A ketogenic diet is a metabolic state rather than a fixed menu, according to David Cruz. After emergency diverticulitis surgery, he says a short ketogenic reset became the turning point in his health, and he lost 50 pounds in eight weeks without exercise. This is one man's story and opinion, not medical advice.
ᛉKey takeaways
- David describes ketosis as a metabolic state people are born in, not a diet, and he teaches a short-term ketogenic reset rather than keto for life.
- He calls insulin the master hormone and the metabolic switch between a body in survival mode and a body that can heal.
- He says the goal is metabolic flexibility, the ability to eat carbohydrates one day and return to ketosis within hours.
- David urges people to read the back of the package, because he says "keto friendly" labels and sugar alternatives can hide ingredients that work against the goal.
- He believes stress and breath work matter as much as food, and that the body works best with less interference.
- Both men stress that this is not medical advice and that anyone changing their nutrition should talk with a medical professional.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠDiverticulitis surgery and the advice that did not sit right
David Cruz was a bodybuilder who ate chicken breast, brown rice and green vegetables for years. In 2015, cramps sent him to the emergency room in Newport Beach. He says he spent about two days in the hospital and was told he had digestive issues and should eat better, without a diagnosis.
At the end of 2016, in Boise, Idaho, the flare-ups returned. A colonoscopy led to a diverticulitis diagnosis and emergency surgery in about two weeks. David believes the problem should have been caught the year before.
After five days in the hospital and the removal of about 20% of his colon, David says his doctor told him the problem was still there. In his account, she planned to remove another 15 to 20% in six to eight months and wanted him to eat bread, rice and pudding for three to four weeks, with no protein and no fiber. He decided not to follow that advice.
ᚢWhat is ketosis? David's view of a metabolic state, not a diet
In David's explanation, ketosis is a metabolic state, and people are born in it. He points to the fat in breast milk as fuel for an infant's brain development. When someone uses fats and proteins as their main fuel, he says, the body produces different hormones than when it runs on carbohydrates and sugars.
He describes three metabolisms: ketosis, glycolysis (running mainly on carbs and sugars) and metabolic flexibility, which he calls the gold standard. Insulin is the master hormone in his teaching, the switch between a body in survival mode, which he links to insulin resistance, and one that can thrive and heal.
David does not think anyone should stay in ketosis forever. He teaches a short-term reset and five nutrition lifestyles, which is why he renamed his program from The Ketogenic Reset to Total Metabolic Solutions. After a reset, he says, a person can eat pizza or rice one day and return to ketosis within hours.
ᚦHow a ketogenic reset changed David's gut health, in his words
David turned to his friend and mentor Carrie Danielson, a functional nutrition therapy practitioner and gut health specialist. He says she told him that if he wanted to avoid a colostomy bag, he would have to heal his gut and adopt a non-inflammatory way of eating, which she called keto. A five-minute conversation, he says, started an obsession with learning.
Within a few weeks he was putting it into practice, and he reports losing 50 pounds in eight weeks with no exercise. He describes about four to five months of nutrition therapy to heal his gut and reduce inflammation. When he told his doctors what he was doing, he says they responded with fear, warning that his blood sugar could drop and he could pass out. He says he told them he felt great and was taking no medication.
David posted a before-and-after photo, and people began asking for advice. He then got certified in nutrition healing with Dr. Eric Berg and began educating others.
Jeremy shared that his own therapist training covered how medications affect the brain, but not nutrition, exercise, spirituality or community. If you want conversation about the whole person, the Mindful Mutiny community offers live Fireside Chats and a course library.
ᚨA ketogenic diet food list: what David eats, and keto vs paleo
David says a ketogenic approach means cutting carbohydrates and sugars for a short time and eating protein, fats and vegetables. His examples include avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, ghee, eggs, fattier cuts of meat and salmon. He avoids canola, vegetable and other seed oils.
On paleo, he says it allows more carbohydrates, such as honey, sweet potatoes, yams, quinoa and beans, but it also removes processed food and high glycemic carbs like white rice and pasta. In his view the Mediterranean diet uses more olive and coconut oil but steers away from red meat, while paleo allows red meat in moderation. Jeremy says the hardest part of paleo was finding bread without additives.
ᚱKeto friendly labels, net carbs and sugar alternatives
David opened a meal-prep restaurant called Keto to Go in 2019 and told customers the food was not "keto friendly." In his view that label means "not that toxic," while truly keto food has no processed ingredients.
He explains net carbs as a calculation that subtracts fiber from carbohydrates. He says some products in the 2020 and 2021 boom were high in carbs but high in processed fiber, so the package claimed one net carb. His advice is to turn the package over and read the ingredients, especially on sugar alternatives, which he says can contain ingredients that still raise blood sugar.
He also says the food industry has renamed some ingredients, citing aspartame and "natural flavors," and that these deserve a second look.
ᚲBreath work, stress and why David says to respect food
David's work includes nutrition, supplements, intermittent fasting and what he calls mindset through breath work. He says clients who add breath work gain clarity about the big picture and the small steps. For him, biohacking is simple: if you walk 10,000 steps today and 10,001 tomorrow, you are making small changes that add up.
He also believes chronic stress keeps the body in survival mode, which he says can stall weight loss. He quotes chiropractic pioneer B.J. Palmer: nature needs no help to progress, it simply needs no interference.
On calories, David asks people to respect food and see what is in it. Using an avocado as an example, he lists its fat, fiber, protein and vitamins to argue that a calorie number tells you little.
Jeremy adds that stress also comes from toxic friendships, toxic workplaces and eating at your desk. If those patterns sound familiar, individual therapy with Jeremy is one place to work on them.
ᚷWhere to start if you are rethinking your own health
Jeremy and David both say the episode is not medical advice. David encourages anyone switching their nutrition to seek advice from a medical professional.
David's summary is that your body is a temple that works best with less interference. If you have questions about habits, stress or what you want next, Jeremy offers a private 30-minute conversation to talk it through.
This episode shares one person's experience and opinions about nutrition and is not medical advice. Talk with your own doctor before changing your diet or treatment.
ᚨ Questions people ask
What is a ketogenic diet, according to David Cruz?
David says ketosis is a metabolic state rather than a diet, one we are born in. In his view, you get there by cutting carbohydrates and sugars for a short time and relying on fats, protein and vegetables for fuel.
How is a ketogenic diet different from paleo or Mediterranean eating?
David says paleo allows more carbohydrates, including honey, sweet potatoes and beans, while keto removes them for a period. He describes Mediterranean eating as using more olive oil and avoiding red meat.
What does "keto friendly" mean on a food label?
David argues that "keto friendly" often means a product is low in net carbs because of added fiber, not that it is truly low in carbs or unprocessed. He suggests reading the ingredients on the back of the package.
How did David Cruz lose 50 pounds?
By his own account, David followed a ketogenic reset guided by nutritional therapist Carrie Danielson and lost 50 pounds in eight weeks without exercise. This is his personal experience, not a promise of results.
Is this episode medical advice about diverticulitis surgery?
No. Jeremy and David both say the episode shares one person's experience and opinions, and they encourage viewers to consult their own medical professionals before changing their nutrition or treatment.