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Confused by Keto Diet pros and cons?
You’re not alone… It’s the most confusing and misunderstood “diet” I see with Clients.
7 Keto Diet Pros and Cons
1). CON: Too many different versions of Keto and/or Low Carb
Depending on which Tweet, book, Pin or recipe you see today, your version may have total carbs anywhere from 2 – 49 gms. per day.
- Few people bother with Ketone Sticks and just stop eating fruits, starches and vegetables.
- Sort of.
- Without any science or plan to it.
I teach a Biological Human Diet – what humans have eaten for 100’s of thousands of years. Basically, CORRECT Paleo with 40 – 50% fat calories. My “Diet For Human Beings” DVD tells more. But….
Keto sets fat as 70 – 90% of your calories.
That’s a LOT of fat – and not what humans ate historically.
We ate animals, seafood, weeds, flowers, animal fats, tubers, nuts, seeds, and an occasional egg, fruit or finger full of honey. That’s already a controlled carb diet, with an abundance of veggies and small servings of tubers. Lacking grains, sugar, alcohol and high fructose corn syrup, Ancestral (i.e. Paleo) is balanced and satisfying. Lower in carbs without trying.
2). CON: High Cholesterol on Keto, perhaps dramatically so
We use Cholesterol for many things, and we make a lot of it. But if there is more than we can use today, it gets stored in the body. HDL, LDL, fatty liver, etc. Keto foods contain more Cholesterol than the body can use without strong athletic activity. Deliberately keeping Cholesterol over 285 can cause problems in many areas of the body. I’ve seen it as high as 485 while on Keto.
3). CON: Keto and Gallbladder health
It’s all CON when it comes to Keto and the Gallbladder.
If you don’t have a Gallbladder or your Gallbladder is already marginal,
don’t even think about Keto. Period….
If you want to keep your Gallbladder healthy, assuming it still is, consuming huge quantities of Egg Yolks, saturated fats and Vegetable Oils will cause trouble. Gallbladder and Liver Duct problems can incapacitate you without warning.
Read my article or listen to Primal Diet – Modern Health Podcast on eggs and the gallbladder on this page.
4). PRO: Keto Diet for Weight Loss and Insulin Resistance
Stopping grains, fructose, fruit juice, pasta, sweets, excess potato and alcohol will help resolve Insulin Resistance. “Correct Paleo” — the Biological Diet, already does that…. Without Keto risks.
Remember Keto requires 80% of your calories from FAT. Correct Ancestral/Paleo is 40%
Most people lose weight on Keto but not everyone. Keto weight loss occurs when you stop eating starches and sugars elevating Triglycerides and A1C Glucose. It’s not “rocket science”.
Starches and sugars are HIGH in calories.
Fat is also HIGH in calories. Fat however is satiating and you should eat less overall and feel full. If you overeat fat you can GAIN weight on Keto.
More Keto Diet Pro and Con
5). CON: True KETO/Ketosis is Hard to Manage; Most People Don’t Bother
Are you going for actual Ketosis and monitoring it? Or just using “KETO” as an excuse not to cook and eat vegetables?
I’m not convinced Ketosis is safe, correct or useful (especially for women) so know what you’re doing and be truthful about it.
See my tongue-in-check post about KETO vs. Paleo here.
I’ve had new Clients assure me their Keto diet is great and we don’t need to review it. Then I see a Food Diary with cheap cold cuts, feed lot ground beef, hydrogenated soy/canola mayonnaise, commercial salad dressing, spoons of oil, spoons of butter, hydrogenated (not pastured) lard. And maybe some lettuce. This is a healthy diet??
Keto is NOT the same as Intermittent Fasting by the way. Don’t confuse the two!
6). CON: How to stop Keto and eat a correct Paleo Diet once you lost weight
Going low carb – total carbs under 50 grms. – is a short-term project. One “CON” of the Keto Diet is failure to get off Keto and join the real world of regular food (still without grains).
Mark Sisson writes repeatedly in his “Primal Blueprint” book to get 75 to 100 grams of carbs daily if not looking for weight loss. It’s actually hard to get that much carbohydrate from vegetables and a little fruit – you’ll need to add some tubers to do it (potato, yam, cassava).
Humans NEED vegetables, some fruits, some tubers, etc. We evolved with these foods, we get vitamins and minerals from them, they feed the Microbiome. And keep the Colon moving.
Keto folk often take Electrolyte supplements to prevent muscle cramps as they are so short of minerals. That’s a RED FLAG you’re not eating right!
7). PRO: Educating yourself about Carbohydrate content in food
You can eat abundant vegetables and stay under 50 gms. of carbs. Do it right. If weight, triglycerides and Insulin Resistance begin to improve, get OFF 80% fat, go back to Paleo’s 40% calories from fat, and add more Carbs. No grains, no sugar, but more veggies, a little fruit and some tubers. Like we evolved to eat.
What Do You Eat on The Paleo Diet?
Eating the foods we evolved to eat means we are eating a Biologically appropriate diet. We want a food plan that is sustainable for 10 to 40 years!
The article on “The Definitive Guide to What to Eat On Paleo” lays out why, what and how we eat and digest and clarifies the types of Fats we need, as well as the right kind of starch. Enjoy!
