This New, Weird Diet Might Be The Best Thing For Gut Health & Weight Loss. Here's Why — And Exactly What To Do

It's 2018, and ketogenic (or keto) diets and intermittent fasting are not only buzzy, they're practically mainstream. At this point, I've answered nearly every question about how both plans fare in terms of gut health, weight loss, and so much more, and I know how effective both plans can be. As a medical doctor who specializes in gut health, I’ve used both independently with patients and have seen great results.

But I also know that these plans don't work for everyone.

With these and other considerations in mind, I created a hybrid plan that combines a modified form of ketogenic eating with intermittent fasting. I’ve called it The Cyclitarian Plan because you cycle fasting with a higher-fat, plant-based diet to minimize or eliminate the drawbacks of both plans while amplifying their benefits. Among these benefits are optimized gut health, hormone balance, improved insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control, increased energy, better brain power, long-lasting stamina, and lasting fat loss. When you're Cyclitarian, you turn yourself into a fat-burning machine by using your own body's fat as fuel while you're fasting, and then using the fat you eat as fuel while you're in ketosis.

And I'm not the only person to witness the benefits of combining keto with intermittent fasting. As Jason Fung, M.D., wrote in his best-selling book The Complete Guide to Fasting, "Being in ketosis teaches your body to burn fat for fuel rather than sugar, and since that’s what your body has to do during fasting, if you’re already in ketosis, your body is already using fuel the way it’s supposed to."

Far from the latest diet fad, people have used fasting as a powerful healing modality for centuries. Recent research has elucidated those fasting benefits, including lowering inflammation and reducing your risk of disease2. The Cyclitarian Plan also is the ideal way to heal your gut. Just like your body has its own internal clock, your gut flora maintain their own circadian rhythm3.

I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all programs; I think it's always important to take your individual needs into account. Especially if you formerly ate a high-carbohydrate diet, I recommend following a plant-rich ketogenic diet first, and then transitioning into fasting. Once your body has become keto-adapted (using fat as its fuel) and you stabilize blood sugar levels, fasting usually becomes easier. With fasting, I encourage patients to start small and gradually increase their intervals. You might start with a 12-hour window between dinner and breakfast and increase that window to 14, 16, or more hours daily over time. You can also vary it day by day—the key is making it work for you.

While I custom-design The Cyclitarian Plan for every patient in my practice, this typical day from a middle-age male provides a good example of the diet in action:

7 a.m.: Black coffee or green tea (my preference). On mornings he felt especially hungry, we added MCT oil and grass-fed ghee (better for people who may be dairy-sensitive) into his morning beverage to keep him in ketosis.

Noon: A big salad topped with high-fat foods like grass-fed beef, walnuts, olives, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Afternoon snack: Macadamia nuts, sprouted almonds, or olives.

7 p.m.: Wild-caught salmon, spinach sautéed in coconut oil, side of herb greens dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, then berries for dessert. (Many patients find even with a ketogenic diet, they can fit a glass or two of very dry red wine into two to three dinners per week while staying in ketosis. On nights before big workouts, we allowed a serving of an energy-dense, complex carb, like sweet potato or butternut squash, to build muscle glycogen stores to help power his workouts.)

Under that schedule, he stopped eating at 8 p.m. for the evening. If he felt like having something later in the evening, he stuck to unsweetened herbal hot teas. Like many patients, he stayed full and focused throughout the day, avoiding the energy-robbing spikes and crashes high-carbohydrate diets can create, including that post-lunch energy slump. He didn’t dwell on food as much, and he enjoyed it when he ate.

With some minor tweaks, The Cyclitarian Plan can work for a wide range of people. What I believe proves most practical about this hybrid plan is its flexibility. You could mix up your fasting schedule and you can stay in ketosis five days a week while incorporating higher-carbohydrate "cheat" foods the other two days (like on the weekends). Of course, always talk to your doctor before starting a new diet program of any sort to make sure its suited for your individual makeup!