Daly - PRACTICAL KETO MEAL PLANS FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES: Tips, Tricks And How Tos For Optimizing Performance Using A High Fat, Low Carb Meal Plan

About the Author

Hello, my name is Patricia Daly and Im a qualified and experienced nutrition professional based in Dublin, Ireland. I apply the principles of Functional Medicine in my practice and also specialise in the ketogenic diet. So far people in the health field know me as an expert in ketogenic diets for cancer patients and Ive helped hundreds of people implement the diet with the help of my eBook (Practical Keto Meal Plans for Cancer) and my consultations. However, very few people know that Ive had another passion since childhood: Triathlon and Endurance Sports in general.

The main goal of my eBook is to help people who want to go on a ketogenic diet- whether this is because you have heard about its potentially performance enhancing effects, you need to manage your weight or are just curious to give it a go. The book is mainly aimed at endurance athletes but can be very beneficial for other sports people like bodybuilders or anybody who needs to lose weight in a safe way (obviously by adjusting calorie intake, too). A well-designed ketogenic diet has been shown to have positive effects in individuals suffering from inflammatory conditions, autoimmune disease, excess weight or anybody who wants to clean up their diet and detox.

Ideally, a ketogenic diet is done under close monitoring by a health professional and with proper guidance, at least in the initial stages. I always do certain blood tests before I send somebody into ketosis. Many people are put off trying it because it involves a radical change in eating habits and it can be daunting initially. Ive met many people who were very willing to embark on the ketogenic journey but so confused as to what to eat that they ended up eating almost nothing for too long which obviously cant be the solution. I want to put the theory of a ketogenic diet outlined by some brilliant minds into practice and prove that it can be a healthy, nutritious, anti-inflammatory, alkalizing and, most importantly, enjoyable lifestyle.

As everybody who reads a bit about nutrition knows, biochemical individuality is paramount, which means that we all respond differently to various foods depending on our genetic predisposition, our environment, stress levels, health history, food preferences and other factors. While I do my best in this book to give advice on how to tailor meal plans and recipes to your needs, it is still very important that you dont just follow it blindly and ignore the signals your body gives you. You are the expert of your own body and you know what suits you best. What I write in this book are guidelines and ideas rather than instructions and it remains up to you to modify them according to your needs, social situation (how much support from family/friends), potential side effects from medication youre on, possible food sensitivities, food preferences etc.

For those of you who are interested, Id like to give you some background information about myself and why Im so keen to spread my knowledge in ketogenic diets.

When I was 14, I did my first Sprint Triathlon with absolutely no training- I was a gymnast at the time and got a lot of teasing from my older brother that Im a softie and would never be able to finish a triathlon. I proved him wrong and finished a Sprint Triathlon- and didnt even become last ;) From then on, I was hooked, and by the time I was 16, I was part of the Swiss Junior Team and trained about 10-15 hours a week. One of my training buddies was Nicola Spirig, who went on to build a fantastic career and won the London Olympics in 2012! I was bursting with joy and pride for her that day.

At 18, I qualified for the Junior World Championships but twisted my ankle 3 weeks beforehand so badly that I couldnt participate, which was a big blow to me. My health also started to suffer. I had very little recovery time in between my sessions and was in a normal school with a pretty tough schedule leading up to the leaving cert. The fact that I couldnt go to the World Championships was a big blow to me and it took me a while to recover physically and mentally. The season after was a disaster. At the end of a race in Austria (a European Cup), I collapsed after doing the 10k running in 37.30 minutes and ended up in hospital. I had severe nutritional deficiencies including iron and potassium. My body was giving me clear signs to take a break but I didnt stop. For a long time, I took iron supplements, which I was advised by my doctor to take on an empty stomach along with orange juice to enhance absorption You can imagine that my digestive tract got severely damaged by this.