a waffle and has a nice crunch to it! People have been using chaffles for hamburger buns, waffles, desserts and breakfasts on the ketogenic diet. They can be made GAPS friendly if you use a high-quality raw cheese.

Image source: That Low Carb Life

Recipe from That Low Carb Life

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella

Instructions:

Whisk the egg. Stir in the cheese.
Place half the batter in a mini waffle maker for 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Waffles crisp up like a normal waffle in 1-2 minutes after removing from the waffle maker.

Optional: Add 1 teaspoon coconut flour or almond flour for a more bread-like texture.

Berry Smoothies

To adapt this berry smoothie recipe to the GAPS diet, eliminate the swerve sweetener and use a little honey.

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut milk kefir
1/2 cup frozen berries
1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (for healthy fats and energy)
1 teaspoon Swerve

Directions:

Blend it together in a blender for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it looks smooth. Enjoy!

Final Thoughts on Ketogenic and GAPS Breakfast Ideas

I love breakfast foods and these breakfast ideas have all been very quick to make in the morning and kept me satiated for hours. Some people will still want to bake up ketogenic and GAPS legal muffins, but that takes quite a bit more planning, time and effort. I haven’t gotten sick for scrambled eggs and bacon and I’ve been eating that for months now!

To get 10 breakfast recipes, 14 lunch recipes and 14 dinner recipes, check out the 28-Day Keto Challenge!

In the comment section below, let me know what your favorite low carb breakfast ideas are!

28-Day Keto Challenge Review

Name: 28-Day Keto Challenge

Website: 28dayketo.com

Price: $37

Owners: Keto Resources

Overall Rank: 85 out of 100

28-Day Keto Challenge, Product Overview

This digital product consists of seven books to help you conquer the ketogenic diet and see results. You’ll not only learn the basics and mechanics of the ketogenic diet, but you’ll also discover effective ways to tackle the social situations that may make you cave into carbohydrates.

The 28-Day Keto challenge includes:

Keto Diet Basics – This book helps you understand the foundation of the diet.
Eating Well on Keto – You’ll get 10 breakfast recipes, 14 lunch recipes and 14 dinner recipes and a 28-day meal planning calendar.
Staying in Ketosis – Discover how to get into ketosis in 3 days and how to know if you’re in ketosis.
Mastering Macros – Learn to calculate macronutrients and discover the proper ratios for ketosis.
Beating the Keto Flu – Don’t freak out when the “keto flu” hits. Learn how to make it go away.
Intermittent Fasting – Explore 5 different types of intermittent fasting to jump start ketosis and speed up fat loss.
Social Situations – Uncover healthy ways of handling the social eating pressures. Tips for eating out and guidelines for alcohol consumption.
Guilt- Free Desserts – 36 mouth-watering “fat bomb” recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Yummy Avocado Recipes – Delicious and unique ketogenic friendly ways to prepare an avocado.
Keto Supplements Guide – Learn the 12 recommended Keto supplements to transition to ketosis and make the diet more effective.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

This is a well-structured 28-day program. It is great for the person who is very new to keto and doesn’t have a clue what they’ll be eating in the morning. Lots of recipes to help you get through the month.
The books are well laid out and easy to understand.
This program helps you to avoid the dreaded Keto flu, which can occur when your body adapts too quickly to a new diet.
Recipes are printable and you can take them with you to the store to buy the ingredients.
60-day Money-back Guarantee.

The Bad:

Recipes don’t discourage you from using unhealthy fats, such as margarine.
Focuses on the weight loss aspect of the ketogenic diet and now the health benefits – such as seizure prevention, etc.
It is digital. Many people prefer books.

Who is 28-Day Keto Challenge For?

The 28-day keto challenge is for beginners to the ketogenic diet who are focused on weight loss. It provides them with great recipe options to get started, the tips and tricks necessary to stay on the diet, and ways to avoid the ketogenic flu.

The combination of excellent recipes and a meal planner will help you stay on track. The book on dealing with Social Situations will help you get through those happy hours and networking events where it seems too easy to try the free drinks and food.

While all the information contained in the books can be searched online, it is nice to have it all in one place. Purchasing the program will elevate your commitment to sticking with it for 28 days. Once you have 28 days of the diet under you belt, it becomes easy!

Reasons to try the 28-Day Keto Challenge

Those who have tried the 28-day keto challenge report the following:

Be lighter and thinner… common to lose12+ pounds!
An increase in energy
Better sleep…wake up more rested
Improvement in skin and hair texture
Feel a sense of accomplishment
Who doesn’t love eating bacon and eggs for breakfast everyday!

Most importantly…GAIN MOMENTUM with your new Keto lifestyle.

28-Day Keto Challenge Support

The 28-Day Keto Challenge doesn’t come with support in the form of a counselor or someone to consult with. However, the resources that you are provided with are fairly comprehensive and you probably won’t need it.

28-Day Keto Challenge Price

The cost of the program is reasonable. It is $37, which is comparable to the cost of a ketogenic recipe book. However, with this you not only get the recipes, you also get the additional books on coping with being on a diet, the pitfalls to avoid with the ketogenic diet and how to master the macronutrients.

