If you’re new to Keto, then you might think that all low-carb foods are created equal.
You might think if it’s low-carb, then it MUST be healthy.
However, many low-carb foods, in fact, should be avoided completely.
You read that right, there are “healthy” foods you should avoid on keto.
These so-called “health” foods that can actually:
prevent you from getting into fat-burning ketosis
slow down your metabolic rate, causing more fat storage
cause hormonal imbalances
Whether you’re doing Keto for weight loss or you’re taking a longer view and pursuing lasting health benefits, eating a healthy Keto diet is the perfect place to start.
Today, I’ll show you which foods you might think are healthy are actually keeping your overweight and frustrated.
Stop Doing Keto The Unhealthy Way!
It’s all too easy to imagine that simply slashing your carbs is enough to ensure that everything will fall into place with Keto.
It’s not your fault that many foods are heavily marketed as healthy options when they are sorely lacking nutritionally while also being directly harmful in some instances.
The core mistake is believing that just because a particular food is low in carbs, that makes it a perfect match for Keto. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it’s often those foods you’d least expect that you should sidestep.
Low-Carb Foods to Avoid on Keto
We’ll group these low-carb foods into several broad categories rather than aiming for an exhaustive A-Z.
Avoid these groups of low carb foods on the Keto diet:
Processed Vegetable and Seed Oils
Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar Alcohols
Diet Sodas
Processed Foods (Energy Bars and Low-Carb Desserts)
Dairy Products
Soy Products
Avoid Processed Vegetable and Seed Oils
The first thing you should strike off your list when following Keto are processed seed and vegetable oils.
Eliminate anything cooked with the following oils if at all possible:
Vegetable Oil
Sunflower Oil
Soybean Oil
Cottonseed Oil
Corn Oil
Safflower Oil
Canola Oil
Processed vegetable and seed oils are unhealthy because:
The unstable fats in these oils go rancid easily.
These cooking oils are often rancid before you even use them. They’re often stored for years on shelves in clear plastic bottles. And then you heat them during the cooking process, oxidizing them further. Your body cannot readily make use of these rancid fats, and they can lead to toxicity to certain cells and inflammation.
Way too high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio
Not only is there too much omega-6 in vegetable and seed oils, it’s also improperly balanced with omega-3s. And over the past century, we have been consuming higher and higher ratios of omega-6s to omega-3s. And high levels of omega-6s, as well as high ratios, have been linked to obesity, metabolic disease, DNA damage, risk of cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
Use coconut oil, ghee, olive oil, or avocado oil instead on Keto
There are some great Keto-friendly fats and oils like coconut oil, ghee (clarified butter), olive oil, avocado oil, lard, duck fat, and bacon grease. So use those instead.
Artificial Sweeteners
Given that refined sugar is entirely composed of carbs, you’ll need to avoid it if you’re following Keto.
Avoiding natural sugars leaves you with a range of artificial sweeteners but these pose various other potential health issues.
So, make sure to avoid these artificial sweeteners on Keto:
aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet),
sucralose (Splenda),
acesulfame (ACE K),
saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low))
These are often found in diet drinks and sugar-free candy and gum. You can also find packets of these in stores posing as zero-calorie sweeteners.
Use stevia to sweeten desserts on Keto:
Instead of using artificial sweeteners, go with stevia if you need a sweet kick. Stevia is extracted from a leafy green plant, and you’ll find it as a white powder or mixed in liquids. Stevia is considered very safe and may even help lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients and lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Sugar Alcohols
Many Keto-diets avoid the artificial sweeteners but instead turn to low-calorie sugar alcoholsinstead because they are often considered to be more natural.
However, sugar alcohols can cause a lot of digestive problems since they pass into your large intestines without being properly absorbed.
There’s a more direct problem for you if you overload on artificial sweeteners, though…
Going overboard on these sugar alcohols could lower your ketone levels.
Here are the main culprits you should consider cutting out of your diet:
Glycerol
Isomalt
Lactitol
Maltitol
Xylitol
Sorbitol
Use erythritol on Keto if you want to use a sugar alcohol:
Erythritol has almost no calories, causes minimal digestive disruption, and is ideal in baked goods. Just make sure to not eat too much of erythritol as many people still find it causes a slight laxative effect.
Diet Sodas
Since it’s laden with carbs and sugar, regular soda is a no-no if you’re following the Keto diet. Since a single can of soda can contain almost 40g of carbohydrate, this alone will kick you out of ketosis.
How about diet soda, though? Can you drink diet coke on keto?
The good news is that diet soda is carb-free.
The downside is that diet soda is laced with artificial sweeteners which, as you know, can be bad news if you’re following Keto. Diet soda can also, surprisingly, lead to weight gain since they play havoc with your metabolism.
Instead of these questionable diet drinks, think about using this as a positive encouragement to drink more water. If you miss that carbonated fizz, go for sparkling water instead or try one of these keto drink recipes.
Processed Foods (Energy Bars and Low-Carb Desserts)
If food is in a bag or a box, chances are it won’t align with your Keto goals.
Many processed foods, from bread through to ice cream, are carb-dense and should be avoided for that reason.
How about processed foods that might seem healthy but don’t work well with Keto, though?
ENERGY BARS
Not all low-carb protein bars are the Keto-friendly, healthy option you might believe them to be. Undesirable ingredients include vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners, and additives that can all run counter to your Keto goals.
The main issue is you don’t know how these low carb bars would affect your ketone levels or your long term health. These bars are also easy to overeat.
So, to be on the safe side, completely avoid manufactured energy bars. Consider making your own keto bars if you can’t go without them. You’ll then be able to control the ingredients and it’s less likely you’ll overeat them since you have to make them from scratch.
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