Healthful Pursuit Podcast · Leanne Vogel

Is Your Metabolism Working?

·1 hr 1 min·5 clips

Chris reveals how carb intolerance drives diabetes, Alzheimer's, and obesity through damaged insulin signaling.

This episode of the Healthful Pursuit Podcast focuses on carb tolerance, insulin resistance, and metabolic healing, particularly within a ketogenic framework. Host Leanne Vogel, a holistic nutritionist and author, is joined by Chris from Perfect Keto to explore why standard keto approaches may stop working. They define carb tolerance as the body's ability to effectively use carbohydrates for energy, which is closely tied to insulin sensitivity. The conversation covers the high prevalence of pre-diabetes and insulin resistance, linking these conditions to chronic diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer. Leanne shares her personal blood work results, noting her insulin level is now 4.2 after previously measuring over 20. Chris explains the physiological process where cells stop responding to insulin after chronic overstimulation from carbs, leading to elevated blood glucose. They emphasize that a standard keto diet can be a great starting point but stress the importance of bio-individuality for long-term success. The discussion highlights that elevated insulin directly inhibits fat burning, which contributes to weight loss plateaus. For identifying insulin issues, they suggest monitoring how you feel after eating carbs, using continuous glucose monitors like Levels, or getting blood tests like HbA1c. Leanne discovered through a CGM that sweet potatoes spiked her blood sugar significantly, while white potatoes did not. Chris found the opposite reaction to these foods, and both noted caffeine and stress can also raise blood glucose. They differentiate between the dawn phenomenon, a natural morning blood sugar rise, and a truly elevated fasting level indicating insulin resistance. A major portion is dedicated to vegetable oils like canola, soybean, and corn oil, which are high in damaged omega-6 fats. Chris argues these oils are "public enemy number one" due to their inflammatory effects and damage to metabolic and gut health. The extraction process for these oils is described as intensive, requiring hundreds of pounds of raw plants like corn to produce small amounts of oil. They recommend cutting out vegetable oils to break through health plateaus, even on a ketogenic diet. The tone is conversational and educational, blending personal anecdotes with practical advice. Listeners interested in metabolic health, troubleshooting their keto diet, or understanding insulin resistance will find this episode valuable. Those seeking a quick-fix diet talk or who are not interested in detailed nutritional biochemistry might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded keto and blood sugar reset that makes morning glucose easier to read.

This episode is a grounded reset for listeners who have been trying keto and wondering why the results changed. Leanne Vogel moves through insulin resistance, carb intolerance, movement, vegetable oils, and the dawn effect without dressing any of it up.

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Why you'd press play

If your morning glucose keeps puzzling you, this episode separates the dawn effect from insulin resistance and lays out the most likely metabolic reasons.

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