Maria Emmerich - The 30-Day Ketogenic Cleanse

First Published in 2016 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2016 Maria Emmerich

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-628601-16-9

The author is not a licensed practitioner, physician, or medical professional and offers no medical diagnoses, treatments, suggestions, or counseling. The information presented herein has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Full medical clearance from a licensed physician should be obtained before beginning or modifying any diet, exercise, or lifestyle program, and physicians should be informed of all nutritional changes.

The author/owner claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein.

Front and Back Cover Photography by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley

Interior Design by Yordan Terziev and Boryana Yordanova

Meal Plan by Craig Emmerich

Printed in Canada

TC 0116

PART 1:
heal your body

PART 2:
the ketogenic kitchen

PART 3:
meal plan and shopping lists

PART 4:
cleansing ketogenic recipes

PART 5:
resources

You wouldnt put diesel fuel in a gasoline engine and expect it to run, but thats what many of us are guilty of doing to our bodies on a daily basis. We fuel our bodies with processed, packaged foods that evolutionary science has proven make our bodies run much less efficiently. Before I discovered the ketogenic diet, I was guilty of this habit myself.

I struggled with food and my weight throughout adolescence and into adulthood. I was a fat restrictor and exercised constantly. Still fat and frustrated after graduating from college, I decided to add a nutritional component to my exercise regimen and put into practice all the information I was about to preach to the world. After decades of being told by marketing geniuses that going fat-free was the way to lose weight, eating real fat was scary for me. But in the first week that I added fat to my diet, I slept deeper and felt calmer and better than I ever had.

Now, years later, I understand the biochemical reasons why restricting fat is not the answer. All my life Id been taught that good-tasting foods make you fat. After years of antifat brainwashing, its almost too much to imagine that we can feel totally sated and lose weight by eating a low-carb diet that emphasizes fatty foods like avocados, meats, and even sugar-free desserts. But it has been over ten years since I made fat the major component of my diet, and I feel amazing. I traded a lifetime of overexercising and restricting fat for a nutrient-dense, fat-filled diet, and I lost weight in the process.

Once I found the secrets to healing my mitochondriathe fat-burning powerhouses of the bodys cellswith the right type and amount of food, hydration, sleep, and exercise and overhauled my bathroom cabinet to rid it of unhealthy products, losing weight became an easy goal to achieve. By transitioning to a very-low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet, I resensitized my biochemistry to the hormone insulin and the lesser-known hormone leptin, which turn off severe food cravings.

Best of all, unlike my previous low-fat diets, my new high-fat diet did not leave me feeling deprived, even while I was losing weight! The nutrient-rich, relatively high-fat cooking style that I have developed is what finally helped me achieve peace with food, something I never imagined possible. Even more weight came off than I was originally aiming for.

By beginning to follow the ketogenic lifestyle, you too will learn how to eat to balance your hormones, sleep better, feel better, and lose weight! The tasty keto recipes in this book will keep you satisfied and enhance your physique. You will even get to enjoy desserts; after all, we need to enjoy the sweetness of life.

I am passionate about helping people heal their bodies through food because the medical profession has failed me and my family numerous times.

When I was a young teen, I suffered from severe acne. My mom took me to the doctor, and without even asking about my diet, he put me on a strong dose of antibiotics. I can now pinpoint that event as having a huge negative impact not just on my physical health but on my mental health as well. Sure, I was thrilled that the acne was gone, but my moods started to spiral downward. Id been a really happy kid, but at about that time I began to experience feelings of sadness.

Just because of an antibiotic? you might ask. Yes, those powerful drugs that teens are still being prescribed for acne wreak havoc on the gut, where serotonin (a feel-good chemical) is produced. Gut health directly correlates to mood. Sadly, I was on antibiotics for years without realizing the damage they were doing. This long-lasting deterioration of my gut health caused intense sugar cravings, which led to weight gain. The added weight further dampened my happy-go-lucky spirit. If only my doctor had asked me what I was eating and had known that the cereal and skim milk I consumed every morning were the cause of my acne, I wouldnt have experienced all those issues. But, of course, they brought me to where I am today!

In addition to my own story, there are sadder and more serious stories in my familys medical history that led me to become a passionate advocate of healing through food.

I was a lucky little girl who had two fantastic grandpas. My dads father, Grandpa Vince, was a kind man who I believe gave me the work ethic that I have today. He owned a plumbing and heating business. He also loved taking me fishing and teaching me how to garden. Grandpa Vince survived his first heart attack at age thirty-two, but with the low-fat diet that his doctors recommended, it is no wonder that his heart never healed. He eventually required heart surgery at age forty-five, and then again at age fifty-two. At that point, the doctors gave him five years to live; he made it nine more years and died at age sixty-one on Thanksgiving morning. My dad was the one who tried to revive him, and he believes his father might still be alive if he hadnt received such bad nutrition advice from his doctors, such as never to eat eggs, butter, or saturated fat. Vince was living off butter substitutes and popcorn.