Home Keto Diet Keto Diet 101 Is Keto Safe? [7 Myths About Keto Being Dangerous That Arent True]

The Keto diet (aka Ketogenic diet) has been getting a ton of press as an amazing weight-loss diet. But is Keto safe to do? Are there any dangers of Keto dieting?

Thats why weve written this post. To clear up all the myths surrounding the Keto diet

First, were going to discuss the most common myths around the dangers of Keto, plus explain why theyre not true. (Based on solid evidence, of course.)

Then well go over two important topics:

Bottom Line:

A ketogenic diet is safe, but there are healthy and unhealthy ways to do it.

Note: we are not doctors or nutritionists and the information provided in this article is based on our research and designed to help you educate yourself on the Keto diet. And now for our medical disclaimer:

Note that information contained in this article (and website) is not intended to and shall not convey or recommend any medical or nutritional advice or course of action. Any diet, health, or nutritional program you undertake should be discussed with your doctor or other licensed medical professionals. All opinions expressed in this article are based solely on personal experiences and research. We are NOT licensed doctors, dietitians, or nutritionists.

You might have seen these myths mentioned in articles online that doesnt mean theyre true, though.

TRUTH: If you eat a ketogenic diet in a healthy way, then it becomes a highly nutritious diet.

Technically, you could eat a variety of non-nutritious foods in order to reach nutritional ketosis. Just like you can eat pizza and be a vegetarian.

The main requirements for getting into ketosis are:

Eating this way causes your body to start burning fats for fuel instead of sugars.

And yes, you could do this by eating only mayo, beef patties, and margarine, which could definitely lead to severe nutritional deficiencies.

But this isnt the only way (or even a recommended way) of doing Keto.

Instead, you can eat on a healthy ketogenic diet plenty of:

Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, M.D. recommends a Keto diet that includes plenty of low-carb veggies. On a keto diet, vegetables with less than 5 net carbs may be eaten relatively freely have them with butter and other sauces! It is hard to over-eat spinach, zucchini, lettuce, asparagus and kale on a keto diet.

He adds, On a keto diet, vegetables with less than 5 net carbs may be eaten relatively freely have them with butter and other sauces! It is hard to over-eat spinach, zucchini, lettuce, asparagus and kale on a keto diet.

Bottom Line:

A ketogenic diet packed with low carb vegetables, grass-fed beef, pastured pork, fish, shellfish, organ meats, healthy fats, and berries can be highly nutritious and packed with essential vitamins and minerals.

TRUTH: If youre not a Type 1 diabetic (or late-stage Type 2), ketoacidosis is not something you should be worried about.

According to Registered Nurse, Tammy Shifflett, RN, For people with Type 1 Diabetes, you probably have heard of their diabetic emergency, diabetic ketoacidosis, also referred to as DKA. This can be life threatening condition for people with Type 1 diabetes and Certified Diabetes Educators spend many hours teaching preventive care for DKA. This condition should not be confused with nutritional ketosis, the fat burning state reached when following the Ketogenic diet. The two conditions are quite different.

In reality, you cant go into ketoacidosis if your body is producing insulin normally.

You have a hormonal feedback loop which prevents this happening.

Check out this video for the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis:

Now that youve had a short introduction, lets crunch some numbers

For Nutritional Ketosis: Your ketone levels are usually between 0.5 to 6 mmol/L.

Your Feedback Loop Is Triggered:If your blood ketone levels go above 6 mmol/L.

Ketoacidosis Occurs:If your blood ketone levels go above 20 mmol/L.

As you can see, theres a vast difference between mild ketosis (the level most folks aim for when using a Keto diet for weight loss and often you dont even need 0.5 mmol/L) and ketoacidosis.

And your body prevents you from ever reaching ketoacidosis, thanks to that feedback loop.

If your blood ketone levels go above 6 mmol/L, your body releases insulin.

And this has a few knock-on effects

Your fat cells stop releasing fatty acids, which are the thing your body uses to make ketones.

