Composed: Feb 28, 2023
Author: Autumn
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That Keto Bread You're Eating is Not Keto
I know, that bread says keto right on the label. And they've done the math for you…it's ZERO net carbs. How exciting!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that keto bread you bought at the grocery store that says "Keto" on the label is not going to help you maintain a healthy ketogenic metabolic state.
Nutritional Ketosis vs "Diet"
Foods that provide virtually no nutritional benefit are not conducive to ANY sort of a healthy diet. These types of foods are not conducive to a healthy, well-thought-out ketogenic diet.
This bread is going to be one of the reasons that people say things like, "I tried keto and it didn't work for me"…because they didn't try a well-thought-out, nutritional approach to a ketogenic diet. This is diet culture, diet food, and diet mentality. This is ultra-processed, food-like stuff that we eat because we miss bread. It isn't nutritional. It's inflammatory and it's devoid of nutrients.
If you have lipedema, like me, this bread is NOT going to help you.
Better Alternatives to Keto Bread
A better option is a chaffle, made from real, whole foods.
A better option is to eat from Kimmi's Keto Food List.
A better option is to save your money for real food. Buy real foods. The ones you like and that your body responds best to.
If you've tried keto in the past and found that it didn't work for you and you were eating packaged foods that said "keto" or "net carbs" on the label, that was why. Those foods don't help you.
You may be thinking to yourself, "oh, but this is healthier than eating real bread." It isn't. It is an ultra-processed diet food. It is devoid of nutrients. It is a lie that will set you up for failure.
You may be thinking, "but it's just a vessel. It's a way I can have other healthy foods like meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc."…just eat those foods. Eat them by themselves or have them on a chaffle, which is not going to increase inflammation in your body, not going to cause digestive upset, but will instead provide actual nutritional value.
Digestive Upset
Oh, did I mention digestive upset? The indigestible fibers they use to make this bread create gas in your intestinal tract. They cause flatulence and burping. They cause stomach gurgling and bloating. Dietary fiber is a known irritant for anyone with IBS and consumption of fiber "could worsen the symptoms".
But it isn't just IBS sufferers who struggle with having something in the digestive system that is not digestible. A good read on this topic is the book Fiber Menace, by Konstantin Monastyrsky.
"Fiber Menace is for people who believe fiber prevents cancers, reduces the risk of heart disease, regulates blood sugar, wards off diabetes, lowers appetite, induces weight loss, cleanses the colon, and eliminates constipation.
Tragically, none of it is true, and Fiber Menace explains why it's the complete opposite. Most of those findings have been well known and widely publicized even before Fiber Menace's release.
Here are some of the most striking examples:—
Fiber doesn't ward off colon cancer, according to the Harvard School of Public Health: "For years, Americans have been told to consume a high-fiber diet to lower the risk of colon cancer […] Larger and better-designed studies have failed to show a link between fiber and colon cancer." Scores of other studies, cited in Fiber Menace, have demonstrated that fiber increases the risk of colon cancer.
Fiber doesn't prevent breast cancer either, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, it's the complete opposite: "Carbohydrate intake was positively associated with breast cancer risk." Fiber happens to be a carbohydrate too, and carbohydrates are the only food that contains fiber.
Fiber doesn't reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association: "A fiber supplement added to a diet otherwise high in saturated fat and cholesterol provides dubious cardiovascular advantage." Furthermore, these supplements caused "reduced mineral absorption and a myriad of gastrointestinal disturbances" — factors that in fact, contribute to heart disease.
Fiber doesn't counteract diabetes, according to the Harvard School of Public Health: "Fiber intake has also been linked with the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors that increases the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes." Truth is, fiber requires more insulin or drugs to control blood sugar, and makes diabetes even more devastating."
My best advice is: just stay away! Walk away from the keto bread and from the "net carb" game food manufacturers play. Stay away from sabotage. Stay away from this food.