A ketogenic diet is usually made of meals which have a low carb, high fat, and average protein content. When you are in ketosis, your body will rely on ketones as its sole source of energy instead of glucose.
There are many weird and untrue myths about ketosis. These myths are usually propagated by individuals who are ignorant of the ketogenic lifestyle, and who don’t know the benefits of ketosis.
In fact, there is a widely held misconception that the ketogenic diet is an unhealthy and dangerous practice that can pose serious health risks.
Here are the five biggest ketosis myths:
The Keto Diet Can Cause Gall Bladder Related Problems
When you are in ketosis, you will feel hungry occasionally. Therefore, you may even miss keto diet grocery shopping when you are on the ketogenic diet because you won’t feel the need to take any food. However, some people allege that the ketogenic diet can cause gall bladder problems because it makes its adherents to stop eating regularly.
Many people who are not well versed with the ketogenic lifestyle usually claim that the keto diet tampers with the normal functioning of the liver. Such people allege that when you are on the keto diet, your liver will start malfunctioning by producing excess bile in an unregulated manner.
These people argue that when bile is produced in excessive amounts by the liver, it will stagnate and coagulate into sludge and gallstones. These assertions are not true.
In fact, the ketogenic diet helps to prevent the formation of sludge and gallstones in the liver because it has a high-fat content. On the other hand, other regular foods may make the liver to increase in size because they have high carb content; thus creating a conducive environment for the occurrence of gallstones and sludge.
Athletes Can’t Survive on the Keto Diet
Most athletes are usually discouraged from starting keto diet grocery shopping, due to the widely held misconception that athletes can’t survive on the keto diet. The proponents of this myth usually argue that ketones may not be a reliable energy source for your body system.
It is further argued that since athletes usually take part in intense workout sessions and vigorous physical exercises, they should not rely on an inefficient energy source such as ketones. The proponents of this myth assert that an athlete may lose out on his or her athletic career when he or she starts keto dieting.
This belief is not true. In fact, ketones are a more reliable source of energy to the body system in comparison with glucose.
Glucose depends on your blood’s insulin levels, and if your insulin level is below the required minimum; glucose will stop supplying energy to your body system. On the other hand, ketones can provide energy to your body system regardless of the insulin levels in your bloodstream.
As asserted by Nina Teicholz, all athletes should start keto dieting so that they can improve their athletic performance and get their desired body size and shape. Moreover, if you are in ketosis; you will become more physically active, and this can increase your motivation to indulge in intense physical exercises.
The Ketogenic Diet Can Increase Your Skin’s Acne Levels
Some people refrain from keto diet grocery shopping because they believe that the ketogenic diet can increase the levels of acne on the skin. This belief is based on the fact that the keto diet is made up of meals with high-fat content. Such people allege that when you increase your fat intake, you will create a conducive environment for the growth of pimples on your skin since the excessive fats are usually stored underneath the skin layers.
On the contrary, science has proved that a high-fat diet helps to reduce acne levels; while a high carb diet can potentially increase your skin’s acne levels. Therefore, never hesitate to start keto dieting because you are afraid of getting a network of pimples on your face.
The Ketogenic Diet Cannot Help You Lose Weight
Many people tend to think that the ketogenic lifestyle is reserved for the rich and famous. Such people believe that the ketogenic diet is made up of some special foods which may not be available to an average person. In fact, these people have illustrated keto diet grocery shopping as restrictive and expensive.
It is argued that since keto-friendly items are not readily available, then ketosis may not be the best method to lose weight. Some ignorant people allege that keto diet grocery shopping requires too much planning and taking more caution than what is necessary so that one can reap all the benefits of ketosis.
On the contrary, most keto-friendly foods are readily available; and you can even purchase them at your local grocery shop. Also, the ketogenic lifestyle is just a simple, healthy living habit that even persons who earn below the minimum wage can afford.
Most keto dieters typically lose weight within the first few months of getting into ketosis. Therefore, strictly adhering to the ketogenic diet is an excellent way to lose weight.
The Ketogenic Diet Can Make You Have a Short Lifespan
Many people who remain skeptical of the ketogenic diet tend to think that it can pose serious health risks and shorten your lifespan in the process. However, the keto diet has been scientifically tested and proven to have many health benefits.
Some of the health benefits of the ketogenic diet include increased weight loss, reduced skin acne, and improved blood circulation. Moreover, the ketogenic diet can protect you against certain lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and heart-related problems. Surely, with all these health benefits of the ketogenic diet; it can be completely crazy for an individual to claim that it can make you die quickly.
Conclusion
There are quite a number of myths and misconceptions about the ketogenic diet. Most of these misconceptions are intended to make people refrain from keto dieting, and they are usually based on pure ignorance, deception, and inadequate research.
