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What is the Gary Brecka Diet? Benefits and Drawbacks
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The Gary Brecka diet is a high-fat, low-carb protocol that calls for focusing on specific foods, eliminating others, and consuming significant protein shortly after waking up. Brecka’s dietary guidelines are one component of a holistic health and longevity protocol that can include genetic testing and proprietary bio-hacking devices.
In this article, we’ll explore what the Gary Brecka diet is, including macronutrient ratios, food choices, along with potential benefits and drawbacks.
Who is Gary Brecka?
First of all, who is Gary Brecka, and why are his dietary guidelines gaining in popularity?
Brecka bills himself as the “Chief Human Biologist” of his company, 10X Health. In Brecka’s own estimation, this means that he applies cutting edge scientific understanding of human biology with lifestyle guidelines to optimize performance, wellness, and longevity.
To date, Brecka has advised various professional athletes and high-power individuals.
Notably, UFC CEO Dana White credited Gary Brecka with saving his life. After doing blood tests with Brecka, Dana White was told that based on his biomarkers, he showed signs of metabolic syndrome (a precursor to other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes) and had only 10.4 years to live.
That’s when Dana White began following Brecka’s movement and keto diet protocols to transform his health.
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Interestingly, Brecka’s specialization in administering and interpreting genetic and blood tests didn’t come through typical glitzy academic training like fellow bio-hacking gurus and Stanford alums Dr. Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman.
Brecka only has a bachelor’s degree in biology from little known Frostburg State University, and and another bachelor’s degree in chiropractic medicine.
In fact, Brecka’s insatiable curiosity about optimizing human performance and lifespan was born from his private sector work as a mortality-modeling expert in the insurance industry. In this role, Brecka used medical records and demographic data to predict when someone was likely to die, up to the month!
Eventually, Brecka went on to found a company called Streamline that integrates modern science and holistic health protocols, ostensibly to hack human biology and buck the trends of demographic determinism.
Gary Brecka Diet Macronutrient Ratios
The Gary Brecka diet is also called a keto reset diet. This means that it’s a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein way of eating.
Typically, this way of eating calls for the following macronutrient ratios
- 70-75% of calories from fat
- 20-25% of calories from protein
- 5-10% of calories from carbohydrates
High-fat, low-carb diets have been found to precipitate numerous biological changes and health benefits, including
- Significant and sustained weight loss
- Neurological and mental health disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s depression, and bipolar personality disorder
- Supports the treatment of various cancers
- Reverses metabolic syndrome
- Reduces severity of type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- Reduces insulin resistance
- Improves blood lipid levels
- Reduces risk of cardiovascular disease
In addition to these standard keto macro ratios, the Gary Brecka diet calls for something called the 30-30-30 method and the avoidance of 5 specific foods. Let’s turn to these features now.
Gary Brecka’s 30-30-30 Method
The 30-30-30 method entails
- consuming 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning
- Follow the protein with 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise
This approach went viral after Gary Brecka described it on TikTok. The video now has more than 21 million views and countless stitches where people share their successes with it.
The idea behind consuming protein just after waking up is that the amino acids balance glucose levels and create a foundation for sustained energy.
If you don’t have protein and go right into a workout, your body will break down lean muscle tissue since muscle is far easier for your body to metabolize than fat.
The Biochemical Benefits
Protein triggers the release of several hormones, like glucagon, that work in opposition to insulin, helping to regulate blood sugar levels effectively.
This sets up a favorable hormonal environment that aids in glucose stability. Additionally, protein takes longer to digest compared to carbohydrates.
This slow digestion rate contributes to a more gradual absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, further aiding in blood sugar stabilization.
The Domino Effect on Your Day
The benefits don’t stop at mere glucose stabilization.
When your blood sugar levels are stable, you’re less likely to experience mood swings, energy crashes, or cravings for sugary snacks. In a domino effect, this supports sustained mental clarity, better decision-making, and improved focus and productivity.
Imagine not having to battle the post-lunch slump or the late-afternoon fog; that’s the level of sustained energy we’re talking about.
Engaging in physical activity stimulates your metabolism, setting you on the path of calorie burning throughout the day, and unleashing mood and energy stabilizing compounds like endorphins and serotonin. The result is sustained energy and mental clarity.
@brecka.clip Use the 30/30/30 rule 💯 #garybrecka #weightloss #weightlosstransformation #health #women #womenshealth ♬ original sound – Brecka
Gary Brecka’s 5 Foods to Avoid
- Flavored yogurt, even if it’s organic: Fruit-flavored yogurts are packed with 25-40 grams of sugar per serving, making them off-limits on a low-carb diet. Plain, organic Greek yogurt, on the other hand, can be a good addition to the Brecka diet and a great source of protein for the 30-30-30 protocol. It’s worth noting that Greek yogurt is lean, so you’ll have to add heavy cream or make up for the fat shortage by eating fattier meals throughout the day to achieve your macro ratios.
