There was a time when I thought I lived healthily. I ate as my mother taught me and followed the guidelines of the Nutrition Center: whole wheat bread, little fat, lean products, lots of carbohydrates and no salt.
Still, I didn't feel well. My energy fluctuated, I had anxiety in my head, difficulty concentrating and symptoms that resembled ADHD.
Still, I didn't feel well. My energy fluctuated, I had anxiety in my head, difficulty concentrating and symptoms that resembled ADHD.
I thought it was just “part of me” until I discovered that my diet had everything to do with it.
When healthy eating makes you sick
The advice from the Nutrition Center is well-intentioned, but not healthy for everyone.
A carbohydrate-rich lifestyle with little fat and no salt causes insulin resistance in many people, a condition in which the body no longer responds properly to insulin, the hormone that regulates your blood sugar, among other things.
A carbohydrate-rich lifestyle with little fat and no salt causes insulin resistance in many people, a condition in which the body no longer responds properly to insulin, the hormone that regulates your blood sugar, among other things.
This leads to fluctuations in energy, hunger, fat storage and irritability.
For me it explained the restlessness, concentration problems and fatigue. My body did not run on a stable energy source, but on sugar highs and lows.
For me it explained the restlessness, concentration problems and fatigue. My body did not run on a stable energy source, but on sugar highs and lows.
The power of fat: my experience with the ketogenic diet
When I switched to a ketogenic diet, everything changed. Instead of sugar, fat became my fuel.
My blood sugar stabilized, my mind became calm and my energy returned. The symptoms I had always attributed to ADHD improved significantly.
My blood sugar stabilized, my mind became calm and my energy returned. The symptoms I had always attributed to ADHD improved significantly.
I not only felt healthier, but also clearer as if I was finally becoming myself.
And I wasn't the only one. My husband, a former top athlete, had difficulty maintaining his weight after his career. Despite “healthy diet” he continued to gain weight. Until he also switched to a ketogenic diet in combination with orthomolecular therapy.
He lost almost 50 kilos without hunger, without the yo-yo effect, and with more energy than ever. No more diabetes and no more high blood pressure.
He lost almost 50 kilos without hunger, without the yo-yo effect, and with more energy than ever. No more diabetes and no more high blood pressure.
As long as you don't know what healthy is, you can't really become healthy. Once you learn to listen to your body and understand what it needs, freedom arises. Freedom from fatigue, from weight fluctuations and from restlessness in your head.
Blessed are the ignorant — but blessed are those who dare to learn, feel and change, because that is where true health begins. Read my blog about it here!
Very different, Very better
Since graduating in 1996 from the University of Groningen, I have worked as a lawyer at various government organizations. The experience with nutrition and its effect on my health led me to return to school and ultimately to starting my own practice. A practice in which I guide people who are motivated to achieve their own health goals.