With the popularity of the keto diet, it can be hard to determine what information is fact and what is fiction. By believing some of this false information you may have been turned off to the diet, or maybe you have experienced some of the unpleasant side effects of the diet. Here are the three keto diet myths you need to stop believing.
MYTH: You Can’t Do Keto if You’re an Athlete
Critics of the keto diet love this one! The idea is that athletes need more carbs, and therefore, would not perform well on keto. The truth is that once your body is used to the diet, fat will become your body’s source of fuel, not carbs.
Even incredibly lean athletes who have low body fat percentages will still have around 20,000 calories stored in fat cells that can be put to use.
Glucose storage, which would be the alternative, limits them to around 2,000 calories to pull from. This is what makes the keto diet especially great for endurance athletes.
MYTH: As Long as it’s Fat, You Can Eat it
Here is where people often make a mistake. Just because it’s a high fat diet doesn’t mean you can pile of foods piled high with unhealthy fats. Omega-6 fatty acids, which are a type of polyunsaturated fat, is something you want to cut down on. Too much of it can raise your blood pressure which opens yourself up to an array of health risks.
This is especially important to consider when cooking. If you’re starting keto, it’s important to swap out any vegetable oil, corn oil, or soybean oil you use while cooking with healthier oils that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or that are monosaturated. This means using olive oil, ghee, coconut, avocado, or MCT oil.
MYTH: The Keto Diet is a High Protein Diet
People often get the keto diet and the Atkins diet confused. While Atkins is also low carb, it differs in that it allows for you to increase both your protein and fat intake. Keto maintains that you must eat protein in moderation as well.
The reason is that too much protein taxes your digestive system, and can be converted to sugar (glucose) in your liver. This will take you out of ketosis!
The right amount of protein is typically 20-30% of your total calories. A good breakdown to strive for is:
- 70% fat
- 25% protein
- 5% carbs
Following this type of plan should result in a decrease in body fat with an increase in muscle.
What about the nutrients found in high carb grains, fruits and vegetables? What are we missing out on?
This high protein scare is the myth. Too many misunderstand the way gluconeogenesis works. It is life saving and is based on NEED rather than supply. Gluconeogenesis takes place when needed even with extremely low protein intake by taking protein from lean body mass. If this continues, the lower LBM results in a lowered metabolism, which results in slower weight loss and eventually, stalling before goal weight is reached. Regain usually follows. Avoid low protein in your Keto diet! Low protein ketogenic diets are only for cancer treatments to starve cancer cells. Higher protein supports an active metabolism and does not knock anyone out of ketosis more than eating anything else does. I have reached goal on a higher protein Keto diet by losing 176 pounds.
Any studies to support the conclusions?
5% carbs is a low number liable to lead to lack of adherence.