by Siim Land
Eat low carb keto when you’re not exercising and in the post-workout scenario.
The Standard Ketogenic Diet
Training 3-4 times per week with either resistance training or cardio.
Examples: powerlifting, fitness, weightlifting, endurance, jogging, cycling, yoga
Goals: lose fat, build strength, stay fit, improve health, battle diabetes, reverse insulin resistance
If you’re not feeling tanked or feeble during workouts then you don’t need to be consuming carbs. Also, if you’re not planning on pushing yourself extra hard at the gym on that particular day, then you shouldn’t feel the need to eat carbs either.
If you’re feeling hypoglycemic and are about to pass out during exercise then it’s a sign of not being keto-adapted. You’re simply in a state of still running on a sugar burning engine and you need to build up your fat burning pathways through diet before trying the TKD or CKD. Adding more electrolytes can also help.
Eat low carb keto the entire time with enough protein and healthy fats.
Carb Backloading
Training 4 or more times a week with primarily resistance training and anaerobic exercise.
Examples: powerlifting, weightlifting, CrossFit, bodybuilding, competitive sports
Goals: build strength, gain muscle, increase performance, train more frequently at higher intensities, eat carbs more often
If you don’t want to do the targeted ketogenic diet or prefer to workout with low glycogen, then you can safely eat more carbohydrates the night before your heavier training. This will fill up glycogen stores and primes you to perform more intensely the next day.
If you’re having heavier training sessions throughout the week, then it’s even better to have 1-2 nights of carb backloading.
The best time to eat carbs is post-workout with depleted glycogen. Carb backloading is great if you don’t want to eat the keto diet all the time.
Eat low carb keto in the earlier parts of the day before training. After working out have some carbs. Adding fasting is a great idea for sure.
Most of the time you’d still want to be in ketosis because it’s going to maintain your keto-adaptation, but it may leave you vulnerable to some foods that aren’t keto-proof.
For instance, if you’ve been in ketosis for months and then you accidentally eat some gluten or even just potatoes, you’re going to feel like crap the day afterwards. Of course, the best solution would be to not eat those foods in the first place and stay keto, but it’s still going to leave you fragile to these random changes. A much better option would be to have the ability to utilize those carbohydrates for increased performance while still maintaining your keto-adaptation.
That’s a general overview of what I call being keto-adapted – running on a fat burning engine while still maintaining the ability to burn carbs as well.
The problem with strict therapeutic ketosis is that it’s not necessarily going to ensure keto-adaptation as you can be in ketosis without using those ketones for fuel and you can have very high ketones without being able to perform at your best. More ketosis doesn’t equal more keto-adaptation as it has to involve the aspect of mitochondrial density and energy production. It can also neglect some of the performance-enhancing benefits of carbs.
Of course, you’d have to be eating a low carb ketogenic diet the vast majority of time to maintain ketosis and become keto-adapted. However, your goal doesn’t have to be ketosis as it’s not going to ensure metabolic health or performance.
A keto-adaptation diet would include high-quality low carb foods that build up the person’s fat burning engine and then add some occasions of higher carbs as a leverage point for improved metabolic flexibility.
Chapter XIV
The Anabolic/Catabolic Score of Food
„The wise man doesn’t give the right answers.
He poses the right questions“
Claude Levi-Strauss
To determine the anabolic/catabolic score (ACS) of these foods, I’ll categorize them into 4 subcategories, moving either towards more mTOR stimulation or autophagy. They are:
High mTOR (HiTOR) – stimulates mTOR and insulin significantly
Moderate mTOR (ModTOR) – stimulates mTOR but not a lot of insulin
Low mTOR (LowTOR) – promotes anabolism without significant mTOR
Neutral mTOR (nTOR) – doesn’t stimulate mTOR or anabolism
Low Autophagy (LowATG) – supports the activation of autophagy and glucagon
High Autophagy (HiATG) – activates autophagy and lowers insulin significantly
ATG refers to autophagy-related genes and the listed foods will stimulate pathways related to autophagy activation.
