Hello everyone! Maria here, nutritionist and food blogger coming at you with a very interesting blogpost about the popular and super interesting ketogenic diet. In today’s blog post we are going to be talking about some of the major myths that come with this type of lifestyle, so grab your coffee and keep on reading!

• Let’s start with the basics, do we need carbs?
Our bodies break down carbohydrates from food to glucose, that’s the way our bodies utilize it. And yes, your body can produce their own glucose without eating carbs. Our liver does a great job creating glucose plus our muscles store glucose as well from the protein we eat.

• You can’t eat fruit on a keto
Yes, you can eat fruit as long as it doesn’t exceed the carb amount that will kick you out of ketosis. They are a great source of micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. I would recommend berries! For ½ cup of fresh raspberries, there’s 7.3 grams total carbs and 4 grams of fiber (3.4 net carbs).

• Fat is not bad for you
I think that we all grew up with the idea that fat is fat so it makes total sense that eating it will make us gain body fat. The truth is that our bodies are smarter! We also need to distinguish that not every fatty food has the same nutritional content. We can’t compare the nutrient density from an avocado compared to vegetable oils that tend to be inflammatory and they usually don’t provide nutrients.

• Can it be followed long term?
If you are getting adequate nutrition; enough minerals and vitamins there’s no reason to believe that it can’t be followed in the long term. If this feels sustainable for you and you are feeling good with it, then go for it!

• Do I need to fast?
This is not necessary, it depends on your goals and how it fits your lifestyle. For example, for women fasting might not be a great idea, especially if you are in a calorie deficit (which can be intuitively very easy to do on this diet), it could lead to amenorrhea, a loss of your period. Men usually don’t have side effects when they fast constantly.

To be in a state of ketosis doesn’t really require fasting but it helps. If your goal is to lose some weight and get the extra benefits from fasting, you can do it a few days a week.

• I heard that some women lose hair and miss their period.
These issues could happen if you are in an extreme calorie deficit, not getting enough nutrients such as protein, or overtraining.

• You don’t need to add MCT or butter to your coffee.
If you need a source of energy, MCT is great since our bodies absorb it quicker than any other fat. But it’s not a must in order to keep up with the keto diet and be in a state of ketosis.

• You don’t get enough nutrients on a keto diet.
This is false. The ketogenic diet allows so many nutrient-dense foods! So, you shouldn’t worry about micronutrients if you are focusing on whole foods; avocados, eggs, salmon, almonds, walnuts, sardines, cheese, meats, and organ meat. You won’t be lacking anything with these, especially organ meats – they are extremely nutrient-dense!

• You can’t build muscle on a keto diet.
There’s no doubt that carbohydrates help with building muscle but with the right nutrition, YOU CAN build muscle on a keto diet. Make sure you are getting enough protein, eating enough calories, and focusing on strength training.

• Keto will affect my performance.
At first, while your body is adapting, you might notice a difference in your performance. The thing is that when your body is fully keto-adapted, it gets more efficient using ketones as energy; plus it’s a more stable source of energy compared to carbohydrates. When you are using fat as the energy it also helps your body to preserve glycogen from your muscles.

There’s a lot of information out there so always check your sources, they must be trustworthy. I’m a nutritionist and keto geek so I try to stay updated on the major trends and new studies. These are some of the major questions or myths I see around my clients and social media, and I really hope this was a useful post!

I’m excited about all the keto research, there’s still a lot of ground to cover! It’s such a beautiful dietary approach with an amazing health impact! Anyways, wishing you a great day and for more information, tips and recipes follow me at @purely_healthy_living and subscribe to my blog Purely Healthy Living.

By Maria Fernanda Lopez – Purely Healthy Living