Skip the keto diet and eat the bread

Due to its rapid weight loss effects, the ketogenic — or keto — diet has gained significant popularity in the health and wellness community. However, for most people seeking to lose weight, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

Though wellness blogs and online influencers love talking about the potential benefits of going keto — which usually boil down to weight loss — the diet isn’t the magic spell it's made out to be.

The standard keto diet requires that a person get 70 percent of their calories from fats, 20 percent from proteins, and 10 percent from carbs, according to Healthline.

Keto deprives the body of its primary energy source: glucose. Glucose comes from — you guessed it — carbs. According to Healthline, when glucose is scarce, the body produces ketones, which are acids used to burn fat for energy.

While this may result in weight loss, cutting carbs like this can be hard on your body. According to Healthline, participants usually report getting the “keto flu” and can experience symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, headaches, irritability and digestive discomfort a day or two after cutting carbs.

Additionally, any weight lost will often return after one stops the diet, according to kinesiology professor Mary Miles.

“Some people do it well, but on average, people don’t. They gain the weight back; they have a hard time staying on it,” she said.

I was on the keto diet on and off for years as a teenager, eating only meat, cheese and eggs. Once, I did keto for six months straight to lose weight. After I stopped, I gained the weight back after a month or two.

In addition, while the diet’s restrictive nature can result in weight loss, it can come at the expense of important nutrition.

Miles said that because the keto diet is mostly limited to fat, meat and non-starchy vegetables, important foods get left out.

“It takes so many foods out of your diet. It’s so hard to sustain,” she said.

When I told a healthcare worker about my six-month keto experience, she was shocked I didn’t get hospitalized for malnutrition. Looking back, I now know I was missing out on several important nutrients.

One of those nutrients was fiber, a type of carbohydrate. According to the University of Michigan school of Public Health, fiber assists in supporting digestion, controlling blood sugar, reducing cholesterol and promoting weight loss.

A 2019 PubMed Central article states that chronic fiber deficit can increase the risk of several diseases, including diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and cancers of the pancreas, breast, prostate and colon.

According to Amaia Sangroniz, program lead and instructor in sustainable food and bioenergy systems, keto also lacks several micronutrients.

“I’ve read some studies showing that people on the ketogenic diet are often under-consuming vitamin E because we’re excluding some plants and thus plant sources of oils,” she said.

So, then, what does a healthy diet look like for college students? Spoiler alert: It certainly doesn’t include cutting out all carbs.

A healthy diet involves fruit, vegetables and whole grains on top of proteins and fats. The American Heart Association recommends at least three servings daily of foods such as whole wheat bread, oats, brown rice, quinoa, beans or peas.

These foods not only contain fiber and vitamins, but minerals like iron, zinc, copper and magnesium, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

In addition, starchy vegetables can contain an impressive amount of nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamin K.

“Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash — these starchy vegetables contribute a lot of micronutrients. We need the carbs from them,” Sangroniz said. “The vast majority of our calories should come from carbs, so they’re a valuable source.”

Despite the benefits, these vegetables are frequently criticized for their high-carb and calorie content. However, when integrated into a balanced diet, they can be beneficial.

Food and nutrition major Lizzie Tullis agreed.

“Obviously, all foods have a place in a healthy diet, and I include starchy vegetables,” she said. “I do know that that was a staple for me, especially growing up. And they do provide that variety of nutrition.”

If you want to lose weight, there are often better ways to do it than going keto. A healthy diet welcomes carbs, so it’s important to be wary of a meal plan that demands otherwise.

“If [weight loss] is [your] goal, there are much more appropriate and sustainable ways to do that, and there's just better lifestyle factors [you] can implement,” Sangroniz said.