It is a low-carb, high fat (LCHF) diet. It drastically reduces carbohydrates, replacing it with fat and changing the bodies fat-burning process. Rather than using glucose for fuel from carbohydrates, it breaks down fat cells releasing ketones. This state of ketosis lowers insulin and blood sugar levels, and shifts the body’s metabolism from carbohydrates to fat and ketones, providing an increase in weight loss and many other health benefits.

A Ketogenic diet may seem limited in food choices. It is generally low in protein, high in fat and as close to no-carb as possible. The base of your food choices should be meat, fish, eggs, butter, nuts, healthy oils, avocados and lots of low-carb vegetables. Avoid high-carb foods like sugar, grains and starches, beans and legumes, root vegetables and tubers, low-fat or diet products, unhealthy fats, most alcohol and most condiments. Fruit should be considered a ‘treat’ and eaten only occasionally!

Some of the benefits of a ketogenic diet include:

• Helps fight obesity and promotes fat loss, while preserving muscle mass.
• Reduced appetite/Lack of hunger: Ketone bodies dampen the appetite, and fat is very satisfying.
• Increases calories burned daily and reduces fat storage.
• Reduction in fasting blood sugar and fasting insulin levels: As you eat less carbs, there is less sugar driving up blood sugar and insulin levels.
• Reduction of total cholesterol: Cholesterol is made from excess glucose in the diet. As you eat less sugar creating foods, you do less damage to your arterial system and inflammation drops. Your cholesterol will drop as your body has less glucose from which to make it, and less need for repairing the damages of inflammatory chemicals.
• Freedom from hypoglycemia, food fixations and sugar cravings.

 Things to consider:

• Ensure proper hydration – the body naturally reduces water stores when carbohydrates are restricted.
• Ensure adequate levels of magnesium: due to excess water excretion during ketosis. Magnesium can also become depleted due to its role in insulin metabolism.
• Ensure you are getting enough sodium and potassium – this balances nitrogen and preserves lean tissue.
• Get fats from different varied sources – meat, butter, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, fish, and seeds.
• Adapt the diet to suit your needs – ex: athletes may need more protein than non-athletes.

Why is biltong a good option for the ketogenic diet:

Looking at the above requirements and benefits of the ketogenic diet, biltong is an excellent option to be consumed for this diet. Looking at the nutrition facts table of biltong it is easy to understand why:

• 8% Carbohydrates;
• 42% total sugar (no added sugar!);
• >50% protein;
• 5% fat (good quality).

The post Keto diet – What you need to know! appeared first on Meat Republic.

From its origin in South Africa, beef Biltong is a high protein snack that provides more than 50 grams of protein per 100g of beef Biltong. Beef Biltong is made from prime cuts of beef and because it is naturally high in protein, it makes a fantastic healthy choice for those on a high protein diet.

The beef biltong is air-dried which removes all excess water from the beef and makes it possible to give it such a high protein to weight ratio of around 50-60% protein. The biltong is sliced and packaged ready for customers to purchase. Our beef Biltong is extremely high in quality as it is sourced from only Canadian cattle. Our meat is sourced locally and complies with all the Canadian welfare standards and is free from growth hormones which can be found in products produced in other regions of the world.

It is also suitable for a large range of consumers including diabetics, gluten intolerance sufferers, and it has no artificial colourings.

When to eat Beef Biltong

This is an ideal post-workout snack as it contains all the essential amino acids for normal healthy functions. This allows your body to be nourished with the proteins it needs to grow and repair.

Our Biltong is high in the branch chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine which are required for muscle protein synthesis that usually takes place for up to 72 hours post-workout. This means that these amino acids are largely absorbed into the body under demand from your muscles which will also aid recovery, therefore making our beef biltong ideal to eat regardless of your training goals.

Despite this being a great post-workout snack, it is an excellent food to have at any time during the day to increase your protein intake or to reduce hunger. In such easy-to- open packets, beef Biltong is very easy to consume whether the customer is at school, home or work.

It is often referred to as ‘easy protein’ as it is so simple to increase your daily protein intake by eating this tasty snack as no preparation of the beef is required. You simply have to open the packet and away you go!

Who is Beef Biltong for?

Due to the low calorie and carbohydrate profile it is also an ideal snack for pre-contest diets or if you are trying to lose weight, with only 300 calories per 100g and 0g of sugar. This makes beef Biltong a great way to increase your daily protein intake without adding unwanted sugar or carbohydrates.

Unlike many foods that are low in carbohydrates and fat, biltong is very tasty and can be purchased either in the original form, or if you fancy a kick of spice then there is also the flavoured options such as Chili & Lime or Spicy Chipotle, so that Biltong can be eaten day after day.

The post Beef Biltong is High in Protein with No Nasties appeared first on Meat Republic.

Biltong is a perfect protein snack for:

1. Children needing a protein snack at school. It is ideal because it doesn’t spoil at room temperature and is not an allergen like nuts.
2. Any person needing a delicious snack that will satiate you throughout the day;
3. Shift workers (RCMP, truck drivers, nurses, etc.) that need a healthy protein snacking option.
4. Athletes and very active people requiring a higher than normal daily protein intake, and
5. The outdoor adventurist going on a one to multi day trip (skiing, hiking, kayaking, biking, and hunting) requiring a protein snack (doesn’t need to be refrigerated during the trip).

Biltong (cured & air dried red meat) is a complete protein. A complete protein (or whole protein) is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids (not produced by the human body) necessary for the dietary needs of humans.

Why do I need protein?

Protein makes up part of the structure of every tissue in your body, including your muscle tissue, internal organs, tendons, skin, hair and nails. On average, it comprises about 20% of your total body weight. Protein is needed for the growth and formation of new tissue, for tissue repair and for regulating many metabolic pathways, and can be used as a fuel for energy production. It is also needed to produce almost all of the body enzymes as well as various hormones (such as adrenalin and insulin) and neurotransmitters. Protein has a role in maintaining optimal fluid balance in tissue, transporting nutrients in and out of cells, carrying oxygen and regulating blood clotting.

How much protein do I need to consume?

Health Canada uses references values for macro-nutrients. One measure is Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). The RDA is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a particular life-stage and gender group. In the table below RDA for protein is expressed as: g protein required/kg body weight/day. Body weight refers to ‘lean body weight’, i.e. subtract fat weight from total body weight. Keep in mind that RDA values are based on the public in general and could be on the conservative side to be safe.

*: Canadian Orthomolecular Society recommendation.

A 100-gram Meat Republic biltong package contains roughly 60 grams of protein. Comparing this to the table above will give you an indication of how much of your daily protein (macro-nutrient) requirement one package will satisfy. Biltong is a great way to get the nutrients you require, in an easy to store and handy snack sized pack.  Using only natural ingredients – it is an ideal super-food.

References

• http://hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/reference/table/index-eng.php
• Bean, A, (2013), 7th edition, Sports Nutrition, p.54 to 59.

The post Biltong and protein appeared first on Meat Republic.