For a month long challenge, it costs you a little over a dollar a day. This is very affordable and can be life-changing if you use the meal planner to plan out your meals and stick with the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet will not only help you lose weight, but it will decrease inflammation in the body. This results in eliminating chronic health conditions.

My Final Opinion of 28-Day Keto Challenge

I just finished a month on the ketogenic diet. I feel great. For me, it wasn’t the first time I had done the ketogenic diet, so I knew a lot of the information in the 28-day keto challenge. However, there were great recipes that I will continue to incorporate.

I absolutely love that they have ways to handle social situations. I am great at staying on the diet when I’m at home because it is so satiating. However, when I go out, I tend to succumb to temptation. For me, the book on handling social situations was the most valuable.

My results after 28 days on the ketogenic diet are an increase in mental clarity, increase in energy. I did not experience weight loss, but I am at my ideal weight. I have done the ketogenic diet for health improvement and seizure prevention.

28-Day Keto Challenge at a Glance…

Name: 28-Day Keto Challenge

Website: 28dayketo.com

Owners: Ketoresource.org

Price: $37

Overall Scam Rank: 85 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT! It is a great product. I recommend it to those people who are getting started with the ketogenic diet and don’t know where to begin. It will provide you with the recipes that you need for the whole month.

The GAPS diet and Epilepsy – Should You Try It?

The Ketogenic diet is well-known for helping people lose weight and eliminating seizures. However, another great diet on the scene that was created by a neurologist, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, is helping people with epilepsy as well. It is the GAPS diet or the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet.

There are a few advantages to doing the GAPS diet for epilepsy over the ketogenic diet. There is a lot of overlap in the food recommendations between the GAPS diet and the ketogenic diet as well.

Let’s dive in to why you might want to consider the GAPS diet or a ketogenic version of the GAPS diet.

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Nutrient Density

The GAPS diet is very nutrient dense. It focuses intensely on healing and sealing the gut. In order to heal the gut, you need lots of nutrients.

Certain nutrients are vital to brain health. For example, B vitamins are essential for brain function. The brain can not function well without essential amino acids and vital nutrients.

Vitamin B12 helps with faster and better cognition. It assists with electrical signaling between neurons. Even a slight vitamin B12 deficiency, which often occurs in patients with epilepsy, will result in poorer quality of myelination. When this occurs, the electrical signaling is poor and could be the cause of seizures.

A vitamin B12 deficiency is known to cause fatigue, fogginess and depression. Chronic deficiency can result in permanent damage and dementia.

Vitamin A is another important vitamin for brain functioning. It is helpful in spatial memory. Although, researchers are still looking into the reasons behind this.

Magnesium is a mineral with an essential role in nerve transmission and neuromuscular conduction. Magnesium functions in a protective role against the excessive excitation that can result in seizures and neuronal cell death.

The Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet emphasizes eating foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals including organ meats, bone broths and cooked vegetables.

Eliminates Toxins

The toxins that are found in modern foods include artificial flavorings, artificial colors, pesticides, and preservatives. The ketogenic diet does not focus too intently on the quality of the foods. The GAPS diet is much more particular about which foods are safe to eat.

The GAPS diet requires you to eliminate processed foods and make all of your own foods from scratch. This is a huge undertaking, but if you focus on simple foods like eating a piece of meat, bone broth soups and simply cooked vegetables, it can be very manageable.

By eliminating the toxins and increasing the food quality, not only will you reduce the chances of seizures, but you may also heal from other disorders. The GAPS diet has helped heal many people with autoimmune conditions, ADHD, and autism.

Greater Variety of Foods

Many people mistakenly believe that it is ketosis that leads to seizure control. While ketosis provides the body with many health benefits, it is not the only element in the ketogenic diet that is supporting seizure control.

The Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet allows for more carbohydrates than the ketogenic diet. It allows for a limited amount of fresh fruit, which the ketogenic diet permits.

The GAPS diet is designed to be extremely restrictive in the early stages and lead you to healing the gut and allowing an assortment of foods. Many people only do the GAPS diet for two years and then incorporate a standard American diet.

When compared to the ketogenic diet, it is often prescribed for children and used for about 3 years to control seizures. Some patients may stay on it indefinitely.

Healing the Gut

The GAPS diet aims at healing the gut to eliminate the cause of seizures. If a leaky gut is the cause of your seizures, the GAPS diet will cure you of your seizures when done correctly.

Healing the gut will also improve digestion, increase nutrient absorption, eliminate allergies, and cure autoimmune conditions.

Conclusion

The GAPS diet is a great diet for people with epilepsy. I am doing a combination of GAPS diet and ketogenic diet now. In the past, I have done the GAPS diet, but just stuck with it long enough for my seizures to get under control. I got frustrated when I didn’t see new hair regrowth. (Alopecia is my main reason for trying any diet.)

So, if you have epilepsy, I highly recommend a ketogenic version of the GAPS diet. This will mean that you buy higher quality meats and skip the sugar free jello snacks, but it will give you a much better chance to heal all of your health conditions.

I recommend a ketogenic version of the GAPS diet. Check out the ketogenic cookbook for some recipe ideas today and make sure that you are using GAPS friendly ingredients!

What is the Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy?

