8 Popular Things You Don’t Need on a Keto Diet

The keto diet is a great option if you want to reduce sugar cravings, reset the metabolism, or reverse a pre-diabatic diagnostic. It can be hard to find out how to be successful on the keto diet, with contradicting opinions and advice online and in the store. There are popular products, methods, or tools that you don’t need on a keto diet.

While something like a keto guide can help, here is a list of 8 things you should not be doing on a keto diet. At the very least, these are 8 things that are popular, but totally unnecessary for keto success!

A ketogenic diet can be healthy if done right and can be unhealthy if done incorrectly (for more, click here to find out the difference between clean and dirty keto). Everything you need to know about keto is available to make the transition to a low-carb diet today for free!

Why Keto and What are Benefits of the Keto Diet

Personally, I did keto for a year. I can say I fixed many issues, from being overweight and unhealthy to my insulin resistance. I reduced metabolic syndrome, reduced inflammation, and cut out sugar cravings, allowing me to have the energy to work out and make better decisions.

Since then, I have started adopting a mindset of eating rice, bread, and grains in healthy amounts. I believe life is too short not to eat popcorn or your favorite slice of pizza, but I will always appreciate the foundation keto gave me. I no longer crave sugar, and I tend to crave fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods instead of processed foods.

Keto can reduce inflammation, regulate body weight, reduce blood sugar, improve concentration, and more. Remember to check out all the free keto resources on the site today to try out your own keto journey! And keep reading to find out what you don’t need on a keto diet today!

8 Things You Don’t Need on Keto

Here is the list of things you don’t need on a keto diet for ultimate success.

Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee is adding butter or MCT oil into the coffee. This type of coffee is good, as butter provides energy for the body and MCT oil provides fuel for the brain. Sometimes, however, people will have multiple cups or even eat breakfast and bulletproof coffee.

Bulletproof coffee is high in calories and fat and it is very easy to overdo it.

Butter on Everything

The trend of adding butter to everything is not necessary at all. Saturated fat is healthy, and a complete science-based breakdown of that can be found here, but it is not necessary to overdo it. 

As long as you are using healthy oils to cook with like avocado, and choosing meats that are grass-fed, organic, and premium (if possible), you will be fine in terms of getting the right macros.

Some goals of keto can be for health, like reducing insulin resistance. Some can be to reduce body fat. If you are eating too much fat on keto, your body will not burn body fat at all.

Keto Desserts

There are great alternatives to carb-filled desserts on keto. There are substitutions for bread, cakes, cookies, puddings, and more that taste great and keep you on track for keto.

This is great as choosing a low-carb option will always be healthier than going for a sugar-filled option.

Low carb or keto does not mean you can eat it all the time though. It should be consumed in moderation, like anything else, as these keto desserts are high in fat and calories. Plus, if you buy some labeled keto from the store, chances are they are filled with sugar substitutes, syrups, or fillers that can kick you out of keto or affect insulin levels. Sucralose, maltodextrin, and corn fibers all affect insulin. 

Some of these sugar substitutes can even negatively affect the gut microbiome. Get the list of what sugar substitutes are safe and which to avoid here!

Fasting

Many people will tell you fasting is a great option to add on top of a keto diet, as it has many benefits. It’s somewhat true, fasting has real, science-based benefits such as reducing inflammation, and increasing cell autophagy. Cell autophagy is like a self regulating cleaning mechanism in which the cells of the body repair and remove waste.

Fasting is not necessary on a keto diet. Some people will naturally not feel hungry in the morning or at night, allowing them to fast, but forcing yourself to fast will do more harm than good. You should never be hungry and should try to listen to your body as much as possible.

Track Macros

Tracking anything, like calories or macros, can be helpful to some, triggering to others. Taking note of macros can help you realize that you are eating too many carbs, or even too much fat. However, tracking macros is completely unnecessary. Just like other forms of eating, like intuitive eating, once you have the basics of keto down, you know how to eat until full and get a feel for it.

Macro tracking can create an obsessive need to hit Marcos, which are major categories of food, Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat. On keto, 75% or more should be fat, 15% should be protein, and less than 10 % should be carbs. It’s ok to go over carbs every so often and it’s ok to not hit fat macros.

Personally, I made sure my plate was filled with vegetables, a portion of protein, and healthy fat like avocados, nuts, or a homemade keto dessert, so I never had the need to track macros.

Consuming Ketones

Exogenous ketones are ketones that are consumed outside of your diet. They have statements like increased energy, boosted effects of keto, or even gaining the benefits of keto without limiting carbs.

While some people do report increased energy, decreased appetite, and improved ketones, it will always be better to get nutrition from the food you prepare and eat.

These store-bought ketones will not allow you to eat fries while remaining in ketosis and are expensive, filled with additives, and processed ingredients.

Dairy

I love dairy and cheese, but you don’t need to overdo it. Many recipes ask for cups on top of cups of cheese, heavy cream, or cream cheese. This can increase the fat and calories of a meal way too much, or even have negative side effects.

Some people are sensitive to dairy, so high dairy meals may even lead to inflammation.

Test Ketones

Many people sell breathalyzers or blood tester devices to see if ketones are actually present in the system.

In actuality, there’s no need to test this as you progress in your keto journey. As your body gets used to keto, these devices stop working as well too.

The Takeaway

The keto diet can be a great option for someone looking to reduce inflammation, fix insulin resistance, decrease metabolic syndrome, or lose body fat.

There are good and bad ways to do keto, and it’s hard to differentiate between them with so much information on the internet contradicting itself. This list of things you don’t need on a keto diet can help clear up some misinformation and get you on the right track to getting keto to work for you.

Remember that health comes from within. Give your body the building blocks it needs to create a healthier version of you. Take care of mental health by eating well and incorporating self-care habits like breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and walks.

By fueling your body right, you can make better decisions in the long run. When you feel good, you make good choices, it’s that simple. Total body fitness is about the journey.

Take care of the microbiota for ultimate health! The gut microbiota affects mental health, and muscle health, and can even prevent you from getting sick! Learn all about taking care of the gut here for free with these resources today!