Clean vs dirty keto- is this real?

(Summer) #1

I just was reading that with cheese, bacon and certain things I have been eating a lot of, that these foods disqualify you from having a truly clean keto diet.
Is this true?

(Alec) #2

No. A ketogenic diet is one that induces a state of ketosis, which is defined as having a ketone level above 0.5mmol/l (someone please correct me if I have the unit of measure wrong).

So, this can be fairly individual as we all react differently to different foods. For some people the foods you mention does stop them reaching ketosis. But not all people.

There is no such thing as a dirty keto diet. Titles like these are just loose words made up by some folks to try to explain things.

(Carl Keller) #3

From what I gather (and I donā€™t give it much relevance), dirty keto is being labeled as eating low carb foods that are not necessarily nutrient dense. Variety is what allows us to get a wide range of vitamins and minerals so thereā€™s nothing wrong with bacon, hamburger and cheese in that context. I eat plenty of ā€œdirtyā€ LCHF items and Iā€™ve never felt better and itā€™s typical for me to get 80-85% of the RDA in nutrients (not that I believe we need everything the RDA says we need since we are not eating garbage).

#4

Clean likely refers to removing allergens/fake things/inflammatory foods (such as dairy, sweetners, etc). You can eat Keto or ā€œcleanā€ or Keto/Clean.

#5

This. The only difference between Strict Keto and Dirty Keto is the former are people who canā€™t mind their business and just want gold stars.

There is a difference between nutritious and less-nutritious food, but Strict Ketoers barely know the difference, especially on Facebook.

(Jeramy Koval) #6

To me, the words clean vs dirty mean quality whole foods vs processed. Doesnā€™t matter if the context is keto or cutting/bulking as a bodybuilder.

(Cindy) #7

Who cares? :wink: Yes, thatā€™s a bit flippant, but I think itā€™s important. If YOU are happy with YOUR results, what YOU eat, YOUR life, etc, then does it matter if itā€™s ā€œstrictā€ keto or ā€œcleanā€ keto or 20 net carbs or 20 total carbs or less than 50 carbs or carnivore orā€¦

You get the idea. People can be a bit obsessed with labeling and it really just does not matter.

(Troy) #8

Yeah. To me just a common nay-sayers term
Yes, Iā€™m asked or questioned all the time

If eating 2 jack-in-box breakfast brunch sandwiches today ( no bun and no mayo) is so called dirty Keto
**
Yummy btw

Dirty Keto- I agreešŸ˜³
My hands got ā€œdirtyā€ with no utensils needed :joy:

I choose to stay above the dirt w my WOE
Others can choose to go w their SAD ā€¦and be, well below the dirt ā€œsoonerā€
Just saying

(Khara) #9

I donā€™t really pay attention to these terms but for me if I were describing dirty keto, Iā€™d think of it as living on hot dogs, and not quality ones. I know when Iā€™m being lazy and eating too much processed easy stuff. I can stay in ketosis with it and itā€™s handy when life is busy but I know itā€™s not the healthiest. I try to focus more on whole unprocessed foods and this is what Iā€™d describe as clean.

(Jody) #10

This. Love this.

#11

Stephanie Laska, who writes the Dirty, Lazy Keto blog, proudly uses those terms to describe her own diet. She says lost 140 lbs. this way. I think there are lots of other people out there doing the same thing. Hereā€™s how she describes it:

The traditional ketogenic diet is strict. Twenty carbs per day max! Strict keto diets basically give up everything fun. Artificial sweeteners like Splenda are frowned upon by the keto police, so fat bombs, a cold beer, and HALO ice cream are definitely out of the question (who invited THAT guy to the party?) ā€¦ Constantly trying to ā€œeat perfectlyā€ is tough for a lot of people (me included). In my opinion, there are WAY too many rules and expectations about eating a high fat diet, a no sugar diet, high protein diet, NSNG or even intermittent fasting. Itā€™s all too confusing and overwhelmingā€¦

I donā€™t need to buy all organic and track every morsel I eat on my phoneā€¦I donā€™t think having a Diet Coke once in a while is going to cause a permanent keto weight loss stallā€¦

The term lazy in this world means to hell with all that tracking businessā€¦ Lazy keto dieters usually arenā€™t documenting every bite they eat with some little calculator or app. In general, lazy keto followers choose lower carb, higher fat foods to enjoy while staying ā€œunderā€ or ā€œaroundā€ their carb goals/limits for the dayā€¦

Dirty Keto means being open to using sugar and grain substitutes to make a recipe feel more ā€œlike we are used toā€. Dirty Keto means not being afraid of artificial anything.