Doctors have moved away from prescribing the ketogenic diet for epilepsy due to the convenience of prescribing an anti-convulsant. Medication is easier for a doctor to monitor and implement than dietary changes. It can also have a more immediate effect than a dietary change. But the ketogenic diet for epilepsy is really effective when done correctly!

The ketogenic diet for epilepsy is an extremely low carbohydrate diet that focuses on healthy fats. The ketogenic diet has recently become more accepted within the weight loss community, but there are often some key differences between the two diets.

First and foremost, the weight loss ketogenic dieters will often eat processed or unhealthy foods as long as they are under the macronutrient levels that are prescribed. People don’t always focus on eating healthy foods when they are concerned about weight loss.

What to Eat on the Ketogenic Diet?

When prescribed for epilepsy, the ketogenic diet focuses on maintaining a high fat to carbohydrate ratio. The main goal is to get the body into ketosis and keep it there.

The classical ketogenic diet is about 80% fats, 15% protein and 5% carbohydrates. Any foods that fit into the these macronutrient levels tend to be generally accepted on the ketogenic diet.

Most of the foods that are less than 20 grams of carbohydrates will be vegetables. Fatty cuts of meat such as rib-eye steak, high fat ground beef and bacon are encouraged. Additional fats such as mayonnaise and butter are encouraged.

Why Does the Ketogenic For Epilepsy Work?

There isn’t actually one accepted reason why the ketogenic diet works in preventing seizures. The best we can do is examine the diet and hypothesize why it may be preventing seizures. Some of the key concepts taken from Frontiers in Neuroscience include:

Glucose produces rapidly available energy that is necessary for seizure activity. In the ketogenic diet, the blood glucose energy levels are low, reducing the availability of glucose as an energy fuel for seizures.
Chronic ketosis elevates the brain energy reserve through the stabilization and reduction of excitability of the synapses.
The Ketogenic diet induced stabilization is also due to critical changes in the amino acids due to ketone metabolism.
The ketogenic diet interferes with the concentration of gamma-aminobutryic acid, which is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter.
The gut microbiota can have an anti-seizure effect on the ketogenic diet. It increases the beneficial bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila and Parabacteroides spp. This leads to changes in the colonic luminal metabolome with a decrease in gamma-glutamyl amino acids.
The ketogenic diet interferes with pro-inflammatory cytokines which could cause seizures.
The ketogenic diet eliminates many foods that contains toxins that could trigger seizures.

The ketogenic diet for epilepsy has a different mechanism than anti-epileptic drugs. It functions on a metabolic theory that suggests seizure control is realized through natural restoration of the metabolic state. This includes the mitochondrial pathways and energy metabolism.

The ketogenic diet requires systemic modifications and a dynamic metabolic homeostasis. The interplay between ketone bodies, glucose levels, mitochondrial function, and synaptic neurotransmitters can lead to changes in seizure threshold. These changes are what lead to the anti-convulsant properties of the ketogenic diet.

Efficacy of the Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy

What kind of results can you expect from the ketogenic diet? This will definitely be influenced by your ability to comply with the diet.

Kossof studied 20 children on 10 grams of carbohydrates a day. 65% had a greater than 50% reduction in their seizure activity and 35% had over 90% reduction. Four of the children were seizure free at six months on the diet.

Kang studied children in South Korea. 36% of 14 children on the Modified Atkins Diet for seizures (slightly more carbohydrates than the ketogenic diet) demonstrated a greater than 50% improvement in seizures. 12% became seizure-free.

In a study in South Korea, 36% of 14 children treated with the MAD showed improvement of >50% in seizures and 12% were seizure-free (Kang et al., 2007)

A meta-analysis of studies on the ketogenic diet showed that the number of patients who achieve greater than 50% seizure reduction ranges from 20-70%. The diet is abandoned between 12-82% of patients.

It does require quite a bit of discipline to stay on a ketogenic diet, which may be why many of the patients are abandoning the diet. However, achieving greater than 50% reduction in seizures is quite good. Many patients who take anti-convulsants don’t get full control on the anti-convulsant.

How Do Your Begin the Diet?

The ketogenic diet for epilepsy is started under close medical supervision especially when being used as a mono therapy. It is begun gradually over a 3 to 4 day period. The blood sugar and ketone levels are monitored.

Carbohdyrates are reduced to less than 20 carbohydrates per day. Fats will be 80% of the diet, while Protein will be about 15% of the diet and the remaining 5% of the diet will be carbohydrates from vegetables.

For epilepsy patients that are currently on medication, it is safe to start the ketogenic diet simply by reducing your carbohydrate intake and increasing your fat intake gradually. Start by eliminating processed junk foods like candy, soda, and chips.

Similar Dietary Approaches to Epilepsy

The classical ketogenic diet can be very restrictive. Some patients may want to adopt a diet that is more flexible or even one that is a bit more strict.

