So you’re familiar with the keto diet and how it can help you to lose weight and improve your health. How about the dirty keto? The dirty keto is basically a spin-off of the keto diet and follows similar keto ratios, except that it allows you to gorge on your favorite junk food. For some reason a group of people have decided they can follow a keto diet but without giving up their pizza, burgers and ice cream. But is this a good thing and should you try it?
The Ketogenic Diet
Before we dig further about what a dirty keto is, let us first discuss a bit about the keto diet. The basics of this diet include eating highly restrictive carbohydrate with almost unlimited intake of fats. As what the AJC has previously reported,
For most people, that’s a big adjustment, since the average American gets close to half of his or her calories from carbs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The macronutrient ratio of the ketogenic diet is intended to put the body into the state of ketosis, where your body converts fat and proteins to energy instead of the carbohydrates.
Followers of the keto diet are encouraged to eat healthy and organic low-carb foods, such as eggs, fish, grass-fed meat, vegetables and natural healthy fats. They are advised to limit their consumption of unhealthy saturated fats.
How Is the Dirty Keto Different?
So how is the dirty keto different from the usual keto diet? Followers of the dirty keto diet will use the same basic principle of the keto diet except that they would indulge on unhealthy snacks, including junk foods, fast food and processed foods.
Followers of the dirty keto diet do not focus on eating keto-friendly sources of fiber that includes vegetables. They zone-in on the low carb part of the diet and totally ignore the protein requirements.
Dirty keto dieters will still get about 20 grams of carbs each day, however, they will choose to eat those foods that most followers of the keto diet will most likely avoid.
In an article on Medium, Dr. Stephanie Estima, chiropractor and biohacker with a special interest in brain optimization, functional neurology and weight loss says:
Essentially, dirty keto, is what is commonly available in the market right now. It is when people will eliminate all carbs from their diet, including vegetables, and then proceed to eat equally nutritiously devoid toxic garbage. I may be breaking some hearts here, but you can’t just eat bacon, lard, and greasy burgers forever.
Which Works Best For Weight loss?
Since the dirty keto diet involves eating junk and processed foods, the dirty keto is not really great for your overall health. As told by Scott Keatley to Women’s Health:
Although ketosis can be maintained through “dirty keto” tactics, it might not be a great idea to practice dirty keto in the long run. It’s a temporary fix at best. At worst, it’s a really good way to lose lean body mass that is difficult to get back and aids in maintaining a high functioning metabolism.
Dirty keto can also increase your risk of developing keto flu, which includes IBS-like symptoms and a nasty feeling of being wiped out in general. This is because you are choosing to eat super processed foods that don’t add much to your diet, unlike those foods that are good for your health, such as healthy fats and low carb vegetables.
The goal of the keto diet is to put your body into the state of ketosis where your body uses fats for energy instead of carbs. Yes, you can possibly achieve this state by following the dirty keto, however, it’s the improper method. Dirty keto is not a good idea in the long run. The main problem with the dirty keto is its lack of vitamins and minerals and these micronutrients are vital to your overall health and body function.
Should you try the dirty keto diet? If you want to lose weight the right way, you should most definitely avoid the dirty keto diet. As mentioned, the diet includes eating processed foods and junk foods that have been shown to have negative effects on our health. If you want to be really successful with your keto diet, you better do it the right way, especially if you’re just getting started.
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