How to Make Ample with “The Molecule”

In the same way that protein shakers use a metal whisk to make protein shakes smooth, we added a cool plastic whisk shaped like beta-hydroxybutyrate (my second-favorite molecule) for to use in making your Ample be as smooth as possible.

Just pop the molecule in your unfilled Ample, add liquid, and shake it up. The molecule is recyclable along with the bottle, but you can reuse it as well. You’ll notice that we only gave you 6, even if you purchased a 12- or 30-pack, since we created these little guys as a test to see how you like them!

Just head over to our facebook group or email us at help@amplemeal.com with your feedback.

But what the heck is beta-hydroxybutyrate and why is it my penultimate favorite? Basically, BHB is an alternative form of energy that is easily and efficiently used by our brains and muscles to power us through the day.

Normally, when we eat food, most of the energy we gain comes from carbohydrates and fat. The problem is that the brain can’t actually use fat as a fuel source, because fat doesn’t get past the blood-brain barrier (BBB). So it’s only quick option is carbs. And we all know what happens when we eat too many carbs–an insulin spike, followed by a blood sugar crash, followed by a craving for more carbs.

So its in times of carbohydrate restriction or fasting that our bodies create these cool things called ketones to provide an additional source of fuel for the brain. Ketones are created in the liver from triglycerides (fat) to be used by the brain and muscles when carbs are in scarce supply. And one such ketone is called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB).

And it turns out that, BHB, not only can BHB create a whopping 20 ATP of cellular energy when metabolized in the brain and muscles¹, it also creates less oxidation when it is metabolized². This effectively means that it burns more “cleanly”, requiring less antioxidants to mop up free radicals and reactive oxygen species³.

So how do you reap the benefits of ketones without going into ketosis or fasting? One effective strategy is to load your body up with “ketogenic” fats, such as the medium chain triglycerides found in coconut oil, which are much easier for your body to turn into ketones than they are to store as fat.

-Connor

References

Lori Laffel. Ketone bodies: a review of physiology, pathophysiology and application of monitoring to diabetes. Diabetes/Metabolism Reviews.
Marwan Maalouf, Patrick G. Sullivan, Laurie Davis, Do Young Kim. KETONES INHIBIT MITOCHONDRIAL PRODUCTION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES PRODUCTION FOLLOWING GLUTAMATE EXCITOTOXICITY BY INCREASING NADH OXIDATION. Neuroscience. 2007 Mar 2; 145(1): 256–264.
Yoshihiro Kashiwaya, Takao Takeshima, Nozomi Mori, Kenji Nakashima, Kieran Clarke, Richard L. Veech. d-β-Hydroxybutyrate protects neurons in models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 May 9; 97(10): 5440–5444.

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