Why 'Dirty Keto' Isn't As Healthy As You Think

You've most likely heard of the popular keto diet. But did you know there are numerous different versions of it? Heka Good shares a few varieties: plant-based keto, keto-carnivore, cyclical keto, paleo keto, and therapeutic keto. All of these are worthy of a glance, but we're here to talk about a version of this diet called the 'dirty keto.' Just how healthy or unhealthy is it? 

If the keto diet is a foreign concept to you, it can be summed up as a low-carb, high-fat eating plan that aims to put your body in a ketosis state in which your body burns fat as its primary source of fuel. The dirty keto diet follows the same methodology, only, for lack of a better term, in a dirtier way. On the original keto diet, no more than five percent of your calories should come from carbs, reports Health. 75 to 90 percent should come from fat, and the remaining from protein. Dirty keto follows the same guidelines, but the type of fat you eat doesn't matter as much as the original version (or at all).

So, is a bacon burger with double cheese for dinner okay? Absolutely, as long as you ditch the bun. The words 'organic' or 'pasture-grazed' don't often come up when discussing the dirty keto diet plan, as the source of your macronutrients doesn't matter, says Bulletproof. There are benefits to this, such as reducing or even eliminating time spent on meal-prep, since hitting the drive-thru is fully allowed.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that there is a catch: Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, author of the Superfood Swap says to Health, "Although you may lose weight [eating dirty keto], the quality of the food we eat impacts us beyond our weight. The vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients in high-quality foods protect our overall health," he says.

So you may still lose weight going this 'dirty' route, but is affecting your overall health worth it? Blatner goes on to say, "If you do want to try keto ... go with a more holistic, clean approach and choose unprocessed versions of fats and round it out with quality proteins and produce." In summary, if you want to feel your best on keto, think more 'clean' than 'dirty,' when it comes to choosing your next meal.