Modified Atkins Diet – Uses a high proportion of fats and strict control of carbohydrates. Approximate portion sizes can be used in place of weighed out recipes.
Low glycemic index treatment – This diet focuses on how carbohydrates affect the level of glucose in the patient’s blood. It restricts the amount of carbohydrates eaten. Approximate portion sizes are used as well.
GAPS Diet – A diet focusing on healing the intestinal lining of the gut in order to prevent seizures. It was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and helps to address neurological symptoms that arise due to a leaky gut.
Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet – An approach from the Paleomedicina group in Hungary led by Zsofia Clemens to treat seizures. The diet focuses on only eating paleolithic food and organ meat in a ketogenic ratio. It is a much stricter diet with greater success rates.

Conclusion

The ketogenic diet can be an effective way to get your seizure under control whether you are taking an anti-convulsant or not. There are many benefits to the ketogenic diet when it comes to reducing inflammation in the body as well. If you haven’t tried the ketogenic diet, click here to get a free digital cookbook.

Dr. Carolyn Dean’s ReMyte Review

ReMyte Mineral Solution Review

Name: ReMyte Mineral Solution – Dr. Carolyn Dean’s PicoMeter Multiple Minerals from RnA ReSet
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Website: Available at Amazon.com

Price: $39.99

Owners: Dr. Carolyn Dean

Overall Rank: 80 out of 100 (4/5 star rating on Amazon)

ReMyte Mineral Solution, Product Overview

This is Dr. Carolyn Dean’s pico-meter mineral formula supplement. It is a concentrated solution of twelve different minerals that you add to water. ReMyte is recommended by doctors and naturopaths for its quality and bio-availability. ReMyte includes boron, iodine, selenium, zinc, magnesium and more.

The product was designed to boost the electrolytes in the body. Electrolytes are ionic conductors of the body’s electrical current. The electrolytes are dissolved into bodily fluids and travel through the body to activate nerve and muscle cells during physical activity. ReMyte balances these electrolytes for complete hydration.

ReMyte provides the body with a dozen minerals in a unique picometer size for fast absorption into the body at the cellular level. The potency of the minerals can be very low. This eliminates the chance of toxicity.

The minerals included in ReMyte all have specific roles to play in bone health, blood vessel integrity, immune regulation, blood sugar balance and thyroid support.

The ReMyte mineral solution works in conjunction with Dr. Carolyn Dean’s ReMag, which stabilizes both lipid cell membranes. ReMyte allows the mineral ions to properly enter the cells and perform their cellular functions.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

Provides the body with 12 minerals.
Fast absorption due to picometer size.
The taste is not strong when combined with water.

The Bad:

Pricing seems a bit high when you add an extra $7 for shipping.
Don’t notice any difference in my own health and blood levels after taking it for six months.

Who is ReMyte For?

Due to the fact that the soils are severely mineral deficient, the entire population is becoming mineral deficient. The quality of our foods is going down with each new processed food and the chemical flavorings that are being added.

ReMyte is a supplement that will help to restore the mineral levels in your body so that it can perform its functions properly.

ReMyte Mineral Solution Support

You can contact Carolyn Dean through her website at RNAreset.com. She also has a YouTube channel where she will answer questions and discuss the completement formulas that she has created.

ReMyte Mineral Solution Price

I feel the ReMyte Mineral Solution price is a bit high at almost $40 per bottle. However, the bottles tend to last me about two months. For $20 per month, I can supplement and receive the minerals that my body needs.

My Final Opinion of ReMyte Mineral Solution

Despite some great sales and marketing, I haven’t seen a major increase in my health and wellness over the past six months that I have been taking this product. While the picometer size may make a big difference in absorption, I’m questioning whether it does.

The product supposedly supports thyroid health, but my last thyroid test was still a bit elevated. There was no change there. I’m looking into trying some other trace mineral supplements.

ReMyte Mineral Solution at a Glance…[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B074QVN696″ locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]

Name: Dr. Carolyn Dean’s ReMyte Mineral Solution

Website: Available at Amazon.com or RNAreset.com

Owners: Dr. Carolyn Dean

Price: $39.99

Overall Scam Rank: 80 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT – The product contains the minerals that the body needs. Many people are seeing great results based on the customer reviews from Amazon. My experience with the product was just satisfactory. I didn’t see amazing changes in my health.

ReMyte Reviews (from Amazon):

Helps with AFib

“My Afib has improved 90% and its only been 2 months. Highly recommend.” – diane

Helps with Leg Cramps

“Had a really persistent leg muscle cramp overnight recently that kept me up all night until I made myself a 2oz swig of a prorated mix of Remag pick-ionic magnesium with the salted water, cramps stopped immediately.” – test tech

Reduced Migraines

“My migraines have been reduced by 95% after suffering with them for 45 years.” -Lois

Dr. Caroloyn Dean’s ReMag Magnesium Solution Review

ReMag Magnesium by RnA ReSet Review

Name: ReMag Pico-Ionic Liquid Magnesium by RnA ReSet

Website: Available at Amazon.com

Price: $29.99 + 7.32 shipping (8 ounce bottle)

Owners: Dr. Carolyn Dean

Overall Rank: 90 out of 100

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ReMag Magnesium Solution, Product Overview

ReMag Pico-Ionic Liquid Magnesium is a magnesium supplement that is intended to eliminate symptoms of magnesium deficiency. ReMag is different from other magnesium due to its increased absorption. It doesn’t have the common laxative effect that many magnesium solutions have.