The differentiating factor between high and low foods is based on how they affect not only the respective pathways of mTOR and autophagy but also how they generally affect the insulin-glucagon ratio. Glucose and ketones matter only in the larger context of what was eaten, in what amounts, and at what time. That’s why certain foods are known for stimulating anabolism or catabolism more so than others.
Now, let’s go through them one by one.
High mTOR (HiTOR) Foods
Food that stimulates both the mTOR as well as the insulin/IGF-1 pathway significantly.
These are the most anabolic ingredients that will trigger muscle protein synthesis the most but they may not be ideal for longevity all the time. That’s why you want to limit HiTOR activation to only specific times and do it briefly. The best scenario is once or twice a week after a fasted resistance training combined with carb refeeds. Think of spiking insulin quite high for higher anabolism but allowing it to drop again within the next few hours.
Here are the top 5 HiTOR foods:
Whey Protein + Carbs – Whey protein itself already is a super concentrated form of very bioavailable protein that triggers MPS quite a lot. However, combining protein with carbs raises insulin exponentially higher than protein alone (See Figure 83). This will also activate mTOR a lot more. That makes all the amino acids you consume with carbs much more anabolic than if taken by themselves. Leucine, which is the main amino acid that stimulates MPS doesn’t spike insulin as much if taken alone.
Rice Protein + Carbs – Rice protein is another highly bioavailable protein that’s plant-based. There’s not a significant difference between whey and rice in terms of MPS but rice protein may be less inflammatory and with fewer allergens. Compared to whey, rice protein is better for digestion and keeping IGF-1 lower but it may not be that effective for rapid MPS. What matters more is the overall MPS stimulation of the entire feeding window.
Egg Whites + Carbs – Egg whites are pure protein with even a bit of carbs. They’re not that nutrient dense because all the nutrition is in the yolk. Egg whites are just a source of extra protein some bodybuilders use to keep their fat intake low. In fact, on a ketogenic diet, you’d want to do the opposite and eat just the yolks because egg whites may be allergenic. Nevertheless, if you were to consume egg whites alone with not a lot of fat you’d spike your insulin quite high. Add some carbs into the mix and it’ll go even higher.
Chicken Breast/White Fish + Carbs – Chicken breast or white fish are also very lean and mostly protein. The stereotypical chicken and rice meal of bodybuilders holds true in the sense that it’ll spike insulin and trigger MPS. If the carbs are low fiber and high glucose, such as white rice, white potatoes, or pasta, then it’ll be even more effective.
Protein Powder + Fruit – Any protein powder that’s low fat, low fiber, high protein and rich in leucine will spike mTOR and MPS. Adding ripe fruit that doesn’t have much fiber, such as bananas, pineapples, mangos, dates, or honey will raise insulin in that context as well. That’s why you don’t want to be eating fruit on a regular basis. It’s not ideal for ketosis or your liver health as it can lead to fatty liver disease and promote insulin resistance.
Figure 83 Another example where combining glucose with amino acids spikes insulin very high
whereas leucin
e alone doesn't spike insulin almost at all
Consuming these foods frequently isn’t optimal for longevity but they are very beneficial for building muscle mass. How often to have these spikes of High mTOR depends on your training regimen, insulin sensitivity, body composition goals, and the particular stage of the anabolic/catabolic cycle you’re in.
Moderate mTOR (ModTOR) Foods
Food that will trigger muscle protein synthesis adequately to promote lean muscle growth but don’t raise insulin that much.
These are anabolic ingredients that can maintain ketosis and build muscle at a low carb/low insulin state. If you’re working out, then you want to be eating ModTOR foods to not lose lean tissue, especially if you’re fasting as well.
For optimal mTOR sensitivity, you’d want to eat ModTOR foods consistently but ideally limit them only to when you’re working out.
