5 myths about the keto diet

This text is an extract from Marina’s book “Schlank mit Keto”, published by Südwest Verlag.

A lot of misinformation circulates about the keto diet. “But I heard that…” Perhaps these myths are still lodged in your head and keep you from getting started. Or you meet criticism from friends, acquaintances and colleagues while you are changing the way you eat.

Here are the classic myths that circulate in the media around ketogenic eating, and why they do not hold up.

Fat is an essential nutrient your body cannot live without. It is an indispensable source of energy and enormously important for your health. Did you know that your brain is 60 per cent fat? Your cell membranes contain fatty acids too, and the much mocked cholesterol is a starting material for important sex hormones.

There are fatty acids we should avoid where we can. Among them are inflammation promoting omega 6 fatty acids, often found in the vegetable oils promoted as healthy, and trans fatty acids, which we meet in junk food and hardened fats such as margarine.

High quality fats, on the other hand, should play a large role in your diet. Polyunsaturated fatty acids matter here, such as the omega 3 fatty acids from salmon, and monounsaturated ones such as the oleic acid from olive oil. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, and both kinds of fat can increase fat burning by activating special receptors (PPAR).

The most important energy carrier in a ketogenic diet, though, is high quality saturated fatty acids, from good butter made from pasture milk, coconut oil, marbled grass fed beef, high quality bacon or macadamias. They deliver the energy you need for your day and for feeling full.

of carbohydrates a day. In many keto circles and online forums a “less is better” mentality is cultivated. Many people think “if I eat even fewer carbohydrates, I will lose weight even faster”. That is not right, and often the opposite is the case.

Anyone who cuts carbohydrates more than necessary, that is more than it takes to get into ketosis, is saving in the wrong place. What is then missing is valuable vegetables with important micronutrients and fibre. Stress on the body also goes up, and stress works against ketosis and fat burning. In fact, the release of the stress hormone cortisol has a similar effect to eating sugar.

The stress hormone triggers the body’s own production of glucose and in that way draws out insulin as well. Anyone who does not have an illness but lives ketogenically for lifestyle reasons should go by this rule: as few carbohydrates as necessary, to get into ketosis, but as many as possible, so you can enjoy the variety of colourful vegetables and berries and take in micronutrients.

For most people a limit of around 30 grams of carbohydrates a day makes sense, and the recipes in this book are built around that. As keto adaptation progresses it becomes possible to stay in ketosis while eating more carbohydrates. Many people can raise their intake to 50 grams or even 80 grams in the long run and still stay in ketosis.

Do you like this article? We have plenty more concentrated knowledge for you. This text comes from the book “Schlank mit Keto” by Foodpunk founder Marina Lommel. The book is published by Südwest Verlag and available in bookshops, in German.

I often watch with sadness the “who can pile more cheese and bacon on a dish” competitions that keto followers hold online. Bacon and cheese may be ketogenic, but a diet of nothing but bacon and cheese is by no means a healthy keto diet.

A well composed ketogenic diet contains just enough protein for optimal satiety and to cover the body’s needs. More is not necessary, it even gets in the way of ketosis. Too much protein is converted into glucose. So carbohydrates can come from turkey breast as well. Anyone who eats too much protein therefore falls out of ketosis.

Some keto followers develop a real fear of carbohydrates, even from vegetables. Peppers, carrots and tomatoes are demonised entirely. How sad, because a ketogenic diet has room for all of that. For example, 400 grams of aubergine, 150 grams of red pepper, 140 grams of carrot, 1.2 kilograms of lamb’s lettuce or a full 1.6 kilograms of mushrooms contain no more than 10 grams of carbohydrates.

As you can see, you cannot eat quite as much carrot or red pepper as you can mushrooms or lamb’s lettuce, yet all of it has a place in your ketogenic diet. The longer you have been eating ketogenically, the further your keto adaptation has progressed and the more carbohydrates from colourful vegetables you can eat.

We will settle this one very quickly. Have a look at our free recipes. If your mouth is not watering afterwards, we will talk again.

On Facebook you can also look into our Facebook group and see what the Foodpunk community is cooking. With the Foodpunk nutrition programme new delicious, seasonal recipes await you every month. Variety guaranteed.

Photo: Shutterstock.com / SewCream

Want more facts about nutrition? On our blog we have more on low carb, paleo and keto.