Why I No Longer Advocate the Keto Diet

I spent a good 3 years advocating a Keto diet to my friends and clients, but about 4 months ago that all changed.

I have done all the research, read all the books and been to the conferences talking about how the Ketogenic way of eating is so much better for the human body due to insulin control. The entire basis of this way of thinking is that insulin is inflammatory and if we can control the body’s insulin response, by not eating carbs, then we can reduce blood sugars, blood pressure, cholesterol and therefore disease. Makes complete sense to me…still..because these are all markers of inflammation and disease in the body and controlling these, while still allowing people to enjoy their food, was a win-win in my health coach book.

My Health Journey

Two years ago I did strict Keto and got down to my highschool weight…then I noticed that I started to get sick a lot. I was sick about once a month for a good year or so. In January of this year, I had some blood titers done to see what viruses I had been exposed to. This showed high levels of both flu A and B, two kinds of pneumonia, Candida and off the charts Epstein-Barr (aka mono) results. No wonder I couldn’t ever get healthy. I was constantly dealing with viruses, bacteria and fungus. Then a month after this testing…I got the flu again. And this time I developed a coronary vasospasm (spasm in the artery going into my heart). It was at this point that I decided that I needed to make a BIG change to what I was doing with my diet.

What the Research Says

I am currently working on my thesis for my Master’s in Health & Nutrition. So I started digging into the research to see what it says about diet and heart conditions. The research is VERY clear – a whole food plant based diet is the best diet for cardiovascular health. And I’m willing to make the leap that since cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of both men and women IN THE WORLD…it’s probably the best diet for everyone. 

So I went the complete opposite way with the diet that I had been eating for the last 3 years and went high carb, low fat and very limited animal products (none is best, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have cheese once in a while lol). This does take the body a bit of time to make the switch over so it’s best to go slowly….esp if you don’t want to be a big gassy, bloated monster. But after a couple of weeks, my gut bacteria made the switch and I noticed I had a little more energy esp in the mornings. 

I started including way more fruit and vegetables in my diet (and stopped worrying about their carb count) and focused on “a grain, a green and a bean” saying from No Meat Athlete for my dinners.

The Smoking Gun

In my research I think I’ve come across the smoking gun that, at least for me, makes it a permanent decision to cut animal products from my diet for life. The research is showing that when you eat animal products, esp red meat, dairy and egg yolks, the gut bacteria breaks it down to TMA which the liver then converts to TMAO. TMAO has been linked to atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. But when you eat a plant based diet, you produce very little TMAO. You can read the Cleveland Clinic article here with the summary of the research.

So, how do you make the switch to a plant based diet? I recommend that you join my Healthy Habits Membership. This is a community of like minded individuals who are struggling with chronic health issues and are ready to take control of their health naturally. We have trainings on specific health topics, recipes, meal plans and direct interaction with me to help you on this journey. https://simplyabundanthealth.com/membership

How did you feel on Keto?