You've probably heard about the keto diet by now: maybe your cousin won't shut up about it or your favourite influencer constantly shares her #keto lunches on the 'gram. The truth is it's not just a fad diet; it's a widely popular way of eating that has helped countless people lose weight and transform their lives.
Unfortunately, there are still a lot of misconceptions about this popular diet. We spoke with James McCarter MD, PhD, head of research at Virta Health, who helped us separate fact from fiction. If you want to give it a try or are just curious what all the fuss is about, browse through these popular myths about the keto diet and find out what the actual facts are. As always, be sure to consult with your doctor or healthcare provider before making any major dietary changes; the keto diet should be done under medical supervision.
Sure, keto can help you lose weight, but that's not the diet's only purpose. In fact, it is used to help treat kids with epilepsy in order to reduce seizure frequency and has been used as such a treatment since the 1920s.
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You Can't Eat Any Carbs
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It's true that the keto diet is very low-carb and your body needs to eat under a certain carbohydrate threshold to enter ketosis, the fat-burning mode in which your body burns through fat instead of glucose for fuel. But keto isn't a zero-carb diet.
"Carbohydrates are naturally found in vegetables — even nonstarchy ones — nuts, berry fruits, and other foods that are allowable," Dr. McCarter told POPSUGAR. "Everyone has a different carbohydrate threshold for ketosis, though less than 50 grams of total carbohydrates per day is a good place to start." You can test to see if your body is in ketosis with strips that you pee on or a finger-prick blood test.
Since carbs are extremely limited on keto, most people think that fat and protein are a free-for-all. Actually, it's still important to count macros; you can't have nearly as much protein as you may think.
"A ketogenic diet is high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carbohydrate," Dr. McCarter explained. "Eating high levels of protein can actually undermine an individual's attempt to achieve nutritional ketosis because it does result in a rise in blood sugar. The macronutrient breakdown when at goal weight is about 70 to 80 percent fat, 15 to 20 percent protein, and five to 10 percent carbs."
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It's Bad For Your Heart
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Rima Brindamour
For decades, fat was thought to lead to weight gain, which ushered in the low-fat, high-carb craze of the '80s and '90s and arguably made us sicker than ever. Although we know better now about how fat affects our bodies, there's still controversy about how much fat is healthy and the appropriate amount of saturated vs. unsaturated fat for heart health.
"A ketogenic diet is not bad for your heart; it is actually beneficial for cardiovascular risk factors for people living with type 2 diabetes," Dr. McCarter said. "In a 2018 publication, Bhanpuri et al. Diabetes Therapy, we demonstrated that in following one year of a ketogenic diet for patients with type 2 diabetes, not only did diabetes improve, but also 22 of 26 cardiovascular risk factors improved in the Virta intervention group vs. zero of 22 in the usual care group.
Recent studies have overturned the outdated notion that saturated fats, often consumed on a ketogenic diet, are risk factors for heart disease."
Since the keto diet relies on your body being in a state of ketosis, how does alcohol affect your body's ability to be in ketosis? Luckily, you don't have to give up alcohol entirely on the keto diet — it all depends on how it fits into your daily macros and carb allotment.
"Ketogenic diet or not, it is advised to drink alcohol in moderation," Dr. McCarter said. "That said, some lower-carb alcoholic beverages can be enjoyed when doing a ketogenic diet. Generally, hard liquors, dry wines, and cocktails made with low-carb mixers are fine."