Your liver starts producing ketones much more slowly.

Your body moves ketones out of your bloodstream and theyre excreted in your urine.

All of this has one consequence to bring your ketone levels back to a healthy range.

So, as long as your body produces insulin normally, theres no need to be afraid youll get ketoacidosis! If you want to read more about this and what ketoacidosis is and whether you should be testing for it, then check out our detailed article here.

Bottom Line:

Nutritional ketosis and ketoacidosis are very different. And as long as your body produces insulin normally (i.e., youre not a type 1 diabetic or late stage type 2 diabetic), then your body has built into feedback loops to prevent ketoacidosis from occurring.

TRUTH: If you take care to drink enough water and get enough electrolytes, you wont be dehydrated.

Theres an easy way to avoid dehydration on the keto diet

Drink more water!

But theres more to it than that

Youll also need to replenish your electrolytes since youll flush a lot of them out along with water weight when you first go keto.

Pharmacist and Certified Health CoachDr. Christina Tarantola, PharmD, CHC, describes the effect this can have on someone new to Keto. As a person goes into ketosis, it is likely that he or she might experience the keto flu, because the body is not yet adapted to the lower amount of carbs present in the bloodstream. Electrolyte shifts may cause some of the symptoms associated with the keto flu, so, having a plan to supplement with magnesium, potassium, and plenty of water can ameliorate any unpleasant feelings.

So make sure you get plenty of sodium, potassium, and magnesium in your diet, whether thats through foods like leafy greens, broccoli, and salmon or by taking supplements.And drink plenty of teas, soups and broths, and water.

Bottom Line:

You will need to drink more water and ensure you replenish your electrolytes on Keto.

TRUTH: In fact, the Keto diet could reduce your risk of heart disease.

Although some folks think eating a high fat keto diet will increase your risk of heart disease

The opposite is often true!

Provided youre eating a healthy low carb diet which is full of good fats, of course.

A 2003 study conducted by Hussein M. Dashti, M.D., PhD, et al, concluded, The administration of a ketogenic diet for a relatively long period is safe and favorably modi?es the risk factors of heart disease in obese patients.

There are a few ways keto reduces your risk of heart disease

A study investigating the long-term effects of a Ketogenic diet followed 83 patients and found a significant decrease in the level of triglycerides (you can read more here).

That same study also found the participants levels of LDLs (aka bad cholesterol) decreased significantly.

Another study which followed 63 patients found that their levels of HDLs (aka good heart-healthy cholesterol) significantly increased, thanks to the healthy fats the diet provided (check it out here).

Bottom Line:

Despite conventional fears of high fat diets, theres significant research showing that a low carb and high fat diet can be beneficial to your health.

TRUTH: Going Keto doesnt mean you lose muscle mass there are bodybuilders who follow the keto diet.

Some people find they lose muscle while losing fat on the diet

But thats true for every weight loss diet!

And if you add some strength training to your exercise routine, you can combat this.

There are also suggestions that a strict keto diet can actually preserve muscle mass.

Bottom Line:

Keto, like other weight-loss regimes, can make it hard for you to retain your muscle mass while losing fat. So make sure to add a strength-training component to your diet. Learn how to customize your keto diet here.

TRUTH: Theres no scientific evidence for high-fat diets causing gallstones although low-fat diets have been linked to gallstone formation.

The conventional belief is that a high-fat diet causes gallstones. But science actually points the other direction suggesting that a low-fat diet is actually more likely to cause gallstones to form.

You see

If you eat a very low-fat diet, then all that bile that your body produces (in order to digest fats) sits unused in your gallbladder. And this could then lead to gallstones forming.

Several studies point to this hypothesis:

Bottom Line:

Eating a low fat diet has been linked to gallstone formation when using a low-calorie diet to lose weight. While theres no definitive answer to what causes gallstones, the suggestions that Keto could cause gallstones dont make scientific sense.

