The ketogenic diet is subject to a lot of critique amongst people in the health community, and while some of their claims have some validity, a lot of the discussion is biased and misquoted. People have their qualms with every diet, and it seems as if there is no perfect diet, but the ketogenic diet in particular is largely frowned upon for the wrong reasons.
The first misconception surrounding the ketogenic diet is that it is a fad, and that it hasn’t been around for a long time. This is actually incorrect, as the ketogenic diet was first introduced to the medical community in 1923, as a way to combat epilepsy and other medical conditions like diabetes and cancer (Vasudeva 2019).
Another thing that is often brought up alongside the ketogenic diet is dietary imbalance. Since the ketogenic diet relies heavily on fat and protein for energy, people will often think that it isn’t possible to eat healthy without carbohydrates. Since many fruits and vegetables have carbs, it limits participants’ options in what kind of fruits and vegetables they can eat. This can lead people to believe that all people eat on this diet is bacon and cheese, and this is far from the case (Still 2019). While some vegetables are off limits, the keto diet welcomes users to indulge in plenty of leafy greens, peppers, avocado, cauliflower and broccoli. It is completely possible to have a balanced diet while participating, and there is a name for this. It is called clean keto. Dirty keto is where people avoid vegetables and stick to processed meat, cheese, and skip out on the vegetables.
People also seem to think that those actively participating in the ketogenic diet are constantly hungry. Carbohydrates are often associated with satiation, and carbs can absolutely be a good way to fill you up. However, from anecdotal experience, reducing the amount of carbs in my diet had a reversed correlation with hunger, and after the first couple days I found that I was actually less hungry. From a medical standpoint, studies have shown that a diet that is high in fat keeps people fuller longer and prevents cravings (Still 2019).
No matter what diet you choose to participate in, there will always be nay-sayers who believe in the propaganda surrounding some of these popular lifestyles. It is important to note that everyone is different, and what works for one person might not work for someone else. With this being said, doing proper research is extremely important and can help you find out for yourself whether this is something that you want to attempt. Trial and error can be a useful tool in finding out what works for each individual, and I encourage anyone who wants to try any diet to look into it and see for yourself what you want to get involved with.
This post was really informative and I am sure it helped a lot of people clarify exactly what keto is about. I find it interesting that so many influencers think that certain diets are right or wrong. I feel that a diet if it works for you is a good one, and if it doesn’t then its not for you.