It may not come as a surprise that 12.9 million Americans follow the keto diet each year. As of 2024, keto lovers across the globe contributed to a whopping 27 million keto hashtags on Instagram, making this high-fat, low-carb diet a household name.
If you or anyone you know has tried living the keto diet lifestyle, you know firsthand that weight loss follows close behind—however, not all keto plans are the same (or healthy for that matter).
Although keto can be navigated in different ways, ‘Healthy Keto’ is the star of the show today – and for good reason.
Here, Dr. Eric Berg, author of the Amazon Best Seller, The Healthy Keto Plan, is happy to share all the benefits of healthy keto and why you should give it a try (and possibly drop dirty keto).
During his 30 years in practice, Dr. Berg has worked with over 40,00 people, including Hollywood top actors, Senior U.S. government officials, Medical Doctors, top CEOs of prominent corporations, scientists, stay-at-home moms, and high school students—helping them incorporate proper nutrition and Healthy keto into their lifestyle.
With that, if you’re keto curious but want to avoid the processed, greasy foods you see some keto dieters consume, Healthy keto is your key to health in 2024.
Healthy Keto Vs. Regular (Dirty) Keto
Today, according to Berg, we mainly see two types of keto diets: regular keto and healthy keto, (also labeled dirty and clean keto or even strict and lazy keto). As you can see by the labeling, one is healthier than the other.
While there are strong similarities in their approach to restricting carbohydrates, “healthy keto prioritizes the consumption of whole foods rich in vitamins and minerals over processed alternatives which may lack essential nutrients our bodies require for optimal functioning,” explains Dr. Berg.
In short, healthy keto promotes nutrient-filled foods (higher-quality ingredients, grass-def meats, wild-caught seafood, and pasture-raised poultry), while Dirty keto focuses on keeping carbohydrates low even if that means consuming conventional, highly processed foods, all while keeping healthy fats high and carbohydrates low.
Good to Know: Dr. Berg mentions that people who consume a healthy keto diet end up looking a lot better/healthier due to the high-quality foods and good fats.
With that, Let’s take a closer look at the details of healthy keto, the importance of ketones, and the science behind why this popular diet works.
Healthy Keto Diet Stats:
Dr. Berg explains the finer details of healthy keto here:
- Purpose: mainly for weight loss, metabolic syndrome, blood sugar issues, inflammation, and much more. The purpose is to reduce the carbs low enough (50 g or less per day) so the body burns fat instead of carbs.
- The macros are 20% protein, 75% fat, and 5% carbs. However, green leafy vegetables and other low-starchy vegetables are allowed and encouraged as much as you want.
- The uniqueness of this diet is to encourage high nutrient-dense foods as well as quality foods. Examples of foods would be wild-caught salmon, organic broccoli and leafy greens, sauerkraut, avocado, organic steak, organic eggs and bacon.
- People usually combine this diet with intermittent fasting to reduce insulin and reverse metabolic dysfunction. The lower the insulin, the more the benefits as you are correcting insulin resistance.
Alongside health benefits ranging from reducing body fat and boosting mood and energy, Dr. Berg shares healthy keto can also aid in:
- Correcting a fatty liver
- Improving PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
- Reducing inflammatory problems
- Improving your general metabolism or set point
- Reducing your risk for heart disease, blood pressure and high triglycerides
Ketosis, Ketones, and Insulin Resistance
Ketones and Ketosis have been trending words in the fitness world for quite some time now, especially for those practicing keto living. But what are they? And why are they important in burning fat and boosting health?
Ketosis: “Ketosis is a state whereby your body is running off of ketones, which are more digestible forms of fat fuel,” explains Dr. Berg. “Since the majority of the population lives off of mostly carbs, ketosis is inhibited.” This is where Healthy KETO shines.
To put your body into ketosis, Dr, Berg explains carbs must be dropped to less than 50 grams per day. “Ketosis is a moderate protein, high fat, low carb diet.” This is what you aim for when practicing keto.
“Putting your body into a healthy state of ketosis alters the way your cells are fed,” says Dr. Berg.
Ketones: That brings us to Ketones which are a cleaner, more energetic, and more efficient fuel, especially for your brain. “Since the majority of the population has some version of insulin resistance, glucose worsens their state of health,” says Dr. Berg.
Insulin resistance-=: A state whereby the cells are resisting not only insulin but glucose too. “This means the cells can’t get fuel and the person can’t burn fat to generate ketones; This is why healthy ketosis reverses this state while providing the body’s required nutrients.”
As you can see, there is a science as to why healthy keto works for so many. And at this point, you might be ready to take the first step toward changing your body composition and health; for the better.
Final Thoughts on Keto Diets
Healthy keto, when done correctly can cause positive chain reactions in your body such as producing more energy, ketones, and boosting overall health. The longer your body stays on Healthy keto the more efficiently your body will burn fat as your insulin levels come into balance.
If you’re wondering where to start and what foods to select, here is a printable PDF Healthy KETO food list from Dr. Berg.