Research continues to show that the ketogenic diet may help to improve various neurological, metabolic, and insulin-related health conditions. Because of this, many people assume that all foods they see with “Keto” on the label are healthy. However, this is not the case. In fact, numerous keto foods are processed and can contribute to a variety of health problems.
What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet replaces most carbs with healthy fats. It also includes adequate amounts of high-quality protein. When carbohydrate intake is significantly reduced in this manner, the body responds favorably by metabolizing more stored fats. This leads to ketone bodies being created via the digestion of fatty acids, which replaces glucose as the body's primary fuel source.
The goal of the “keto” diet is to cause the body to enter a state called ketosis. Ketosis is a normal metabolic process that results from using fats instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Following a keto diet can help to reduce blood glucose levels, and thereby reduce the amount of insulin needed from the pancreas.
The ketogenic diet emphasizes foods like seafood, eggs, olives, nuts, seeds, non-starchy vegetables, lean meats, poultry, coconut oil, and avocados. These whole food sources do not require labels. Processed keto foods, on the other hand, are required to have labels because they have multiple ingredients.
Why are processed ketogenic foods potentially unhealthy?
It’s not only processed keto food products that can be unhealthy; all processed foods tax your body. Here are some of the ways that processed foods can damage your health:1
- They often contain artificial preservatives, colorants, flavor enhancers, and texturants
- They can contain various chemicals that are not required to be listed on labels
- They often contain high amounts of unhealthy (e.g., trans) fats
- They're usually low in fiber and non-added nutrients
- They cause foods to be “pre-digested,” decreasing the energy the body has to expend to process them and causing you to retain more weight
- They can increase the risk of cancer
Replacing whole food sources like those listed above with processed foods increases the risk of poor health and sickness. Be sure to base your keto eating plan on single-ingredient whole food sources and stay away from all processed foods, whether they are marketed as keto foods or not. Our “Keto in Five” series emphasizes this with a maximum of five ingredients for each recipe.
Summary
The westernized diet relies heavily on ready-to-eat processed foods. Obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other adverse health conditions are caused and exacerbated by low-nutrient, low-fiber, multi-ingredient processed foods. Even though “keto-friendly” processed foods eliminate the excess sugar and carbohydrates, they still suffer from many of the disadvantages processed foods carry with them.
Always emphasize whole, fresh foods and cooking at home to maximize your health benefits.
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
- Just Because It Says It's Keto Doesn't Mean It's Healthy - July 15, 2019
- Men's Health Recommends Low-Carb Living - July 5, 2019