TRUTH: Following a ketogenic diet doesnt cause HPA Axis Dysfunction (which is still often called adrenal fatigue) but if you already have adrenal fatigue, you might struggle with the Keto diet.

HPA Axis Dysfunction is likely caused by being in a chronic state of stress.

Whether thats mental and emotional stress from work/relationships/life or physical stress from over-exercising or eating too few calories.Stress disturbs your bodys hormone balance which has a bunch of negative knock-on effects.

According to Dr. Tommy Wood, M.D., PhD., Much of the data used to support the idea that the ketogenic diet causes thyroid/adrenal issues come from studies where people are in a calorie deficit. If youre on a ketogenic diet and eating enough calories, then this problem often goes away.

So make sure to keep nourishing your body instead of using keto as a crash diet to lose weight.

Bottom Line:

While a low carb diet has been linked to HPA Axis Dysfunction (adrenal fatigue) in the past, its much more likely that prolonged calorie restriction and continuous stress are the main causes. However, if you already have HPA axis dysfunction, then a low carb diet could be an additional stress on your body that is best avoided. Heal first, and then give Keto a try to lose extra weight.

A lot of the potential negative side effects of Ketogenic diets are caused by three things

and these are mistakes you could make no matter which diet you choose to go on!

Thats why we suggest you follow the tips below and enjoy your Keto diet and lifestyle.

Supplement with a greens powder if necessary!

Eat fermented foods like kimchi and coconut yogurt and kefir. Take probiotics as well to boost your friendly gut bacteria.

But also remember to get enough prebiotic fiber (from vegetables) to ensure your friendly gut bacteria flourishes instead of dies off!

Most people on a ketogenic diet may need to supplement with additional prebiotic fiber to ensure they get enough fiber (since most Keto folks dont eat enough veggies for fear of getting too many carbs).

If its within your budget, then go for grass-fed beef, pastured pork, free-range chicken, and organic produce.

Food quality does make a difference to your health.

Hydrogenated cooking fats high in omega-3s like sunflower oil, soybean oil, and canola oil can cause long-term inflammation.

Thats why its better to stick with fats like coconut oil, olive oil, tallow, lard, and ghee.

While diet sodas and sugar-free chocolate bars fall within the ketogenic macros framework, they are still not healthy for you.

Make long-term health your goal and youll see not only short-term weight loss but also a decrease in health problems down the road.

Food isnt just macros (carbs, protein, and fat). Food is designed to provide you with calories for energy but also vitamins and minerals to ensure your entire body functions like a well-oiled machine.

So dont just eat chicken breast with butter! Add other nutrient-dense foods into your diet, like:

This will help you get over the keto flu as well as avoid feeling tired and getting dehydrated.

Original post:
Is Keto Safe? [7 Myths About Keto Being Dangerous That ...

Ever found yourself looking for a diet, but are unsure if any of them actually work?

There are some that are better than others. There are also diets that have reliable clinical research to back them up.

Packaged food programs (Jenny Craig and NutriSystem) are generally short-term solutions or fixes they are often used by people trying to get back on track. Convenience and time-management often dictate what we can eat. This is reality.

According to the Annals of Internal Medicine:

With the exception of Weight Watchers, the evidence to support the effectiveness of major commercial weight loss programs is limited. Patients considering the use of commercial weight loss programs should realize that these programs have not been carefully studied and that they vary greatly in cost.

So, without doubt Weight Watchers is the most studied diet, and with the most successful outcome.

"I just wanted to say how great this site is. The Macro-Nutrient and Daily Calorie Needs calculators I use all the time. Thank you!"

- Terra

This site is reader-supported: some links are affiliate links earning commissions on sales. 2019 Freedieting.com

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Top 10 Diets That Work - Freedieting

To make a low-carb diet truly simple and enjoyable requires a few new skills. For example, how do you cook low-carb breakfasts that you love? How do you eat more healthy fats? And whats important to think about when dining out?

Here are all the guides you need.

Breakfast is a great time to eat low carb. Who doesnt love bacon and eggs? In the unlikely event that you answered I, there are even great options with no eggs at all.

