What is lazy keto? Advantages, disadvantages and list of foods

Lazy keto is a less restrictive version of the traditional ketogenic diet that is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates.

The ketogenic diet was born in the 1920s as a medical approach to the treatment of epilepsy. Recently, variations of this diet, including lazy keto, have become common strategies for weight loss (2, 3).

Traditional keto diets require you to closely monitor your intake of macronutrients and follow a strict dietary pattern, very low in carbohydrates and high in fat, which contains only moderate amounts of protein (4, 5).

The intention is to induce ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body burns fat as your main source of fuel (6).

Like most variants of the ketogenic diet, lazy keto greatly limits your carbohydrate intake. In general, carbohydrates are limited to about 5 to 10% of your total daily caloric intake, which is about 20 to 50 grams per day for most people (7).

However, you do not have to worry about tracking your caloric, protein or lipid intake.

summary The lazy keto is a simple variant of the ketogenic diet. It limits carbohydrates, but there are no rules about your intake of calories, fat or protein.

Studies on different versions of the ketogenic diet suggest that they may offer many potential benefits, although the lazy keto has not been studied specifically.

For example, several studies suggest that keto diets can contribute to weight loss, potentially even more than low-fat diets (8, 9, ten).

However, this effect is probably not specific to keto diets. Studies show that any diet that reduces caloric intake and is monitored in the long term will likely lead to weight loss over time (11, 12, 13).

Although the lazy keto has no rules about caloric restriction, studies suggest that keto diets can suppress appetite and cravings. This can help reduce your caloric intake without being hungry (14, 15).

In addition, research suggests that keto diets may help improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetics and reduce risk factors for heart disease (16, 17, 18).

However, the results are mixed and the lazy keto diet has not been specifically studied.

Keep in mind that the beneficial effects of keto diets are often attributed to being in ketosis.

Studies can achieve this metabolic state by closely monitoring participants' diets and measuring their levels of ketones, the compounds your body produces when ketosis is reached and maintained (1).

Since it's useless to follow your lazy keto, it's impossible to track your calorie, protein and fat intake and measure your ketones, so you can not know if they're really ketotic.

summary Although lazy keto research is limited, it may offer the same potential benefits as the traditional keto diet, including weight loss, reduced hunger, better blood glucose control, and possibly a reduced risk of heart disease. .

Like the traditional keto diet, the lazy keto can cause dieters to experience keto flu during their initial transition to a keto diet. This includes symptoms of nausea, headache, fatigue, constipation, and vertigo (19).

The lazy keto also has several other pitfalls to note.

You can not achieve ketosis

The lazy keto attracts a lot of people because it is less restrictive and easier to follow than the traditional ketogenic diet.

The goal of the lazy keto is to induce a metabolic state called ketosis, in which your body burns mostly fat to give you fuel. Researchers attribute many of the potential benefits of ketogenic diets for health to this metabolic state (16).

However, in this simplified version of the keto diet, you can not enter a state of ketosis, which has several signs and symptoms.

To achieve ketosis, you must not only limit your intake of carbohydrates and fats, but also monitor your protein intake. This is because your body can convert proteins into glucose – a carbohydrate – according to a process called gluconeogenesis (19, 20).

Eating too much protein on lazy keto could completely prevent ketosis.

Calories and the quality of food are still important

Focusing only on your carbohydrate intake, like on a lazy keto, ignores the importance of adequate caloric intake and the quality of your diet.

A well-balanced diet with a wide variety of foods can provide your body with all the nutrients needed for general health (21).

Unfortunately, like the traditional keto-based diet, lazy keto limits many nutrient-rich food groups such as fruits, starchy foods, grains, and legumes. This can make it difficult to obtain vitamins, minerals and essential fibers.

In addition, it can be difficult to meet all your nutrient needs when you reduce your calorie intake, which is likely if you use lazy keto to cause weight loss (22).

Therefore, it's very important to focus on eating nutrient-dense foods, not just reducing your carbohydrate intake.

Lack of research on long-term effects

No studies have been conducted on the lazy keto in particular. Long-term studies of similar diets, such as the classic ketogenic diet and the modified Atkins diet, are also limited (19).

