Today in work (as care assis) i was able to test my urine to see if i was in ketosis, hurrah great joy there was my proof some lovely reddy purple colours on the end of the stick. But my matron burst my bubble by telling me that it is dangerouse and i could give myself liver damage by allowing this to continue, shock horror,
ive been reading the atkins book and as far as i can tell there is no danger of this as long as i'm following the rules, who do i believe??

Don't worry Izzy, provided you are drinking plenty of water there is not a problem.

What your Matron was probably talking about was ketoacidosis where you excrete a lot of ketones and that is because your body is eating up itself. The cause is very different and can have very negative health effects. Many people seem to get the two confused.

Just make sure you drink plenty of water to keep those ketones flushed out of you. You do not need dark purple strips, just a faint pink, to know you are in fat burning mode.

Keep at it and don't get discouraged.

Thanks little Ann
I read something i think on this but i could'nt find it in the book, i told her that i thought she was mistaking it for something else but she was adament she was right(as usual haha)
we are good friends really,
ive been scoffing the water about 12 pints a day(cant stomach any more) so i hope that is sufficiant, again thanks for your input
cheers

hi izzy,

The Matron is right that ketoacidosis is harmful; however, ketosis resulting from eating a carbo-restricted diet is NOT the same thing at all.

Ketoacidosis is a dangerous condition for diabetics, and the main element is ACID not ketones. The blood pH becomes dangerously acidic because of an extremely high blood SUGAR level (the diabetic has no insulin, or doesn't respond to insulin .... so blood sugar accumulates and rises). Ketones are produced in the liver from fat, to provide fuel necessary for life, since the cells can't use the sugar. It's the high blood sugar, and the acid condition that is so dangerous. Ketones just happen to be a part of the picture, and are a RESULT of the condition, not the CAUSE.

Ketones do not rot your liver or your kidneys either. Ketone-producing low-carb diets have been used successfully since the 1920's to treat epilepsy in small children, as young as 1 yr old, and these children develop normally and healthy.

There's an article about Ketosis and Ketone Test Strips in the Low Carb Tips section .. which you can find on the orange menu bar at the top. It should answer any questions you may have, and might even print it out to show to the Matron

Doreen

Thankyou Doreen for your very informintive reply, you can bet your boots i'l be printing out this page .
We are good friends the matron and me but she is a bit of a 'know all' at times haha,
cheers