Here are the top 5 ModTOR foods:
Red Meat – Meat is a potent stimulator of mTOR and MPS. However, meat by itself in the context of a low carb diet has quite a low insulin to glucagon ratio, thus it’s not that anabolic. Red meat is also one of the best sources for most of the essential nutrients you need like protein, fat, B vitamins, iron, etc. For maximum nutrient density, you’d want to eat some organ meats, like liver, heart, kidneys, and the tendons rich in bone marrow. Other great options are beef, pork belly, steak, unprocessed bacon. Ideally, you want to get grass-fed meat or wild game for the better omega-6 to omega-3 balance. Avoid sausages with extra sugar and wheat.
Whole Eggs –Eggs have all the amino acids you need and they’re particularly rich in leucine as well. You can get about 550 mg of leucine from a single egg and it takes 2-3 grams of leucine to trigger MPS. So, the standard 4-5 egg breakfast is quite good for muscle building. Although for optimal longevity you’d want to postpone that breakfast if you know what I mean. The yolk is where most of the nutrition is at so definitely savor them. Cholesterol is incredibly good for building muscle. When cooking, don’t over-fry eggs or hard-boil them as it’ll damage the nutrients and may oxidize the cholesterol.
Poultry – Chicken, turkey, and other types of poultry are quite rich in protein. Industrial chicken tends to be quite high in omega-6s and low in other nutrients. Turkey is highest in tryptophan, which can help with serotonin production and thus make you more relaxed. That’s why eating poultry may help you to sleep. Chicken skin and the drumsticks are rich in glycine, which improves skin health and has anti-aging effects.
Oily Fish – Salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, flounder, herring, and anchovies are incredible sources of healthy omega-3s, especially DHA and EPA. They’re great for cardiovascular health but they also promote muscle growth because of their relatively high protein content. The anti-inflammatory effects will also increase your performance by lowering inflammation, accelerating recovery, and promoting cellular health.
Cheese and Dairy – Milk is one of the most anabolic foods there is, which is why mammals are breast-fed their mother’s milk during the first periods of development. The high fat and protein content is supposed to jump-board the infant's growth and build up the essential parts of the body. However, dairy also raises IGF-1 quite a lot, which will increase inflammation, insulin, skin issues, and accelerates aging. That’s why dairy isn’t the best thing to consume on a habitual basis. Fermented kefir and cheeses are fine but they’re still not something to eat all the time. Compared to something like meat, dairy isn’t going to help you build that much muscle but it’ll still stimulate the heck out of mTOR and IGF-1, which will lead to a regretful trade-off in longevity.
Although foods like meat and protein are known to stimulate mTOR quite a lot, they’re not going to be detrimental for your longevity.
First of all, the low insulin to glucagon ratio will completely blunt the anabolic reaction and the protein will be used primarily for lean tissue maintenance. It’s much more difficult to build muscle in a low carb state but the gains you do make are quality and very sustainable.
Secondly, doing intermittent fasting on a low carb diet completely changes the effects of these foods on your body. Of course, eating meat 3 times a day within a 12-hour eating window isn’t optimal for long-term health. It’s going to over-stimulate mTOR and keep the body out of autophagy. However, eat that same amount of food and protein within 2-4 hours and you’ll elicit a completely different response.
Because on the Metabolic Autophagy program, you should be doing prolonged daily fasting as well as resistance training. In that case, you don’t have to worry about meat over-stimulating mTOR because you actually want to be more anabolic during the feeding periods. That’s the power of time-restricted eating.
Low mTOR (LowTOR) Foods
Foods that can trigger mTOR and MPS but they do it very little compared to HiTOR.
These foods can be anabolic if you consume them in large amounts but their purpose isn’t to maximize muscle growth. Think of LowTOR foods as something you’d consume on a rest day as to get the essential nutrients and maintain lean tissue.
If you’re following a wider feeding schedule where you’re fasting less, then it’s also a good idea to keep some of your meals LowTOR as to not have it elevated that frequently. The best time to stimulate mTOR and MPS is still post-workout for recovery.