Some fear that lazy keto – and fat-rich diets in general – can affect heart health over time, despite the weight loss that they can induce (20, 21).

A review of 19 studies compared low-carbohydrate and high-fat diets to balanced weight loss diets. It was found that they had similar benefits in terms of weight loss and that they were equally effective at reducing risk factors for heart disease after one to two years (22).

Another analysis showed that low-carbohydrate and high-fat diets resulted in greater weight loss than low-fat diets in the long run (23).

However, researchers also found that diets high in fat were associated with higher cholesterol levels, which could increase the risk of heart disease (23).

That said, the type of fat you consume as part of a high-fat diet can make all the difference.

Research shows that choosing sources of healthy, unsaturated fats such as oily fish, nuts and olive oil while on a keto diet can help prevent an increase in risk factors for heart disease (24, 25, 26).

In addition, the long-term effects of the following ketogenic diets are unknown because of the lack of long-term studies. It is not known if keto diets are safe or beneficial to follow for years or decades.

summary The lazy keto ignores the importance of the quality of your diet in general and can not induce the metabolic state of ketosis. The long-term effects of keto diets are poorly studied and further research is needed.

On lazy keto, very low carbohydrate foods are encouraged without regard to their protein and fat content.

Below are some examples of foods to eat with lazy keto:

• Meat and poultry: beef, pork, chicken, turkey and cold cuts
• Fish and shellfish: salmon, trout, tuna, shrimp, lobster and crab
• Eggs: fried, scrambled, hard eggs and most other types of eggs
• Nuts and seeds: peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds and nut butters and seeds
• Dairy products high in fat: butter, cream and most cheeses
• Vegetables low in carbohydrates: leafy vegetables, broccoli, tomatoes, onions and many others
• Healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, linseed oil, and others
• Unsweetened drinks: water, coffee and tea
• Some fruit: berries, such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, in small portions

summary Choose foods that are low in carbohydrates, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, oils, high fat dairy products, and low carbohydrate vegetables.

The lazy keto limits all foods rich in carbohydrates.

Here are some foods that are limited or completely avoided on the lazy keto:

• Cereals: bread, pasta, rice, cereals and oats
• Vegetables Starchy: potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and corn
• Fruit: bananas, apples, oranges and most other fruits
• Legumes: all types of beans, lentils, soy and chickpeas
• Some dairy products: milk and yogurts, including flavored yogurts
• Sweet foods: cookies, cakes, ice cream, sweets and most other desserts
• Sugary drinks: fruit juices, sports drinks and sodas

summary Avoid foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as grains, starchy foods, fruits, legumes, some dairy products, and sugary foods and drinks.

The lazy keto may be an option for those looking for a quick and short term weight loss solution.

However, the long-term effects of keto diets – especially lazy keto diets – are currently unclear due to lack of research (19).

Since the diet restricts many healthy foods, it can be difficult to get all the nutrients you need, which could lead to deficiencies and poor health over time.

Although studies suggest that keto diets can help control blood sugar levels, type 2 diabetics need to approach lazy keto with caution. Reducing your carbohydrate intake can result in a dangerous drop in blood glucose if your medications are not adjusted (27).

Overall, be sure to consult a health care provider, such as a dietitian, before trying the lazy one. They can help you implement the diet safely and effectively and make sure you meet all your nutrient needs.

summary The lazy keto can help you lose weight in the short term, but it is less well suited to long-term health. Career guidance is recommended.

The lazy keto is an attractive option for those who find the traditional keto diet too restrictive. Although it limits carbohydrates, there are no rules about your intake of calories, protein or fat.

Overall, lazy keto can offer the same potential benefits as the traditional keto diet, at least in the short term. These include loss of appetite, rapid weight loss and better control of blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

That said, ignoring your intake of calories, fat, and protein can be inconvenient.

First of all, you can not achieve the metabolic state of ketosis, to which many of the benefits of the traditional keto diet are attributed.

In addition, the lazy keto has not been well studied and ignores the importance of the quality of diet in general.