ReMag features:

Highly concentrated. 60,000ppm concentration of 99.99% pure elemental magnesium.
Strong taste. Dilute with water.
Promotes strong bones, muscles, cardiovascular health and nervous system function.
Increased absorption. The pico-ionic form allows absorption at the cellular level.

The ReMag minerals are sourced from a pure source of magnesium chloride. The product was developed with a small ion size that is similar in size to plant magnesium. This helps to deliver stabilized magnesium ions to your cells. The ReMag picometer-ionic form of magnesium allows for direct and complete absorption into your body’s cells. This prevents a diarrhea response to magnesium because it is absorbed before it reaches the large intestine.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

This does not seem to cause much of a laxative effect at all. You can take it without worrying about running to the bathroom.
It is in liquid form and easy to swallow.
Due to the pico-ionic size, you are more likely to absorb the magnesium.
When diluted the taste is unnoticeable.
Sourced from pure magnesium chloride.

The Bad:

The cost is competitive for a magnesium supplement, but you have to pay extra for shipping.
On its own, it tastes very bad. Must dilute the concentrate.
Some customers did experience a laxative effect.

Who is ReMag For?

According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, a magnesium supplement is for everyone now that we have reduced the mineral content in our food due to poor agricultural practices. This may be an essential supplement if you aren’t eating beef liver or drinking mineral water.

Magnesium is important to almost every bodily function that we have. When magnesium levels are low, you will start to experience muscle cramps, fatigue, aches and pains, mood problems, PMS, heart irregularities, anxiety, digestive issues, constipation and ADHD.

ReMag Magnesium Support

Dr. Carolyn Dean and her team at RNA reset have fairly good customer service. They also have an informative YouTube channel where they discuss how to use the ReMag and other formulas.

ReMag Price

The cost of 8 ounces of ReMag concentrated magnesium solution is $29,99. Other brands of magnesium are less expensive and include shipping. However, if more of the magnesium in the ReMag really is getting absorbed into your body than the other less expensive brands, I would definitely consider the price competitive and fair.

I do wish that shipping was included in the cost as it is for many other brands on Amazon.

My Final Opinion of ReMag

I think this is a good product. I have actually been taking it for about 8 months now. The last time I checked my magnesium levels, they were in the normal range, so that is good.

I do like that the product comes in a liquid form and is theoretically more absorbable than other forms of magnesium (or so they claim. Not sure how to prove that claim).

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ReMag Magnesium Solution at a Glance…

Name: ReMag Liquid Magnesium Solution

Website: Available at Amazon.com

Owners: Dr. Carolyn Dean

Price: $29.99

Overall Scam Rank: 90 out of 100 (4.5/5 stars – An A rating!)

VERDICT: LEGIT – This is a great magnesium supplement at a fair price. It has kept my magnesium levels in the normal range.

Other Amazon ReMag Reviews (from Amazon):

“If I could give this ten stars, I would.” – rnaple

“The biggest difference I have seen in myself is no more leg cramps at night.” – Beth

“My blood pressure has normalized. Great product!” – Delores A. Young

“This stuff works, no more heart palpitations!” – Sandra Wade

Overall Amazon 5 star ratings: 69%

The Amazing Benefits of Buteyko Breathing on Asthma Symptoms

Asthma is a horrible condition. I know, I suffered from it at a young age. Your chest tightens up and your breathing becomes labored. It is uncomfortable and embarrassing. Even the inhalers only provided minor relief. Sometimes a prescription breathing treatment was necessary to stop the wheezing.

While it may seem far-fetched, practicing Buteyko Breathing exercises can eliminate the majority of your asthma symptoms. It has worked for me and can work for you too!

Now, let me preface this by saying, I’m not a Buteyko breathing instructor. I am a student and have experienced the results in my own life.

Let’s go over some of the reasons why it works and the downside of Buteyko Breathing Exercises.

How Does Asthma Develop?

To understand how Buteyko could help, you need to understand the root cause of asthma.

Low carbon dioxide values in the bronchi will trigger chronic constriction of your airways. Chronic hyperventilation will make immune reactions abnormal.

The immune system will become hypersensitive to allergens from foods and will weaken the response to pathogens.

Hyperventilation should mean a state of increased alertness and emergency. Keeping your body constantly in this state is not good.

While your immune system is hypersensitive inhaling dust particles or pollen can trigger inflammatory responses, excessive mucus production, anxiety and panic. The airways tend to constrict further.

The reason steroids and inhalers tend to work is that they halt the inflammatory response. They do it unnaturally though and you begin to rely on them.

Buteyko Breathing Benefits

Whether you achieve asthmatic freedom from Buteyko Breathing exercises or not, there are some great benefits to using this technique.

You learn to breathe correctly.
Your posture improves and you look better.
Nasal breathing is quieter.
You won’t yawn as much.
You become more mindful and aware of how your body functions.

These benefits will occur if you do the exercises consistently and correctly. You will train yourself to breathe through your nose with your diaphragm. To breathe with your diaphragm, you must have good posture. Good posture always looks better than slouching.

How Does it Work?

The theory behind Buteyko Breathing is that the gas exchange has been messed up. You are taking in too much oxygen too quickly and your body isn’t able to correctly utilize it for bodily functions.