Her website is basically an ad for her book now, so Iā€™m not linking it. You can Google if you want.

Letā€™s try not to get too nit-picky about her definitions and wail that you could use stevia and still have fat bombs, so strict isnā€™t what she says. Theyā€™re her definitions and Iā€™m sharing them so people have a better understanding of what ā€œdirty ketoā€ means from those that embrace the term and why itā€™s a perfectly valid way of eating that many are successful with.

#12

There are lots of people on this forum who do ā€œlazy ketoā€ and push it as the right way to do keto. They just call it ā€œeating to satietyā€ and criticize people who track for not doing it this way.

(Summer) #13

Well the problem is that Iā€™m not happy with the weight losing aspect or the limitations on what I can eat ( not complaining just being honest)ā€¦BUT I am very satisfied with my energy Level and how I feel!!!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #14

Have you ever posted your info to ask for feedback? I know I have seen you here for a while. Maybe some more experienced people would have good suggestions to try so you wonā€™t be discouraged by whatā€™s happened so far.

Height, weight, age, health issues, what youā€™re eating on an average day can all help folks give you ideas. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Tamela Robinette) #15

I always thought ā€œdirty ketoā€ was like going to a fast food joint and tossing the bun? Basically convenience keto foods instead of getting in the kitchen and making real food. I donā€™t judge either way as long as you feel good and your moving towards your goals. I actually had someone admonish me for drinking decaf coffee because ā€œthere are toxins added to remove the caffeine.ā€ Hereā€™s the thing, I needed decaf to wean off the good stuff. It was honestly like stepping down from cocaine to weed for me (not that Iā€™ve done cocaine lol.) I was seriously addicted to a whole pot of the strongest Columbian you can imagine and I couldnā€™t sleep. Anywho, if you need McDonaldā€™s double cheeseburgers sans the bun to hit your macros (or not) to get through a hectic day, week or month who cares? Just my opinion, I take peopleā€™s advice with a grain of salt and test things on myself. If it works great, if not move on to the next experiment. Keto is high fat, low carb, nothing dirty about it :grin:

(Lisa Kane) #16

Same!! I enjoyed it before that tho!

(Summer) #17

A sample of my diet:

Is 2 cups of coffee with stevia and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Snack- 2 string cheese

1 cup coffee same way

Dinner- spinach salad with egg, cheese, avocado and bacon OR cheeseburger with no bun obviously and spinach

Shack- Parmesan whisps with palmetto spread ( the spread is only ever so often)

In the middle of the night ( not proud of this behavior but Iā€™m being honest) a 4net carb protein bar

I exercise 3 times a week. Run for 30 minutes, lift for 60. Swim for 20.

Iā€™m 5ā€™1 and 135 pounds. I started keto in January and was about 140.

(Troy) #18

Keep up the progress!!
At least you are aware

Something to think aboutšŸ¤”
Meal frequency and snacking
W your mentioned daily intakeā€¦you are eating 6x day

Depending on your goals and what works for you
Getting in down to 3x or 2x would be less insulin resistance as well

Either wayā€¦

Good LuckšŸ˜ƒ

#19

Dirty keto. Is that ā€œwild ketoā€? Wild ketogenic eating (WKE). Where the ketogenic diet formulation is taken out of the controlled laboratory environment and away from the metabolic wards, and allowed to evolve out in many different societies and cultures, and via many different individuals with each their own eating preferences and peccadilloes. Is a peccadillo even keto?

Clean ketogenic eating is closer to the controlled scientific menu to study the effects, I think. Iā€™d also like to think it is based on real whole foods, raised ethically, avoiding pesticide and inorganic fertiliser inputs, grass fed from healthy farmland soil.

Rather than processed to refinement keto foods and keto snacks that mimic many of the junk foods that got many of us in a nutritional mess in the first place.

Then letā€™s plonk in ketogenic supplements for the ultimate lazy, dirty keto, if used without adjusting the dietary base to a low carbohydrate, healthy fats nutritional ketosis foundation. What health horrors and surprises are in store for humanity with standard dietary guidelines PLUS ketone supplements?

(Empress of the Unexpected) #20

Iā€™m one year next week and Iā€™ve had periods of both. Today was bacon, bologna, pork, guac. I usually try to fit more veggies in. In my mind, itā€™s the difference between lazy keto and healthy keto. Interesting to note, that I started out with daily salads and yummy Marieā€™s blue cheese dressing. Got scared off from the seed oil thing. (Yeah, like hotdogs are better than soybean based dressing.) Interesting to note that the epilepsy protocol promotes Marieā€™s dressing. It might be ā€œdirty ketoā€ but it makes the macros perfect. Itā€™s a journeyā€¦