Another strong option is to just have a cup of coffee, as many people get less hungry on a low-carb, high-fat diet and may not need breakfast at all. This can save you plenty of time.

There are many other options both delicious and fast

So, Whats for lunch and dinner on a low-carb diet? You could have mouth-watering, delicious dishes full of meat, fish, chicken, vegetables and full-fat sauces. The options are nearly limitless as you will see by our variety of recipes and meal plans.

Check out our recipes to learn to cook amazing low-carb meals

Who needs starchy sides when you can have cauliflower mash or cauliflower rice instead? Not to mention butter-fried green cabbage, yum!

In short, we can show you plenty of great low-carb alternatives that are both tasty and healthy. You may even end up liking them better than their carb-heavy predecessors.

Its very possible to eat low carb even when leaving your house, for example at restaurants. Just avoid starchy foods and ask for some extra natural fat (e.g. olive oil or butter).

This guide helps you with tips for fast food, other restaurants, buffets and for when you eat at a friends house

You probably dont need to snack as much on a low-carb diet, as youll likely feel satisfied longer.

However, if you want something right away you could have cheese, nuts, cold cuts or even an egg. There are lots of amazing options

Do you have a hard time living without bread?

You may not have to. Just be aware that there are good and bad low-carb bread options. Spoiler: youll probably want to stay away from low-carb bread from the grocery store! Heres why, and what to do instead

Fat can be both satiating and an amazing flavor enhancer. But how do you get enough of it in your diet? And how much fat should you really eat? Hint: enough to feel satisfied and not hungry.

Learn all about it in this guide

Many who are eating a low-carb diet can get seduced by creatively marketed low carb products cakes, cookies, candies, chocolate, pastas, breads, ice cream and other substitute foods.

Unfortunately this rarely ends well, especially not for weight loss. These products are usually lacking beneficial nutrients and are often higher in carbs than their labels imply. We recommend avoiding them entirely if possible. Learn more

A low-carb diet doesnt have to be expensive. In this guide, youll learn how to make it cheap.

With a little planning and preparation you could save a ton of money

Is it a good thing to occasionally stray from on a low-carb diet? That depends. And its worth thinking about whats right for you. Learn more

Do you want more low-carb guides? We have more low-carb guides!

Continue reading here:
A Low-Carb Diet for Beginners The Ultimate Guide Diet ...

Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan

Your diabetes diet is simply a healthy-eating plan that will help you control your blood sugar. Here's help getting started, from meal planning to counting carbohydrates.

A diabetes diet simply means eating the healthiest foods in moderate amounts and sticking to regular mealtimes.

A diabetes diet is a healthy-eating plan that's naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories. Key elements are fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In fact, a diabetes diet is the best eating plan for most everyone.

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, your doctor will likely recommend that you see a dietitian to help you develop a healthy-eating plan. The plan helps you control your blood sugar (glucose), manage your weight and control heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high blood fats.

When you eat extra calories and fat, your body creates an undesirable rise in blood glucose. If blood glucose isn't kept in check, it can lead to serious problems, such as a high blood glucose level (hyperglycemia) that, if persistent, may lead to long-term complications, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage.

You can help keep your blood glucose level in a safe range by making healthy food choices and tracking your eating habits.

For most people with type 2 diabetes, weight loss also can make it easier to control blood glucose and offers a host of other health benefits. If you need to lose weight, a diabetes diet provides a well-organized, nutritious way to reach your goal safely.

A diabetes diet is based on eating three meals a day at regular times. This helps you better use the insulin that your body produces or gets through a medication.

A registered dietitian can help you put together a diet based on your health goals, tastes and lifestyle. He or she can also talk with you about how to improve your eating habits, such as choosing portion sizes that suit the needs for your size and activity level.

Make your calories count with these nutritious foods. Choose healthy carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, fish and "good" fats.