The Russian medical doctor, Konstantin Buteyko, noticed that people who had severe illnesses tended to hyperventilate and release too much carbon dioxide from the body. To compensate, their bodies limited the release of carbon dioxide with the tightening of the bronchial muscles and production of mucus.

Diseases start to occur because the body doesn’t have the proper balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Balancing out the body with proper breathing enables it to function better and eliminate symptoms of disease.

The technique that Buteyko designed is thought to correct hyperventilation and the decreased levels of carbon dioxide. The breathing techniques can lead to a reduction in reliance on asthma medications.

Breathing through the nose rather than through the mouth will improve asthma symptoms. The mouth dries the airway and makes it more sensitive and prone to mucus production.

Is There Evidence for Buteyko Breathing and Asthma?

There have been studies done using the Buteyko breathing techniques that demonstrate that it is effective. The Medical Journal of Australia published a study in 1998 noted a trend towards the reduction of steroid use and reportedly a higher quality of life.

In 2000, The Journal of Asthma published a study of 36 adults with mild to moderate asthma. They either received Butyeko Breathing therapy for four weeks or a placebo video. The results showed a significant improvement in quality of life with the Buteyko exercises as well as a significant inhaled bronchodialator intake.

The New Zealand Medicine Journal also looked into the Buteyko breathing exercises. They followed 38 people with asthma for six months following the intervention. The Buteyko breathing group exhibited a reduction inhaled steroid use of 50% and beta2-agonist use of 85%. The control group was unchanged.

The Buteyko Breathing Technique

While most people are encouraged to learn the technique from a clinic or practitioner, you can start implementing the basics on your own. Basically, it involves focusing on breathing through your nose 24/7.

The main exercises requires you to breathe out fully and then trying to breathe out a little more until it feels as though your abdomen is being drawn against your spine. Stay in the exhaled state for as long as you comfortably can. Then allow air back in again slowly.

The exercise must be done without stress. Do not gulp or gasp for air.

Take a break and breathe normally for a while. Then go through the process again.

The aim of the Buteyko breathing exercises is to lengthen the time that you can hold the exhaled position. This is known as the control pause.

Tips for Practicing Buteyko Breathing

Buteyko breathing exercises are best done either before eating or at least two hours after.

The practice consists of nine steps:

Check and record pulse.
Check control pause and record it.
Sit in a straight-backed chair comfortably with good posture.
Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
Take a shallow breath.
Exhale and plug your nose.
Pause your breathing.
Time your pause and record it.
Rest for a couple minutes and repeat.

Ideally you would spend 20 minutes each day on this exercise. It will retrain you to breathe correctly with the right posture and gas exchange.

For some video explanations, check out How to Do the Buteyko Breathing Exercises.

The Downside to Buteyko Breathing Exercises

While this free exercise can eliminate your asthma symptoms and improve your quality of life, there are some drawbacks. The exercises do take up a lot of time. Twenty minutes per day for a few months isn’t exactly a quick cure.

While the exercises can be learned on your own through a video, people are encouraged to pay for coaching and clinics to learn the breathing method. These sessions can be very expensive.

You may still need to use your inhaler as you are learning the breathing exercises.

Despite the downsides of Buteyko breathing exercises, I still love the technique and feel that my quality of life is greatly improved through Buteyko breathing. I highly recommend looking into it if you are suffering from asthma, allergies or epilepsy.

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How to do the Buteyko Breathing Exercises

The Buteyko Breathing method helps to improve the oxygenation in the body. The rate of breathing is a reflection of your body’s overall health. Chronic hyperventilation can decrease your health and an increase in health will slow down your rate of breathing.

Some people have discovered that Butyeko breathing exercises have helped to cure their asthma, decrease depression, lose weight, improve energy levels and sleep quality.

Some Buteyko breathing practitioners will make the exercises sound a bit more complicated than they actually are. Often you can learn them on your own and incorporate them into your daily life.

Learn the Control Pause

The first thing that you should do is to learn the control pause. It will give you an indication of where your overall health is.

The control pause is simple. While sitting with good posture, breathe in through your nose. Exhale comfortable and time yourself until you feel the first urge to breathe. The number that you get in seconds is your control pause.

You can watch a quick video on the Control Pause here:

Buteyko Table of Health

Once you know your control pause, you can set goals to increase it. If you check out the Buteyko Table of health, you can get an idea of your current state of health.

I have found this table very useful in eliminating my seizures. When my control pause is around 60 seconds, I don’t have neurological problems. However, if I eat junk and get stressed out and my control pause drops to around 25, I can tell that I have more neurological instability. I also start to have issues with my asthma and allergies.

Image source: Normal Breathing

Level 1: Corresponds to severely sick and terminally ill patients. A stress free control pause will be less than five seconds.

Level 2: Corresponds to severely ill patients. The control pause is less than ten seconds. These patients require numerous types of medication to prevent symptoms and complaints. Walking up stairs can be difficult due to heavy breathing and low body oxygenation.

Level 3: 10-20 second control pause. These patients do not have a life threatening illness, but their main concern is symptoms. Taking medication is common. For these patients physical exercise is often very difficult. Walking can result in heavy breathing. Efficiency and performance in certain areas is compromised.

