Three Common Beginner Keto Mistakes

Starting a ketogenic diet can be confusing, and it will take a while to really get in the swing of things. Along the way, there might be some bumps and minor setbacks. Hopefully, this article can help you to be aware of a few common beginner keto mistakes, so you avoid making them!

Avoiding Vegetables

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – you can eat vegetables on keto! It can be intimidating when you first start a ketogenic diet – that 20g of net carbs figure can seem daunting – how can you be expected to eat veggies with only 20g of net carbs per day? Well, it’s not that hard! Spinach and mustard greens only have .2 of net carbohydrates per cup. So, having 5 cups of these is just one net gram of carbohydrates. Broccoli and cauliflower are both under 2 net grams of carbs per cup, so you can get a load of veggies in with barely a dent in your daily carbs.

But why veggies? Well, they contain a wide variety of micronutrients (including loads of potassium!), as well as fiber. And you’re going to appreciate that! I think a lot of stomach woe could be prevented by eating enough veggies!

Eating Too Many Artificial Sweeteners or Sugar Alcohols

I’m not a fan of artificial sweeteners, or sugar alcohols – these can often cause digestive upset, impact your microbiome, and cause hormone disregulation. There is also evidence that artificial sweeteners can raise blood sugar levels even more than if you had consumed actual sugar, which completely defeats the purpose on a ketogenic diet. Sugar alcohols have also demonstrated an impact on blood sugar levels, though stevia’s is minimal.

If you find yourself not losing weight, or having lots of cravings, perhaps eliminating artificial sweeteners will help!

Not Paying Attention to How Much You’re Eating

When starting a ketogenic diet, you probably don’t want to focus too much on counting calories. Becoming fat adapted,  learning about how the foods you eat impact your body and moods and establishing a new routine are most important at first. After all, transitioning to a ketogenic diet is not without its bumps along the way!

Of course, at a certain point, you might start plateauing, or even gaining weight by not monitoring your caloric intake. Mind you, this doesn’t have to be exact, but it helps to get a ball park. Yes, “lazy keto” (not really tracking carbs or calories) can be effective for some, but if you find yourself not reaching your weight goals, this could be to blame! Sometimes even just measuring out portions before you eat them can be helpful!