Jaime Milan is the deputy digital editor for Veranda. She was previously the senior news and lifestyle editor for EatingWell. In Jaime’s spare time, you can find her cooking, gardening, antiquing, rearranging her house, watching Barefoot Contessa reruns, or playing with her (very adorable) mini Australian Shepherd, Gumbo. The high-fat, very low-carb ketogenic diet first emerged in the 1920s as an epilepsy treatment and gained popularity as a weight-loss plan about 100 years later. While people that have followed the Supraketo Keto diet tout promising benefits like quick weight loss and increased satiety-all while eating as much cheese and bacon as they want-there’s one thing that’s often overlooked: gut health. You may have heard how important it is to maintain a healthy gut microbiome; the good bacteria in our gut can positively affect our weight and even keep chronic diseases at bay. And more research says that our gut health-and overall health-is largely tied to what we eat. Will Bulsiewicz, M.D., aka “The Gut Health M.D.,” is a board-certified physician in both internal medicine and gastroenterology.
As a gut health expert, Dr. Bulsiewicz has very strong feelings about the keto diet. Here’s why: Dr. Bulsiewicz says most people in the U.S. 300 to 1,000 different species of bacteria living in our guts, and that bacterial diversity is necessary for good health. When you eat a keto diet, you’re eliminating nearly all carb-containing foods, including those good-for-you, fibrous foods like fruit, veggies and whole grains that support your microbiome. The largest gut health study to date, called The Microsetta Initiative, surveyed over 11,000 people and found the number one predictor of a healthy microbiome was the variety of plant foods consumed in one’s diet. According to The Microsetta Initiative’s findings, we should all be eating 30 or more different plant foods each week for optimal gut health (yep, you read that right!). While that would be one very expensive grocery trip, you can look for Supraketo Official other opportunities to boost your plant-food intake by loading up on various fruits and veggies at the salad bar, making your own mix of nuts and seeds at the grocery store bulk bins and opting for whole grains over refined whenever possible.
Not quite sold on reintroducing carbs to your diet? As a reminder, you don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach when pursuing a healthy eating pattern. But we agree that limiting added sugar and ultra-processed foods while upping your intake of healthy carbs can improve your overall health. Dr. Bulsiewicz also recommends that, for losing weight, the key is adding foods to your diet, not taking them away. He points to a 2017 study that showed a completely unrestricted plant-based diet (one where you can eat whenever you’re hungry), helped participants lose 14 pounds on average. Other studies, like a 2021 review in Advances in Nutrition, have shown similar results. If you want to lose weight, the key isn’t going keto or cutting out an entire food group (unless your healthcare provider has specifically advised you to). To help support your efforts, aim to reduce your intake of ultra-processed and refined carbs, and try to add in more high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Your gut will thank you!
Each week I’m trying to help take the stress out of a keto diet by giving you FIVE low-carb dinners plus a bonus meal prep recipe that helps keep you on track! This week your bonus is a tray of delicious Double Chocolate Sheet Pan Cookies-Only 3.6 net carbs a piece! When you click through to each individual recipe, it’ll take you to the full, detailed, step-by-step instructions. This includes a printable recipe card that includes nutrition information. To figure out the net carb count, subtract the amount of fiber from the amount of total carbs. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find a printable meal plan (with space to fill in your own needs & weekend plans) as well as an organized grocery list to help make things even easier. If you’re having trouble printing this, make sure you have your ad blocker disabled. If you like to meal prep to get ahead for the week, I’ve even included tips for preparing each meal in advance.