We are on here every day, talking about all the good things about keto. Are we ignoring the potential bad things about keto? Are we hiding from the health risks? Well, here we go. Let’s address this head on! Here are the top 10 things people say are the cons of keto and how we deal with them.
The Cons of Keto When you First Start
Number 10 is the keto flu. When you first start keto, you are likely to feel nauseous, have a headache, and feel really tired. This one was true for me. I felt like I was in a brain fog for the first week or so I started keto. This is during the time that your body is changing over from burning carbs to burning ketones.
It helps if you drink lots of water and electrolytes. I drank Gatorade Zero, and that seemed to help a lot. It’s temporary, and you will be okay. I didn’t miss any work. Personally, I think a lot of mine was detoxing from all the sugar I’d been putting in my body. It sucks for about a week, and then you have more energy than you know what to do with!
Number nine is that you have bad breath. This is odor from releasing ketones that you use for energy. It can be a concern. Luckily for me, I started keto during the COVID pandemic, so I was wearing a mask. Now, it’s not such a concern because my body is well adjusted. If I ever feel like my mouth and breath is a little iffy, I chew Pur gum. You can get it now at Walmart, and it has absolutely no sugar.
The Potential Health Risks of Keto
Number eight is that you can have a nutrient deficiency. These are the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to function properly. Since we aren’t eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, and we don’t eat any grains, some nutritionists feel keto is dangerous. Bill and I eat berries, fruit that is low in carbs. We also eat a lot more vegetables than we used to. Turns out, the vegetables that are high in micronutrients are also low in carbs. We eat vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, and brussel sprouts.
Number seven is high cholesterol levels, particularly LDL or the “bad” cholesterol. Personally, our blood work has not shown an increase in our levels. We are working on an entire series of articles on keto and cholesterol so you make informed decisions around your health.
The number six potential con of keto is developing kidney stones. Bill has had kidney stones in the past (before he started keto), and he’s in agreement this would be a major con! However, when you look at what can cause kidney stones, I would say keto reduces this risk. We don’t take in more protein than the American plate recommends (20-25% of your calories). We don’t take in a lot of salt, sugar, or carbonated processed drinks. With keto, we do eat a bit more dairy and take in the occasional artificial sweetener. Caffeine can increase your risk, but I’m drinking coffee on or off keto!
The True Cons of Keto
There are a couple of cons that are absolutely true. Coming in at number five is constipation. Now, I had this issue before keto, and it doesn’t seem to be worse for me, but it can be for some people. If you were eating a lot of whole grains that were high in fiber, cutting those out can cause you some digestion issues. This is easily taken care of by eating more fibrous vegetables (which again, tend to be low carb) and taking a fiber supplement. If you really get in a jam, just eat some maltitol, and you’ll be good to go (just kidding – don’t do this).
Number four is low blood pressure. This is one I have struggled with a little bit. We don’t eat packaged food anymore, which is where people tend to get the majority of their salt intake. Because people eat this packaged food, we can’t get sodium supplements. I looked, and it just isn’t a thing because Canadians and Americans take in way too much salt on their “normal” diets. So, I have to be cautious and make sure I’m using sea salt as much as I can. If I start feeling dizzy, I know I need to take in some more salt.
The Silly Cons of Keto Online
Number three is that keto will affect your exercise routine. During that first week when you have the keto flu, you probably aren’t going to feel like exercising. After that, you will actually have the energy to exercise, if you want to. This might be a thing if you are a professional athlete who switches to keto. For the everyday person, this is just ridiculous.
Number two is a lower alcohol tolerance. Alcohol is not good for you – ever. But, yes, on keto your tolerance is lower. This is because alcohol goes immediately to your liver where it is quickly metabolized, so it hits you hard and fast. I have learned this the hard way. As a potential con for keto though, it’s at the bottom of the list. Just don’t drink on your lunch break.
Number One Con of Keto
The number one con listed by health professionals is that keto is too restrictive and too difficult to maintain. I mean, I guess I understand that. Keto is not easy. We’ve devoted a lot of time and effort to sharing the information, and we still get lots of questions. But, I don’t think it is any more difficult than maintaining a “normal” healthy diet as promoted by the health professionals.
Health professionals say that moderation is key, but I was never able to be moderate in my choices. I was always craving sugar and the next heavy carb meal. If keto is right for you, it’s doable and you will get hooked on the energy it gives you. That’s a much healthier alternative than always craving sweets.
All this to say that any way of eating has its pros and cons. Keto is no different. For us, keto is the way to go. We are careful about getting our nutrients, and we have not had any negative health effects. When we were obese, we had a lot of health effects and we could not sustain the American plate way of eating because we always felt hungry. Do what you feel is right for you.
Wendy
