#188: Jess Kelley, MNT- Cancer, Ketosis & Real Food

Cancer-specific nutritional therapist and co-author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, Jess Kelley, discusses customizing nutrition treatments to prevent cancer and keep the disease process in check. Show notes: http://highintensityhealth.com/188 Here are some key highlights: 02:17 Links between Nutrition and Cancer: About between 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are caused by genetics. The rest is rooted in diet and lifestyle. 95% of all cancers can be prevented and mitigated. 03:17 Traditional Oncology and Nutrition: Recommendations while going through chemotherapy are things like angel food cake, ice cream or cookies.  The only nutritional advice is “Just don’t lose weight”. 03:37 Cancer Therapy Diet: Cancer cells consume glucose at a rate much faster than healthy cells. Restricting carbohydrates and attaining ketosis is a powerful therapeutic diet. Jess reports great results from this in her clinic. When you fast before chemotherapy, generally there are fewer side effects and the clinical outcome is better. 05:31 Antioxidants during Chemotherapy: There is no evidence that you should avoid antioxidants during treatment. New research is showing that antioxidants during chemotherapy can be beneficial. Jess prefers that we get our antioxidants from phytonutrient dense food. 06:42 Cancer and Fasting/Ketogenic Diet: Jess has seen positive results using a ketogenic diet and fasting across all types of cancer. Brain cancer tends to respond the best. It helps slow the cancer process and improves quality of life. 08:11 Therapeutic Range of Ketones: Patients start with urine testing to follow glucose and ketone levels and then move to blood testing. The therapeutic range is glucose below 70 and ketones 3 or above. Everyone is different and it may take some fine tuning. 08:56 Variables Influencing Ketosis: Sleep impacts glucose regulation. Stress and exercise also have an impact. Many people eat too much protein, especially eggs, while on a ketogenic diet. 12:34 Importance of Phytonutrients: Jess designed a phytonutrient formula for consuming 10 different vegetables a day, yet keep your grams under 15 carbs. 15:25 Acceptable Fruit: 18:45 Carbs and Kids: We think that kids need carbs, but that is incorrect. 22:30 Jess’s Morning Routine: 23:38 Fasting: Skip dinner instead of skipping breakfast. 26:46 Jess’s Favorite Exercise: 27:13 Jess’s Favorite Herb/Nutrient: 28:25 Jess’s Elevator Pitch: Help to cultivate food security in small farms so people begin to be connected to their food sources. Teach people how to grow their own food and better educate children and adults about nutrition. The quality of organic food you grow is superior to what you find in the grocery store. The more a vegetable is exposed to oxygen and is oxidized, the more it loses its nutrients. Eat local. 30:59 Jess’s Oncology Nutrition E-Course:   Watch the interview on YouTube: http://highintensityhealth.com/188