Top 10 Risks of Keto Diet and How to fight them

Thinking of riding the Keto Diet wave? Here are the to 10 risks you need to know before starting so you’ll be prepared to fight those risks.

10. Increased Risk for Heart Disease

Have you seen advertisements telling you that their product is good for the heart because it has low trans fat? Well believe them because it’s real. The Keto diet doesn’t protect against too much trans fats and saturated fats.

Foods like Meat, Cheese, Butter and Oils have high amounts of saturated fat. All of which are food groups that are suggested to be eaten by someone who will follow the Keto Diet.

Studies from the American Heart Association confirms that you will run into the risk of having a high cholesterol level and raise your risk of heart disease and stroke.

You will want to focus on foods that are plant-based and have unsaturated fats like avocado, olive oil, seeds and nuts. These foods have been proven to protect your heart and may actually decrease the risk of any heart disease.

9. Women may see changes in their Period

Following the Keto Diet may cause irregularities in Women’s period and this is due to the rapid weight-loss. This happens because a number of your hormones, estrogen and progesterone will also experience a rapid drop. There’s also a risk in not having a period at all.

Menstrual disruption can lead to many serious effects in your body like risks for cardiovascular disease, low bone density due to low estrogen, anxiety, sexual dysfunction and depression.

You may want to consult your Ob-gyn before starting the keto diet.

8. Ketosis can lead to Bad Breath

This is considered one of the many symptoms of the Keto Flu. Ketosis has a bad byproduct which is acetone. Having high amounts of acetone can lead to negative changes in the smell of your breath.

If you experience this, you should increase your water intake and lower protein intake.

7. Constipation and other bowel related issues

Most high-fiber foods are not allowed on the Keto Diet. This results to missing out on their benefits which is mainly, having a regular bowel movement.

It can be the other way around as well, especially during the beginning part of keto diet. Not everyone can digest dietary fats easily which leads to a bad diarrhea. This is also an effect on having low fiber counts because fiber is the main reason for bulking up stool. Other side-effects include having an unprotected gut and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Luckily, there are low-carb foods that are high in fiber like avocado and non-starchy vegestables like broccoli. Almonds can help strengthen your gut as well.

If this made you worry, then Keto Diet might not be for you, you may want to look into an alternative called Leptin Diet.

6. Nutritional Deficiencies

A drastic lowering of carbohydrates can lead to Nutrient Deficiencies. Aside from low potassium and sodium, I’m sure I don’t need to mention what nutrients will be affected if you stopped eating fiber-rich foods, fruits, starchy vegetables and whole grains.

This can be avoided if you focus on fiber-rich and nutrient-rich low-carb foods like avocado, spinach, and grounded chia seeds.

5. Low Electrolytes and Dehydration

Triggering Ketosis will lead to numerous effects like using more electrolytes due to the low insulin levels, body water decreases as well, your brain will also need to adjust from using carbohydrates to using fats for energy. This can trigger symptoms of the Keto flu which are fatigue, cramps, headache, irritability and more.

You will need to double up on your water intake to prevent keto flu. You also need to replenish your sodium intake to increase your electrolytes.

4. Type-1 Diabetes

Carbohydrates are a great help in controlling sugar levels but since Keto Diet limits carbs to very low amounts, it can cause a huge drop in blood sugar and may lead to hypoglycemia.

This may not be applicable to most people but I still suggest to consult a professional before doing the keto diet.

3. Kidney Stones

This is one of the well-documented effects of a mismanaged Keto Diet. Because you’re always hungry, eating copious amounts of meats can give you satisfaction and a good muscle structure but focusing on that alone can lead to developing kidney stones and Gout.

Potassium Citrate Supplements can help prevent this. If you want a more natural source, you should stock up on Avocados because it keeps on popping up on this list.

2. Drastic Muscle Loss

Even if you do the workout routines suggested by many ketogenic diet instructors, our body need two things to maintain and develop our muscles. These are Protein and Carbohydrates. Since Keto Diet only allows you to consume proteins, the lack of carbohydrates can have serious effects on your muscles, especially on you lower body parts.

Although, you can perfectly time your carbohydrates intake without ruining Ketosis, you may load up on carbs before you go to the gym to workout so you can use it as your workout energy.

1. Rebound Weight-Gain

Maintaining a very restrictive diet can be very hard especially to those who are socially active and prone to exposure to places filled with food options that are high on carbs.

Keto Diet only truly works if you stay on it long term, but we all know that’s not an easy task. Quitting the Keto Diet after you’ve been on it for a few mos may lead to unrestricted food consumption, which can cause rebound weight-gain and worse, you’ll gain more weight that when you started the diet.

Unlike the other 9, there is no cure for this if it happens. You need to go back to hard dieting or working out if it does. Moreover, the only way you’ll prevent this is if you practice self control and continue following the diet.

To wrap things up, you can always stick to the foods I suggested above but if you feel like the food options are a bit too restrictive, you may want to try other alternative diets that are easier to follow like the Leptin Diet.