When it comes to losing weight, the word ‘keto’ gets thrown around quite often. According to WebMD, it’s a type of low-carb diet (under 50 grams of carbs) that puts your body into ketosis. That refers to the process when fat and protein get broken down to produce energy.
Going keto has been polarizing, but when it comes to science, it certainly works, unlike some other radical diets. However, what happens if you suffer from food sensitivities? If you are cutting out on carbs that might mean relying on food choices that not everyone’s body can handle.
In this article, we will seek to understand if you can actually go keto with food sensitivities. Let’s jump right in.
What Happens if You Go Keto If You’re Allergic or Have Food Sensitivities?
The dangerous part about keto is that a lot of people aren’t even aware that they have allergies. If this is the case and you suddenly make a huge diet switch, it can lead to some unwanted side effects. These include digestive and inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s IBS, ulcerative colitis, and even diverticulitis.
Even your immune system can be affected when allergies lead to autoimmune diseases. Perusing online communities like the r/keto subreddit and forums will also show you people have worries about whether they need to skip this diet completely.
Let’s find out where the potential problems arise.
You see, even if you get lucky and don’t have the more serious side effects, digestive issues are still pretty common. Let’s be honest, no one wants to deal with bloating, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Thus, it’s a good idea to play it safe especially when you are changing your diet so drastically. Food sensitivities are more common than you would think, which takes us to the next point.
Sensitivity to Dairy and Lactose: The Biggest Culprits
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 36% of Americans suffer from lactose malabsorption.
Meanwhile, foodallergy.org states that around 33 million adults in America have one food allergy at the very least. So if you happen to have difficulty digesting dairy and lactose, know that you aren’t alone.
When you consider that keto essentially means eating ‘fat’ for calories, the implications can be frustrating. Keto diets often include cheese, cream, butter, eggs, and the like. These are kind of hard to avoid when on a keto diet.
How do you deal with this?
Well, a common recommendation is doing a 30-day elimination diet. This means you reintroduce specific dairy products (after cutting them all out of your diet) and watch for any side effects. It’s wise to start with casein-rich, low-lactose, and whey foods first. If you are able to handle them, then slowly introduce options like butter and cream.
To your surprise, you may discover that you can indeed handle a few dairy products. However, if you are particularly sensitive, you will have to find alternatives.
What Are the Best Dairy-Free Keto Alternatives?
You might be feeling frustrated with your food sensitivities, but the good news is that alternatives do exist. Food allergies are so common that you even have keto meal delivery services that cater to people with allergies and sensitivities. So, rest assured, you can very much do a keto diet if you want to!
CookUnity explains in great detail the kind of alternatives and replacements you can consider in place of dairy and gluten allergies. When it comes to dairy replacements, soy-based products like soy milk, vegan cheese, and nut butter work great. You should also be looking into eggs and whole grains.
With gluten replacements, you honestly have quite a lot of options. MedicalNewsToday recommends everything from buckwheat, quinoa, rice, millet, lentil-based pasta, and more.
It’s also worth emphasizing that with keto, the focus is on fat, and you can get a lot of that from meat. For instance, ribeye steak almost feels like it was made for keto. It’s literally known for its marbling and rich fat content. Likewise, ground beef is another solid option if you go for a higher fat percentage ratio. Think 80/20 or 70/30.
All things considered, it’s true that having allergies and food sensitivities makes a keto diet hard. There’s no denying that. You have to skip many food options but that doesn’t mean keto isn’t possible.
As we have seen, there are several alternatives that you can still try out, so don’t lose heart.
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