Like most diets and lifestyle changes, the keto diet is often poorly understood. Many assume that following a keto lifestyle involves eating bacon for breakfast daily or believe people only adopt it when they want to lose weight.
However, Leslie Lang and Molly Hutchinson of the culinary shop Alter Eat-o: Foods for Keto want to debunk those myths.
"It's for anyone who just wants to be healthier, feel better, have more energy and eat delicious food…so everybody," Lang explained, adding that it would be unfortunate for people to miss out on the benefits of a keto lifestyle due to common misconceptions.
Myth one: the keto diet is all about losing weight.
While keto diets can help with weight loss, there are a host of other benefits the lifestyle brings, like an increase in energy levels, reduced brain fog and clarity in thinking.
Lang explained that weight loss comes from switching from burning and using carbohydrates as an energy source to burning and using fats, which the body prefers to run on.
Myth two: eating keto means giving up tasty food with good texture
Eating keto does not mean sacrificing taste and texture. In fact, it can lead to experiencing new textures and flavours, like almond flour, coconut flour and various spices.
Hutchinson suggests trying international recipes and techniques like oven roasting or air frying, which can lead to creativity in the kitchen and new culinary tastes and experiences.
Myth three: following a keto diet will be difficult
There's a common belief that adopting a keto diet will make finding foods to eat difficult and also mean cutting out sweets. However, Hutchinson explained that it's incredible how many keto-friendly foods with natural sweeteners and low to no carbohydrates are available.
Lang, a sweet lover whose been following the keto diet for five years, says she doesn't feel deprived of her favourite foods because of all the alternative ingredients available. They also suggest making a weekly meal plan to make the process easier. However, if you're not a planner, they're happy to help with their tasty keto foods (check out the many delicious desserts and meals available on their website!).
Myth four: low carb eating isn't healthy
For those interested in the keto lifestyle, Hutchinson and Lang suggest adopting the diet in consultation with a doctor to ensure it's the right choice for your overall health and well-being.
"Reducing your carb load gets your body into a balance," Hutchinson said. "It's about focusing on healthy fats, moderate proteins and high values fruits and vegetables that are low carbs."
Myth five: following a keto diet means eating high-fat foods like bacon, cheese and butter
While putting the body in ketosis requires high-fat foods — and bacon can be part of the lifestyle — the diet also emphasizes eating healthy fats like nuts, seeds, coconut oil and avocados.
Adopting a keto lifestyle doesn't have to be complicated or mean sacrificing tasty food.
If you're curious about keto foods, check out the options on the Alter Eat-o: Foods for Keto website.