Contrary to what some may think, too much protein can and will hinder your keto success. The body looks to find the path of least resistance, and if it’s got an abundance of protein it’s going to turn it into one favorite energy to consume. That’s right: Glucose.
It does this through a process called glucogenosis, turning excess amino acids into easy fuel, thusly spiking your blood sugar and hindering ketosis.
High protein diets can also harm your kidneys, cause kidney stones, and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. All those things are what we’re trying to avoid. And having high blood pressure, these risks are already high priority to avoid.
In order to avoid over doing it in the protein department we need to assess how much your body actually needs. Great, more math. Usually a person who isn’t highly active should shoot for .7 to .9 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Those who have more lean body mass or muscle mass tend to need height amounts, I’m talking body builder types. I recommend keeping track of your protein on a tracker like the Cronometer app. It’s super helpful and can help manage those tricky macros.
Now keep in mind, there are a few worse offenders in the protein family that carry a higher risk than others, red meats being one, and things high in saturated fats. Try keeping those proteins in the lean healthy fat category. By good I mean seafood, poultry, some plant based proteins, (although they don’t supply all nine essential amino acids) cheese and eggs. So now we’ve covered the Do’s and Dont’s of proteins, remember to portion control and drink water like crazy.
