New Idea Magazine: The Key To Keto. Rejoice! But, Beware.

Last year in December, I was quoted in an article published in New Idea magazine on the ketogenic diet (See Article Here).

The ketogenic diet has been used quite extensively by Hollywood A-listers to lean out, but for us non-Hollywood people, we know that the ketogenic diet has gained much popularity and momentum in recent times as a viable solution for weight loss, but more importantly, in regulating hormonal and metabolic imbalances to generate positive health outcomes.

This particular article centres around the use of ketogenic diets for weight loss, but one of the stories (Megan’s Story) highlight the benefits of a ketogenic diet for mood disorders, especially in her case, PTSD and anxiety. She also noticed the benefits of a ketogenic diet on her food cravings, and how keto has helped liberate her from the grasps of food obsession.

Whilst I love the fact that the ketogenic diet is being referenced in mainstream media publications, I am still cautious of the limitations a single article has to dispel decades of misinformation, and I am super aware of how easy it is to misconstrue information, even in well-meaning articles like this.

Let me explore a few of these with you here, so you can understand more in-depth what I mean.

1. In the body of the article, Kate explains ketosis, and describes something called “mild state of ketosis”

In this section, there are a couple of things worth noting.

Firstly, ketosis is ketosis – you are either in a state of burning fats and producing ketones as a by-product, or you’re not. How much carbs someone needs to be in keto will vary based on current health status, especially metabolic status and carbohydrate tolerance. However, the main objective of keto is to enter into a state of burning fats as a primary energy source, instead of relying on carbs.

Secondly, Kate mentions that going much lower than 50-70g of carb will start eliminating food groups.

The concept of food groups is one that does perplex me a lot – there is no real rhyme or reason, for example, for us to consider a porterhouse steak as being equivalent to a bowl of borlotti beans, even though they officially belong in the same “food group”. One is animal based, the other plant based. That aside, nutritionally they are not equivalent either – the predominant macronutrient in steak is protein, and in borlotti beans it’s carbohydrates; steak has no fibre, and borlotti beans have 25g fibre per 100g.

The reality is, food groups were conceived when the first ever dietary guidelines were released, and subsequently, when nutrition was forcibly over-simplified to fit into a pyramid.

Debating the legitimacy of food groups aside, I think what we really need to be mindful of here is to ensure that in the process of “going keto” we focus on consuming nutrient dense foods that offer a wide range of nutrients to support a healthy metabolism, healthy hormone production and the healthy turnover of cells for continuous growth, recovery and healing.

2. Dr Axe warns against keto for women who are pregnant and breastfeeding, as well as those with hypoglycaemia, thyroid issues, an eating disorder history, adrenal issues or kidney disease.

I totally agree with his warnings, as he’s right, the safety has not been thoroughly proven, and depending on severity of adrenal issues, thyroid issues and kidney disease, shooting for keto for the sake of keto can be frivolous and even counter-productive.

However, I point this statement out because when reading an article like this, it’s easy to see this list and take it as “keto = dangerous for [all the listed conditions]”. What we know for a fact is that keto is not dangerous – if you think about it, if done properly, it’s just real food, and real food is not dangerous. However, regardless of keto or no keto, those who have adrenal, thyroid, glycaemic or renal issues should have everything assessed and taken into careful consideration. For example, someone with end stage renal failure not yet on dialysis will require protein intake to be kept to a minimum. After commencing dialysis, and depending on hemo or peritoneal dialysis, that same patient will require their protein intake to be dramatically increased, or at the very least adjusted to suit needs and demands of dialysis. So – what is important here, is to have each individual’s health status carefully evaluated, and have their nutritional requirements and nuances discussed and tailored to suit.

3. The 7-Day Keto Plan includes things like “lemon ricotta cheesecake”, “quinoa”, “bircher muesli”, “toast” and “protein balls”.

Here’s the back story. Originally, they asked me to whip up a 7-Day Keto Plan, which I did, and sent it over. However, they asked me to “make the foods more mainstream” and to remove the quantities that I had specified. To that, I declined.

So, I can only imagine that they same rules were given to Kate when she formulated her plan. All in all, she’s made a great effort here but for the average reader, I want to clarify some things.

Firstly, there are keto-friendly recipes for lemon ricotta cheesecake, and there are full blown diabetes-inducing lemon cheesecake recipes too. In the context of keto, I am going to take a stab and say that Kate was implying “keto-friendly” cheesecake, for which here is a really kick-ass recipe you can try. Same goes for protein balls – here is a keto-friendly one to try (I’d personally recommend replacing the peanut butter with almond, walnut or macadamia nut butter).

However, quinoa, muesli and toast all do not really belong as part of a well-formulated ketogenic diet. These take up plenty of “carb space”, leaving little room for more nutrient dense carbs like vegetables and low-sugar fruits such as berries.

Great alternatives would be to replace quinoa or other grains with cauliflower rice, muesli with chia seed puddings (I’d recommend the AYAM brand coconut milk), and toast with a keto-friendly alternative.

In addition, I believe that the biggest trap most people fall into when doing keto for the first time is not eating enough food, especially fats and proteins – in which case quantities are critical. I understand why this plan doesn’t have quantities – that was the rule passed down to us, but this is where I feel that single articles in magazines like this have limitations when it comes to giving a well-rounded impression and education around keto.  The reality is, without those quantities specified, this well-meaning “7-Day Keto Plan” could quite easily become a low fat, low protein high carb diet plan, especially if we applied the current filters most people have around what “healthy eating” means.

The truth is, I’m super grateful and super chuffed that keto is breaking into the mainstream, and becoming a lot more widely accepted. I just hope that articles like this are interpreted with caution, and where there is confusion, check in with a dietitian or nutritionist who has experience in this area to properly help you formulate a plan suited to you, so you can gain the optimal benefits of this way of eating.