As someone who works hard to manage or prevent type 2 diabetes, one diet you may have heard of is the ketogenic or keto diet plan. This diet is a very low carbohydrate diet plan that consists of about…

• 5% total carbohydrates,

• 30% protein and a

• a whopping 65% dietary fat.

If there’s one thing this diet will do, it’s help control blood sugar levels. That said, there’s more to eating well than just managing your blood sugar.

Let’s go over some of the main reasons why this diet doesn’t always stack up to be as good as it seems…

1. You will lack dietary fiber. The first big problem with the ketogenic diet is that you will be lacking in dietary fiber. Almost all vegetables are eliminated from this plan (aside from the very low-carb varieties), and fruits are definitely not allowed. High-fiber grains are also out of the equation, so this leaves you with mostly protein and fat, two foods that contain no fiber at all.

Follow this diet and you will see that you start to feel supported in no time.

2. You will be low on energy. Another big problem with the ketogenic diet is that you will have little energy to carry out your exercise program. Your body can only use glucose as a fuel source for very intense exercise, and if you don’t eat carbohydrates, you won’t have glucose available.

Therefore, the ketogenic diet is not for everyone who wants to lead an active lifestyle with regular exercise sessions.

3. You may suffer from brain fog. Those who are using the ketogenic diet may also find that they suffer from brain fog. Again, this is due to the fact that your brain primarily uses glucose.

Some people may notice that after a week or two of using the diet they start to feel better as their brain can switch to using ketone bodies for fuel, but others may never find that they start to feel better.

All in all, this diet just doesn’t work for some people for this very reason.

4. Your antioxidant status will decrease. Finally, the last problem with the keto diet is due to the lack of fruit and vegetable content: your antioxidant status will drop dramatically.

Antioxidants are important in fending off free radical damage, so this is not something to be taken lightly. If you don’t take them in, you could end up sick in the future.

So keep these points in mind, as the diet comes with some risks. The ketogenic diet converts fat instead of sugar into energy. It was first created as a treatment for epilepsy, but is now being tested for dietary effects to help type 2 diabetics lower blood sugar. Be sure to discuss the diet with your doctor before making any dietary changes.