InternationalOpinion

Stop telling people about your keto diet

Seriously, stop it

This summer, I was working as a hotdog salesperson when a woman came up to me with a request. “Can I get that without the bun,” she asked. “This must be such an odd request, I must be the only one who does this,” she continued. “It’s because I’m doing keto.” I had to actively suppress an eye roll and bite my tongue so I wouldn’t say what I was thinking: so what, you’re not special

I understand the desire to not have a hotdog bun. Maybe you just aren’t in a bread mood. Maybe you can’t eat gluten. But in my experience, people on keto love to tell other people that they’re doing keto, and I just don’t want to hear about it. It’s unhealthy, it’s unsustainable, and it promotes the very damaging diet culture which is so prevalent in our society. 

Normalizing cutting out whole food groups (like carbs for keto, or other food groups for other diets) is so damaging, because it really isn’t healthy to limit and restrict your diet, despite what people seem to think. With keto in particular, the emphasis on eating mostly protein and fats is bad for your kidneys in the long run. And what I absolutely hate about keto is that I’ve heard some people say it’s the best way to lose weight when it really isn’t.

Losing weight quickly shouldn’t be the ultimate goal for any diet. This is somewhat hypocritical for me to say, as I’ve done intermittent fasting and OMAD for the express purpose of rapid weight loss. Yes I lost weight, but I was tired, weak, cold, and unable to think clearly. As such, I’ve come to realize that these behaviours are not healthy, and doing fad diets and raving about them only serves to normalize disordered thoughts and behaviours around eating. It also contributes to the idea that certain foods are “good” or “bad,” when in reality it’s just food, and the only judgement should be whether or not you like it. 

Junk food is fine, in moderation. Carbs are fine, in moderation. Telling yourself otherwise only serves to deprive your body of something it wants, and something it may actually need. Take care of your body and feed it what it needs. Participating in all these fad diets that will do more harm than good in the long run.

While all fad diets annoy me for many reasons, nothing grinds my gears quite as much as keto. Maybe it’s the smug sense of superiority they have when they say “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” but I think what gets me above all else is how they just won’t stop talking about it. So if you’re doing keto, order your carb-free food without mentioning your diet, stay healthy, and shut up about it. 

Related Articles

Back to top button