Money and KETO


(traci simpson) #1

Is it just me or is anyone else bothered by the fact that some KETO people want to charge a fee for information. If you want to make zoodles, pay money and you get the ingredients. If you want to see informational videos from a functional medical doctor, pay money and you can watch their videos. Why is it that people who have money get the best of everything and the people who have less money don’t? It’s just like being able to buy good groceries or buying government cheese. Should the fact that you make less money mean you can’t get good, healthy foods, or good information that we all can share? why does everything have to be about making a profit?


(Jennifer) #2

This is why I’m a big fan of Dr. Ken Berry. Obviously, he states that the best quality food is best (ie, grass fed, organic beef… pasture raised pork…), but he also says that hot dog wieners are better than Doritos, and you do what you can.

I also make sure to check out videos about Keto on a Budget. As a matter of principal, I don’t pay for special recipes (obviously, unless I’m buying a cook book), but I don’t begrudge anyone trying to make a buck.

I also, very rarely, pay to get special access to anything. There are enough Keto resources without most of them. But I do realize that places like this cost money to run. Life sometimes isn’t fair, and people with more money have more access to things, and that’s just the way it is. And it sucks, sometimes.

It is why I think a community is important. Especially like this. I know there are people who are able to be Patreon supporters, but then there are also people who are able to use the site for free and get all sorts of great advice/recipes/etc.

But yeah… I feel you. It feels like EVERYTHING has a price.


(traci simpson) #3

Dr. Berry has a patronage (is that the right word?) where if you pay “a couple bucks” you have access to special videos and information.
That rubs me the wrong way.


(Deborah ) #4

Wow.

Dr. Berry gives so very much of his time and knowledge for free, accessible to anyone. He has a ton of free YouTube videos available on almost any keto subject. Sure, if you want to donate or become a patreon, you can (but certainly don’t have to), and in return he will provide you with something extra. I have absolutely no problem with that.

Yes, you have to buy the cookbook to get the Bzoodles recipe (and I did), something I again had no problem with. Carl Franklin devotes so much of his time and efforts into providing FREE information (such as the podcasts and this forum we are posting on).

These people and many more provide so much free information and educational material; I don’t begrudge any of them for trying to recoup a bit of the money it costs them in time and materials. There is no need to spend money on keto anything if you don’t want to. It’s all out there for free.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I don’t like seeing good people bashed for trying to make a little money (more like “recoup” some of their money).


(traci simpson) #5

I’m not bashing either one. I just don’t like when money gets involved because it seems now more of a “how much can I make” and the lines get blurred. How many patients does he see nowadays? he’s on the road a lot doing a lot of appearances etc.


(Cindy) #6

Why? Does it rub you the wrong way when you pay a plumber to fix a leak? Or a mechanic to fix your car? You pay a medical professional when you need a check-up. Essentially, in all those cases, you’re paying for the knowledge and expertise they have to fix your faucet, your car, etc. Do you expect them to give it to you for free?

Videos take time to produce…from sitting down to record them, perhaps editing, etc. Even if ALL it takes is the 1/2 or hour of recording time, that’s time when the person could have been relaxing in a bubble bath, playing golf, or having a cuddle with a loved one. TIME is NOT free. Then think of all the time it took that person to learn the information that they’re either giving you, OR asking for a minimal contribution so they can continue in what they’re doing…and it’s very much a bargain.

In Dr. Berry’s case, he’s produced 100s of videos that are FREE. To begrudge him a few dollars a month from a Patreon account seems a bit petty.


(Deborah ) #7

I doubt Dr. Berry is able to see too many patients at the moment, since his clinic burned down a few months ago. He will be rebuilding, but in the meantime, he is making use of the downtime I imagine.


(traci simpson) #8

Then I’ll be petty.


(Cindy) #9

That’s ok. :slight_smile: We all have opinions and we’re entitled to them. I was just trying to give you a different perspective.


(traci simpson) #10

I know and I can appreciate it but I’m sure I’m the lone wolf on this subject.


(Susan) #11

I think that some are legitimate; like the 2KetoDudes (obviously!) and a few more that are very popular on here but there are also a lot of scammers for Keto. Back when I started Keto in February I was verrrrry dumb and bought a product from Dr. Gundry – I would not recommend him or his products to anyone. He has contradicted himself. One video he says one thing, then another video he is promoting a different product or Diet lifestyle. I got so confused!

I bought his Proplant Complete Shake (DO not buy this, it is horrible… tastes awful, very chalky and doesn’t work, and is sooooo expensive!). I bought it, it was expensive (over $60 dollars by the time it was in Canadian, and then on delivery they charged me an extra $20). My husband doesn’t know, he would flip. I am not secretive with him in general, but I didn’t want to get yelled at and have a fight over this. I then called them and said make sure you don’t send me anything else, as I read online (afterwards!) that they keep sending you the product if you don’t cancel, even though I thought it was a one-time thing. Even after I cancelled, they charged me another month, even without the product. I did get this reimbursed but I had to call them and talk to a sales person to do this. So I do think there are some that want to help and are kind and caring, and some that are just in it for the money. I can see both sides, because of that happening to me.