Here are the top 5 LowTOR foods:
Starches– Potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, carrots, and beetroot are quite high in carbs and they raise insulin. Of course, the insulin response to white potatoes is a lot different from raw carrots but they’re still favouring the insulin to glucagon ratio towards higher blood sugar. It’s not just meat or protein that stimulates mTOR – insulin offsets this entire cascade in the first place, which is why your rate of anabolic growth will be much lower if you were to eat protein on a low carb diet. Nevertheless, carbs alone like a rice bowl with vegetables alone won’t be that mTOR stimulating because they’re low in amino acids. In that situation, it’s not worth it to be eating those carbs either because although they’ll raise insulin, they won’t be that effective for muscle growth. You would’ve built more muscle and maintained better insulin sensitivity by simply eating a LCHF meal with protein.
Seafood and Algae – In addition to fish, oysters, shellfish, crabs, lobsters are also quite high in protein. Despite that, they have much more omega-3s and other fats which will lower the mTOR stimulating effect. Also, it’s somewhat difficult to over-eat on crab or oysters because of their limited availability and high satiety. Algae like chlorella and spirulina are great plant-based sources of omega-3s and DHA. Their relatively okay protein content can also help with muscle growth but I wouldn’t make my main source of protein algae. Seafood and algae are great for rest days when you want to maintain lower mTOR.
Beans and Legumes – Azuki beans, kidney beans, lentils, legumes etc. have quite a good amount of plant-based protein but they’re also high in fiber, which lowers their insulin response. The Blue Zones are known to eat beans and legumes. However, the longevity effect doesn’t come from the beans themselves but because of the overall hormetic lifestyle and caloric restriction. Also, beans are full of phytonutrients and lectins – way too much to eat them every day. You can get much better autophagy activating compounds from other foods that are lower in carbs, cause less digestive issues, and are tastier. Beans and legumes can be eaten sometimes on days you want to limit animal protein consumption and keep mTOR lower.
Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds have some good protein that’s LowTOR but they also have some phytonutrients. It’s not ideal to eat a bunch of nuts every day because (1) they may cause hormonal issues, (2) they may be a potential allergen, (3) they may have become oxidized or exposed to mold, (4) they’re easy to overeat, and (5) their nutrient profile isn’t something you wouldn’t get from other high-quality foods like meat, butter, eggs, or even algae for that matter. A few servings of nuts on some days is acceptable.
Butter and Animal Fats – Butter is also great for producing short chain fatty acids in the gut, which heals intestinal impermeability. Other animal fats like lard, tallow or goose fat are nTOR if you eat them by themselves or add to your low carb meal. However, excess calories even from fat may still raise insulin and stimulate mTOR because of the increased energy input. That’s why use these fats sparingly.
Although some of these foods are low mTOR, they can still stimulate protein synthesis as well as raise insulin. That’s why consuming these foods are very context dependent. For instance, potatoes with meat turns a LowTOR food into a HiTOR one because of how carbs and protein interact with each other. Likewise, you can still make yourself anabolic by overeating on fish or algae because of the excess protein intake.
The idea is to simply know how these food combinations will affect the body’s biochemistry but in general, on maintenance periods where you haven’t worked out or aren’t trying to build muscle, it’s better to stay on the low-end side of TOR.
mTOR Neutral (nTOR) Foods
Foods that don’t really have any significant impact on mTOR and MPS by themselves. They can help you to maintain lean muscle but they won’t make you build new ones alone. These ingredients can be combined with either mTOR boosting or autophagy-like foods as to increase their effectiveness. When consumed alone they’re quite neutral from the protein kinase perspective but they still have calories so don’t think of them as free lunch.
Here are the top 5 nTOR foods:
Olive Oil and Olives – Rich in polyphenols and healthy fats. However, you have to make sure that your olive oil isn’t rancid or oxidized. Use only dark bottled olive oil that hasn’t sat on the store shelf for god knows who long. Ideally, freshly pressed extra virgin.