I have a confession to make. I'm not eating a ketogenic diet, and I haven't been for the past year.

I know, it's a surprise to me, too. I started a keto diet back in 2017 and I was absolutely #ketoforlife and planned to stick with that way of eating forever because I just felt so good on it.

Keto gave me energy like I hadn't had in years, made weight loss completely effortless, silenced food noise, made my workout recovery faster, and just made me feel great. I found it pretty easy to follow and once I got over the initial week to transition my body into fat burning, I really never craved carbs again. It felt miraculous.

So what changed?

A lot, really. And I think my experience highlighted the biggest flaw in the ketogenic diet. I don't think it's a fatal flaw-- I still absolutely believe in the healing power of a keto diet-- but it's one you shouldn't ignore.

Foundationally, a keto diet is one that is extremely low in carbs (20 of net carbs or less, with some people counting total carbs here instead) and high in fat, with moderate protein. Typical macro goals are around 5% carbs, 70% fat, and 25% protein. When you have insulin resistance, this diet is amazing for bringing hormones like insulin, ghrelin, and leptin into balance. It can be a fantastic metabolism fixer.

But these very macros that can fix your metabolism can easily become their own problem. And that is because per calorie, fat is the least nutrient dense macro around. Yes, there are certain fat-soluble vitamins that can only be absorbed in the presence of fat. Yes, cholesterol is essential for making hormones and is a vital part of the cell membranes in your entire body. We don't need to fear fat like we did for years.

But when 70% of your calories come from fat, the other 30% of your macros need to do some really heavy lifting when it comes to nutrient density. And if you've gotten into the habit of eating "dirty keto," relying on packaged low carb foods, allowing some of your 20 carbs to be taken up with sugar or chips or grains, it doesn't take long for there to be nutrient gaps.

And if you, like me, have had extra nutrient needs like I did when pregnant and breastfeeding, those gaps become bigger. And while I was still breastfeeding, I went through prolonged intense stress due to a spiralling house project. Stress will burn through nutrients like vitamin C, magnesium, iron, B-vitamins, and zinc very quickly.

It's no surprise that this perfect storm led to extreme burnout, but the recovery has been so much slower than I expected, I believe in large part to depleted nutrient stores.

So for the last year I've focused heavily on nutrient dense foods. I still include healthy fats but I prioritize fruits and vegetables and leaner proteins. I was honestly scared at first but adding carbs didn't make me gain weight or feel worse. For me, in this season, this way of eating is what's making me feel my best.

And I think that's what gets lost any time we talk about a particular way of eating. I will always champion keto as a diet that has the potential to heal a lot of dysfunction. But it's not right for everyone all the time. There is no one-size-fits-all. Our bodies are far too complex for that.

So if you needed this reminder that it's ok to let go of something that used to serve you but no longer does, or to ignore the health advice of a particular influencer because you can feel in your gut that it's not right for you, let me release you to find something new.