(traci simpson) #12

Yea, some folks are scammers but I know Dr. Berry isn’t but it felt like all of a sudden as it really started taking off, they are offering those that pay money extra info.
Just my opinion.


(John) #13

Tons of free information. In fact, it is a miracle that there is so much free information on the subject. I expect a paycheck every 2 weeks for the time I put in providing a valuable service to my employer, so I don’t expect others to provide valuable services completely free either.

The few that do make some money off it, like Mark Sisson’s Primal Kitchen, do so by selling good products that fill a niche not currently served (like his avocado-oil mayo and salad dressings).

I haven’t paid anybody anything, except the grocer for groceries, and I bought a cookbook with a lot of good recipes in it. Though there are enough free recipes out there to where I really didn’t need to, but I just like physical books.

I don’t buy the super expensive grass-fed beef, and in fact don’t eat beef often at all. You don’t have to buy cage-free pasture raised eggs, either. Still around a buck a dozen for the regular ones.

There is nothing I can do about the fact that meat costs more than flour and corn, so I just deal with it. I usually go with chicken and pork as my meat products. I buy almond milk which is cheaper than regular milk, and vegetables and salad greens are cheap anyway.


#14

If money couldn’t buy better things, what would it be good for?

But, seriously, if you wanna talk about sharing, if everyone is this world shared everything equally, the American standard of life would need to take a deep dive. About a billion people on this planet have little or no access to electricity.

Keto can be cheap. Most of my meal preps cost between $1 and $2 a meal and have a good portion of protein in them. For example, when chicken thighs were $0.88 a pound, I did a meal prep with over 6# of thighs and over 3# of veggies for under $10. Nearly 7000 calories.

But I’m a lifetime LBYM person. Very miserly, er, frugal. If only my lifetime eating habits had been as good as my lifetime financial habits. :frowning:


(Jennifer) #15

I actually am one of the patrons on Dr. Berry’s Patreon. Really, you just get some stuff earlier. But this model is everywhere, and you decide if it’s worth it or not. There are certain podcast companies that will offer earlier episodes if you pay for it. There is free software out there that charges you if you want some special perks. Free apps even have an option where you can pay to remove the ads. I don’t expect people to give lots of their time for free. I don’t come to my job for free.

Keto can be done EASILY without anything paid. You can buy chicken leg quarters for less than $.50/lb. You can get eggs pretty cheaply. You can download informational podcasts for free. Watch YouTube videos for free. I get all the cheap ground beef, and I save the fat to cook later. I buy reduced price meats. Just the day before yesterday, I got 3lb packs of bacon for $3.99, because the best by date was 7/24. Goes right in the freezer.

I just don’t begrudge someone for trying to make money. If I don’t want it or I don’t think it’s worth it… I don’t buy it. Simple as that.


(Carl Keller) #16

I have no problem if someone is paying for a website and wants to try to recoup some of their losses. For example, Dr. Westman now charges $9.99 for the page 4 info he used to link for free and i would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed when I first learned this… but the website he is using isn’t free.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #17

Something to bear in mind is that running these forums costs money. Web host companies don’t just hand over bandwidth and space on their servers for free. Carl and Richard feel very strongly that this information should be as broadly available as possible, but the Patreon contributions and other donations aren’t enough to cover the cost, so they pay money every month out of their own pockets to make the forums available. And the admins on the Ketogenic Forums are all volunteer staff, so at least the Dudes don’t have to worry about making payroll on top of everything else.


(hottie turned hag) #18

This^^^^.
The two who do “KetoConnect” scream scammer/all 'bout dat paper/dumbassery/slick salesmanship.

Dr Berry, is more of a saint in my book, Dr. Fung offers everything one needs to know for free on his site and vids, no need to pay for the extras.


(Katie) #19

My standing policy is if they re selling anything…avoid them.

Way too many charlatans are leaping into this because keto works and each person who does it with honest intent reaps huge improvements in health…so the con man sees an easy way to profit and take the credit too.

Ignore/avoid the salesmen, you do not need them or their products/advice


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #20

You have to take all this in context. I find Matt and Megha entertaining, but a bit lightweight. Their information isn’t actively wrong, however. Dave Asprey and Thomas Delauer are science-based but heavily into selling product (though Delauer’s videos are lovely watching if you turn the sound off :grin:). Mike Mutzel has products to sell, but the pitch is always at the same place in the podcast and is easily skipped; his science is very sound, so far as I can tell, so he’s well worth watching. Other people out there—I’m not going to name names, because they have their partisans—are either all about the products or into really flaky ideas that don’t sound very scientific to me. I avoid them like the plague.

If the primary motivation is to spread the science, I can put up with a certain amount of promotion, but when it’s primarily about “monetizing” keto, I don’t bother. It’s usually pretty easy to tell what’s what.