During digestion, sugars (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates) break down into blood glucose. Focus on healthy carbohydrates, such as:

Avoid less healthy carbohydrates, such as foods or drinks with added fats, sugars and sodium.

Dietary fiber includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb. Fiber moderates how your body digests and helps control blood sugar levels. Foods high in fiber include:

Eat heart-healthy fish at least twice a week. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may prevent heart disease.

Avoid fried fish and fish with high levels of mercury, such as king mackerel.

Foods containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help lower your cholesterol levels. These include:

But don't overdo it, as all fats are high in calories.

Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease and stroke by accelerating the development of clogged and hardened arteries. Foods containing the following can work against your goal of a heart-healthy diet.

You may use a few different approaches to create a diabetes diet to help you keep your blood glucose level within a normal range. With a dietitian's help, you may find that one or a combination of the following methods works for you:

The American Diabetes Association offers a simple method of meal planning. In essence, it focuses on eating more vegetables. Follow these steps when preparing your plate:

Because carbohydrates break down into glucose, they have the greatest impact on your blood glucose level. To help control your blood sugar, you may need to learn to calculate the amount of carbohydrates you are eating so that you can adjust the dose of insulin accordingly. It's important to keep track of the amount of carbohydrates in each meal or snack.

A dietitian can teach you how to measure food portions and become an educated reader of food labels. He or she can also teach you how to pay special attention to serving size and carbohydrate content.

If you're taking insulin, a dietitian can teach you how to count the amount of carbohydrates in each meal or snack and adjust your insulin dose accordingly.

A dietitian may recommend you choose specific foods to help you plan meals and snacks. You can choose a number of foods from lists including categories such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

One serving in a category is called a "choice." A food choice has about the same amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories and the same effect on your blood glucose as a serving of every other food in that same category. For example, the starch, fruits and milk list includes choices that are 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrates.

Some people who have diabetes use the glycemic index to select foods, especially carbohydrates. This method ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on their effect on blood glucose levels. Talk with your dietitian about whether this method might work for you.

When planning meals, take into account your size and activity level. The following menu is tailored for someone who needs 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.

Embracing your healthy-eating plan is the best way to keep your blood glucose level under control and prevent diabetes complications. And if you need to lose weight, you can tailor it to your specific goals.

Aside from managing your diabetes, a diabetes diet offers other benefits, too. Because a diabetes diet recommends generous amounts of fruits, vegetables and fiber, following it is likely to reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. And consuming low-fat dairy products can reduce your risk of low bone mass in the future.

If you have diabetes, it's important that you partner with your doctor and dietitian to create an eating plan that works for you. Use healthy foods, portion control and scheduling to manage your blood glucose level. If you stray from your prescribed diet, you run the risk of fluctuating blood sugar levels and more-serious complications.

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More here:
Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan - Mayo Clinic

diet

"regular food," early 13c., from Old French diete (13c.) "diet, pittance, fare," from Medieval Latin dieta "parliamentary assembly," also "a day's work, diet, daily food allowance," from Latin diaeta "prescribed way of life," from Greek diaita, originally "way of life, regimen, dwelling," related to diaitasthai "lead one's life," and from diaitan, originally "separate, select" (food and drink), frequentative of *diainysthai "take apart," from dia- "apart" + ainysthai "take," from PIE root *ai- "to give, allot." Often with a sense of restriction since 14c.; hence put (someone) on a diet (mid-15c.).

diet

"assembly," mid-15c., from Medieval Latin dieta, variant of diaeta "daily office (of the Church), daily duty, assembly, meeting of counselors," from Greek diaita (see diet (n.1)), but associated with Latin dies "day" (see diurnal).

late 14c., "to regulate one's diet for the sake of health," from Old French dieter, from diete (see diet (n.1)); meaning "to regulate oneself as to food" (especially against fatness) is from 1650s. Related: Dieted; dieting. An obsolete word for this is banting. The adjective in this sense (Diet Coke, etc.) is from 1963, originally American English.

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Diet | Definition of Diet at Dictionary.com