Level 4: The control pause is 20-30 seconds. There is no need for medication, however there are a number of health pathologies which can include gastritis, IBS, IBD, arthritis, osteoporosis and hormonal and metabolic issues. Correlates with the initial stages of cancer.

Level 5: Normal breathing frequency of 12 breaths per minute. Individuals are able to run with strictly nasal breathing and take cold showers. They have a good quality of sleep and are reasonably able to function socially.

Level 6: The Buteyko standard of health. At this level, individuals are free from over 200 chronic conditions. Healthy individuals have no more than 8 breaths per minute at rest.

Level 7: Individuals enjoy and crave physical activity. They are full of energy. Standing throughout the day is easy and natural. Sleep is less than 5 hours.

Level 8-10: States of super health. Students of Buteyko Breathing report appearance of lost amazing abilities of the body. For example, a reduction to 2 hours of perfect sleep for those who have 2 minutes of control pause. No cavities, extrasensory abilities and super consciousness.

Most Buteyko breathing students will be able to achieve level 5 or level 6 of health on their own. You may need to work with a practitioner and change your diet to achieve the super health levels.

Buteyko Breathing Steps Exercise

This exercise is great for the average person to incorporate in their daily life. Mim Beim explains it in the video below. Breathe in, breath out and then count how many steps that you can take while you are holding your breath.

Buteyko Breathing Exercise Techniques

Patrick McKeown does a great job instructing students on how to breathe properly. You should focus on the following things during buteyko breathing exercises:

Good posture
Diaphragmatic breathing
Breathing through the nose ONLY
Slowing down your breath
Softening your breathing
Hold your nose while you breathe during the exercise

Conclusion

Stress makes people sick. It increases your breathing and decreases the oxygenation level in your body. You can slow down the breath to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. You can bring your body from a sympathetic tone to being switched off by slowing down the breath. It is the opposite of the deep breath that is normally instructed.

It is vital to breathe through the nose to counter stress. Make sure that you are not holding your breath until your body is very stressed out. This can be counter-productive.

When learning and implementing the Buteyko breathing exercises, the most important thing to do is to focus on breathing through your nose 24/7. This will help your body to normalize the oxygenation levels in your body. Once you are breathing through your nose throughout the whole day and night, you will notice that your health starts to improve.

How To Workout From Home in 20 minutes a Day with No Equipment

Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we need to spend money on a gym or a nice set of weights. That thinking usually is more or less of a procrastination method. There are excellent ways to workout from home without equipment or even much time!

In fact, you can tone your body in only 20 minutes per day!

Start By Setting Aside Time

The most important thing that you are going to need is to have time in your schedule that is dedicated to fitness.

But, I get it, time is precious. So, let’s start with setting aside 20 minutes each day.

I like to assign that time to a constant that I won’t forget to do. For example, you could decide to workout for 20 minutes just prior to eating. Or you put your workout immediately after awaking in the morning.

Having another dedicated activity right before or after your workout will help you to stick with it. If you plan on working out right before bed, then sleep can be your reward for completing a workout.

Master Body Weight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises are extremely effective and very useful. They are functional exercises which can help to improve your activities of daily living. Simple bodyweight exercises can get an efficient total-body workout.

Many body weight exercises are compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups. This makes them very time-efficient as well.

What are some great bodyweight exercises to start with?

Squatting
Lateral lunges
Push-ups
Going up Stairs
High Knees
Jumping Jacks
Mountain Climbers
Pilates exercises
Yoga poses

Putting Your Workout Together

You can select five or six moves that will focus on different body movements. Do each one for 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds between moves. If you need longer rest, take it. Complete the circuit of moves three times for a fifteen-minute workout.

Here’s an example:

Bodyweight squats — 45 seconds. Rest 15 seconds.
Jumping jacks — 45 seconds. Rest 15 seconds.
Stairs – 45 seconds Rest 15 seconds.
Push-ups — 45 seconds. Rest 15 seconds.
Lateral lunges — 45 seconds. Rest 15 seconds.

Repeat three times for a fifteen-minute circuit.

Use Free Online Resources

Many fitness professionals are putting great workouts on YouTube to promote their products and services. You can take advantage of these free resources and incorporate them into your daily workouts.

Here are three excellent 20 minute workouts that you can do from home without any equipment.

When you are ready for longer workouts, you can simply search for longer or more complicated workouts in YouTube.

Fitness Apps to Help You Track Your Workout

Let’s face it, sometimes we need a bit of accountability to stick with a fitness routine. Fitness apps are great at tracking our goals and reminding us to workout.

7 Minute Workout (by Wahoo Fitness)

This free app is a no-fuss approach to fitness. You can launch the app and do the quick set of exercises anywhere without any special equipment. Wahoo’s app provides you with a standard seven-minute workout that has 12 high-intensity bodyweight exercises in cycles of 30 seconds followed by a short rest.

Some of the workout variations will charge $0.99 and some are free. Wahoo has a heart rate monitor to improve your workout experience and help you track the amount of effort you are putting in.

FitBit Coach

The FitBit Coach is a free app that can be used with or without the Fitbit tracker. You can also upgrade to premium for $39.99 per year. The FitBit coach app has short workout videos that you can do almost anywhere.