- Refined sugars: This one’s obvious. Sugar is toxic, spikes insulin, and causes a cascade of hormonal imbalances and inflammatory responses linked with various cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, infertility, obesity, and diabetes
- White rice: White rice is basically sugar in another form. With only 2 grams of protein per 48 grams of carbs, it has no place on the Gary Brecka diet.
- Non-organic and/or GMO veggies, but even fresh organic veggies, are not ideal on the Brecka diet. Non-organic an GMO veggies expose your body to chemical pesticides and biological compounds that can negatively impact your health. Gary Brecks suggests consuming flash frozen organic veggies because they retain more vitamins and minerals and are harvested at peak ripeness.
- Industrially processed seed oils: Seed oils like canola and soybean oil are among the most toxic foods on earth. They are high in unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids linked with inflammation, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Brecka also points out that in the early stages of processing, these oils are gummy. Companies use hexane, a known neurotoxin, to remove the gumminess.
Bonus: Gary Brecka, like many health enthusiasts, is suspicious of the effects of contaminants in tap water such as chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical byproducts.
Gary Brecka Diet Food List
Foods that Gary Brecka suggests consuming on his keto reset diet include:
Healthy Fats: Saturated and monounsaturated fats from animal sources and others from avocado, nuts, whole seeds, and olive oil. Remember, on keto, fat is your main source of calories.
Protein Sources: Moderate protein from whole foods sources such as red meat, seafood, eggs, and full-fat dairy.
Vegetables and low-carb fruit: Low-carb, non-starchy vegetables such as leafy greens, squash, asparagus, and avocado.
Nuts and seeds: Though fatty, nuts and seeds are high in inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids, so should be enjoyed in moderation.
Full-fat dairy products: Fatty, creamy cheeses, plain Greek yogurt, and heavy cream. Milk and lower-fat dairy is high in dairy sugars and should be avoided.
Potential Benefits of a Gary Brecka Keto Reset
Weight loss: On a keto diet, your body becomes more efficient at metabolizing body fat into powerful energy molecules called ketones. This metabolic process is called ketosis and has been shown to support more significant and sustained weight loss than calorie-restricting diets.
Increased energy: Cutting processed foods and carbs and getting your energy from fatty, nutrient-dense whole foods provides sustained and stable energy throughout the day.
Appetite suppression: High-fat, protein-rich foods are highly satiating on their own. And when you cut sugar and consume only fatty whole foods hunger hormones leptin and insulin resensitize. These hormones are responsible for turning on and off feelings of fullness and hunger. In short, your body re-learns how to sense when you’ve had enough to eat.
Heart health: Contrary to the myth that saturated fat causes heart disease, ketogenic diets reduce the risk of heart disease, in part by reducing inflammation and by lowering triglycerides and increasing levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.
Reduced inflammation: Cutting sugar and seed oils, and replacing them with whole foods dramatically reduces inflammation and helps to heal the gut–ground zero for systemic inflammation.
Drawbacks to the Gary Brecka Diet
Gary Brecka is rightfully concerned about industrial contaminants in our food and water. And he’s spot on about the power of high-fat, low-carb eating to deliver transformative health benefits.
But he overlooks the presence and potential impact of tens of thousands of naturally occurring plant-toxins and antinutrients found in abundance in most plant foods, including greens, seeds, nuts, peppers, and spices.
Over eons, plants have evolved sophisticated chemical defenses that can wreak havoc on human tissue, digestion, and metabolism.
Dr. Kiltz strongly recommends that you don’t eat your veggies for the following reasons:
- Vegetables contain thousands of naturally occurring toxins
- Plant foods are a prime factor in numerous digestive issues, including intestinal permeability or “leaky gut”
- Plant fiber is not necessary and likely abraids our intestines while causing excess and inflammation through fermentation
- Vegetables are often contaminated with harmful bacteria causing widespread outbreaks, hospitalizations, and even death
- Many plant foods, especially nuts, beans, seeds, and grains are contaminated with toxic molds called mycotoxins
For these reasons, all-meat diets like carnivore and Dr. Kiltz’s own BEBBIIS diet may be more beneficial high-fat, low-carb alternatives.
It’s worth highlighting that animal-based foods are far superior to plant foods in terms of nutrient variety and abundance. Reducing or eliminating plant foods does not lead to nutrient deficiencies. And, due to the presence of antinutrients in plants, when replaced with whole animal products, you will likely be at less risk for nutrient deficiencies.
The Gary Brecka Diet: The Bottom Line
The Gary Brecka diet is an approach to high-fat, low-carb keto eating. It was developed by bio-hacker and entrepreneur Gary Brecka.
This way of eating is part of a holistic wellness regimen aimed at biological optimization and increased longevity.
Following this way of eating can promote heart health, reduce inflammation, resensitize critical hormones, reduce body fat, and support sustained energy and mental clarity. However, it does include various plant foods like almond milk, and various vegetables that can expose the body to unnecessary carbs, naturally occurring toxins, toxic molds, excess fiber, and inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids. If you’re serious about getting the greatest benefit from your low-carb, high-fat lifestyle, there are other more nutritious approaches.