This is a great app for people who want to be talked through their exercise routines and see humans doing the moves in a video. The workouts are similar to the seven-minute app with a bit more variety.

You can choose to add background music or play your own. FitBit’s free account has limited workout options, while Premium will unlock the entire selection of workouts.

Daily Workouts

Daily Workouts provides you with free 5-30 minute daily workout routines. These exercises can all be done from the comfort of your own home. They are demonstrated by a certified personal trainer and target all the major muscle groups.

It features ten different 5-10 minute workouts, over 100 exercises, videos showing how to do each exercise, on-screen instructions and a timer.

The premium app offers even more workouts, more exercises, Pilates, kettlebell, stretch and ball workouts.

As you can see, it is possible to get fit at home even if you barely have enough time to watch a sitcom on television. There are workouts for even the busiest person and apps to help you track them! So what are you waiting for?

Get moving!

The Unbelievable Health Benefits of Beef Liver

Beef liver has somehow fallen out of the standard American diet. It does tend to taste strong and if it is overcooked it can be quite unpleasant to eat. However, the health benefits of beef liver are amazing.

I recently heard about Minot and Whipple curing pernicious anemia through a liver feeding therapy. They fed 2-4 ounces of liver to people on a daily basis to cure pernicious anemia, an autoimmune condition. It worked! Within 8 weeks, the patients’ iron levels had all normalized.

I decided that I should look further into the health benefits of liver and begin incorporating this superfood into my own diet. Here’s what I found…

High in Bioavailable Nutrients

Liver is high in bioavailable nutrients. This means that there aren’t components of the food that may block absorption. In plants, phytates and lectins can often interfere with the nutrient absorption. You may not absorb all the vitamins and minerals when you consume something like grains or nuts.

Vitamin A: Liver is highest in vitamin A. The high amount of vitamin A does concern some people and they feel that you could overdose on liver. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that benefits eye health, skin health and cellular turnover.
Iron: Liver is high in iron. Iron helps with muscle function, brain function and hemoglobin formation. This makes it crucial for energy production.
Copper: Copper is an important mineral because it contributes to nerve and immune health. Copper also assists with collagen production. It is beneficial in the development of hair, joints, skin and nail health.
B Vitamins: Liver is a great source of all the B vitamins, especially vitamin B12 and folate. The B vitamins are important for converting food into energy. They help you feel energetic and vibrant in your daily life. Folate is essential for cellular growth.
Choline: Liver provides your body with the daily Adequate Intake (AI) for women and almost all of it for men. Choline is beneficial for brain development and liver function.

When you compare the nutrients in liver to apples, carrots and other red meat, liver beats them out by quite a bit!

health benefits of beef liver — Image source: https://chriskresser.com/natures-most-potent-superfood/

Liver exceeds the RDI (recommended daily intake) for vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin and copper. One serving will allow you to meet your daily needs. Liver is also rich in the essential nutrients folate, iron and choline.

A High-Quality Protein

Protein is an essential building block for every part of the body. It is needed to make and repair cells and turn food into energy. Over 25% of beef liver contains protein.

Beef liver is very high-quality protein. It provides all the essential amino acids which make up proteins. The essential amino acids must come from food, they can not be made in the body.

Helps with Weight Loss

High protein intake has been shown to assist with weight loss. It reduces hunger and appetite. Protein satisfies hunger much better than carbohydrates, according to a study done by the Rowlett Research Institute.

Protein causes increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. Including a high protein food, such as liver, in your diet can increase your metabolic rate. This means you’ll burn more calories which can be helpful for weight loss.

Cures Pernicious Anemia

George Minot and William Murphy studied the diets of patients who had pernicious anemia. Minot ordered his patients to eat a diet with 100 grams to 240 grams of liver per day along with 120 grams of muscle meat, and leafy vegetables, spinach, fruits, eggs and milk.

Many of the patients on Minot’s diet recovered rapidly showing improvements within a few days. After eight weeks, patients’ blood was examined and blood showed newly formed reticulocytes. This supported the diet’s efficacy.

Treats Tropical Sprue

In 1883 Manson promoted the use of liver to treat Tropical Sprue, a digestive disorder. Tropical sprue is similar to celiac sprue. It shows a loss in intestinal villi, which affects the intestinal absorptive function. Patients who have tropical and nontropical sprue suffer from malabsorption.

The cause of sprue has not been determined. Patients with sprue present with macrocytic anemia due to malabsorption of folate or vitamin B12.

Treatment of tropical sprue with vitamin B12 and folate cures the macrocytic anemia and the glossitis. This results in increased appetite and weight gain.

Conclusion – A Healthy Superfood

As you can see, your body will benefit in many ways from consuming liver. People have been healed from pernicious anemia and Tropical Sprue through a diet that is rich in liver. It contains nutrients that benefit almost every aspect of life for your body. From improving your eyesight to easing your digestion, liver is supporting your health on a grand scale.

While liver may not be the tastiest superfood out there, it is worth it to include it in your diet. You may want to check out beef liver capsules if you don’t want to fix yourself liver everyday.

Not sure why grassfed beef is important? Check out the difference between grass fed and grass finished beef.