With over nine million tags on Instagram, #keto has singlehandedly put butter back in our good graces. But does the diet really mean free reign to eat bacon and cheese whenever you want? Not really. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s come to be known as ‘dirty keto’—and why it’s not the best way to go high-fat.

The Keto Basics

Put simply, going keto means eating 60 to 70 percent of your daily calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and just 5 to 10 percent from carbs.

By limiting protein and all-but eliminating carbs, you shift your body from its usual sugar-burning mode into ketosis. “Ketosis is the state in which the body no longer uses glucose from carbs as its main energy source,” explains Wesley Delbridge, R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Instead, it breaks fats down into compounds called ketones, which can be used for energy.

The result: For many, weight loss, steady energy, reduced cravings, and more.

The Trouble With Keeping Keto Clean

In a perfect world, a keto diet still emphasizes clean, whole foods, with fats coming from nutrient-rich sources, like walnuts, avocados, and olive oil. Every meal still includes non-starchy veggies and quality grass-fed meats, pasture-raised eggs, and nuts and seeds provide protein. This way, your high-fat diet still provides the array of micronutrients—like vitamins and minerals—your body needs to function optimally.

Thing is, sticking to the keto’s strict (and extreme) fat, protein, and carb requirements takes quite a bit of effort—and doing it in a nutritious way often requires a lot of researching food items, meal planning, and meal prepping, says Delbridge.

Related: How To Do Keto On A Plant-Based Diet

So, unsurprisingly, many a keto eater takes the easy way out, eating a diet centered around foods like bacon, cheese, butter, and packaged foods that fit the macro bill.

Dirty Keto

As the conversation about keto has developed, this technically-keto but not-healthy way of eating has come to be known as ‘dirty keto.’ All about convenience and ease, a dirty keto diet doesn’t prioritize the quality or source of your nutrients, says Jessica Crandall Snyder, R.D.N., dietitian at VitalRD.

“Dirty keto says you can go to the local fast food chain and get a hamburger with cheese and just take the bun off,” says Delbridge. It doesn’t concern itself with whether a food is processed or lacks nutrition—just hitting the right amount of fat, carbs, and protein.

“Dirty keto is just justification to eat whatever you want on the keto diet,” says Crandall Snyder.

The Effects Of Dirty Keto

While it may be possible to stay in ketosis—and even lose weight—while eating ‘dirty,’ your body will eventually feel the effects of eating junk, says Crandall Snyder. Loading up on nutrient-deficient foods can mess with your hunger levels and make you more likely to binge at some point.

Related: Want To Try Keto? Here’s What A Healthy Day Of Eating Fat Looks Like

And then there are the long-term impacts. Too much processed meat, for one, may lead to an increased risk of cancer, according to the World Health Organization. Plus, replacing heart-healthy fats with processed oils and overdoing it on saturated fats may ultimately affect your cholesterol and heart disease risk.

The Bottom Line

As convenient and indulgent as dirty keto may seem, your diet still bears the responsibility of providing your body with the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs.

If you’re going to give keto a try, focus on getting your fats from healthy, plant-based sources, like avocado and olive oil, and loading up on as many different vegetables as possible. Avoid processed meats and other keto-friendly but not-so-nutritious foods, like cream cheese.

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Ah, dessert. Though indulging your sweet tooth may seem like a thing of the past when you’re on a keto diet, it is, in fact, possible to enjoy sweet, chocolately goodness while still burning fat.

By swapping keto-crushing ingredients like regular flour and sugar for KNOW Better Double Chocolate Cookies (made with almond flour and coconut flour) and erythritol (a granulated sugar alcohol that’s sweet but calorie-free), this Peanut Butter Keto Cheesecake keeps carbs low and flavor high.

Every bite is a rich, decadent combo of chocolate glaze, creamy peanut butter filling, and chocolate cookie crust.

Peanut Butter Keto Cheesecake

*makes 16 small slices

Ingredients:

Cookie Crust:

• 5 KNOW Better Double Chocolate Cookies

Filling:

• 1 ¼ cup natural, no-sugar-added peanut butter
• 16 oz full-fat cream cheese
• ½ cup (heaping) confectioner’s erythritol 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Glaze:

• 4 Tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips
• 1 tsp (heaping) plnt brand Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and generously coat a nine-inch springform pan or pie dish with non-stick baking spray.
2. Crumble the KNOW Better cookies in a small bowl and press into the bottom of the pan to form an even layer of crust. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
3. In the meantime, add all of the filling ingredients except the heavy whipping cream to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until combined and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Then, fold the whipping cream into the rest of the filling ingredients until combined.
5. While the crust cools, make your chocolate glaze. Add the sugar-free chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small bowl, and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Once heated, stir until a consistent sauce forms. Then, add the sauce to a plastic bag, twisting the middle of the bag to push the sauce into one corner.
6. Once the crush has cooled, add the filling. Then, cut off the corner of the chocolate glaze bag and drizzle the sauce across the top of the cheesecake.
7. Refrigerate for about four to six hours to firm.

Nutrition info for one slice: 270 calories • 22 g fat • 8.25 g carbohydrates • 3 g fiber • 5.25 g net carbs • 8 g protein

If you’re keto, you know the struggle of finding yourself out and about without a single fat-fueler food option to be found. Luckily, there are a ton of keto-friendly snacks, drinks, and other on-the-go goodies on the shelves at The Vitamin Shoppe. Here are 11 of our favorites.

1. Quest Protein Cookies

Flavors: Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, Snickerdoodle

Cookies may seem downright impossible on a keto diet. However, you can in fact enjoy a soft, chewy treat without totally blowing your macros. With 17 grams of fat, 15 grams of protein, and just about three grams of net carbs, Quest’s Protein Cookies are great way to satisfy your sweet tooth keto-style. They’re made with a milk protein blend and sweetened with erythritol and stevia.

2. Finaflex Keto Hydrate

Flavors: Keto Punch, Keto Orange

This sugar-free, caffeine-free performance and recovery drink is just what high-fat eaters need to stay hydrated. Made with BHB salts (a.k.a. exogenous ketones) for energy and four vital electrolytes (sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium) for balance, Keto Hydrate is great before, during, or after exercise—or anytime you need a lift!

3. F Bomb Macadamia Nut Butters

Flavors: Salted Chocolate, Coconut, Pecan, Sea Salt

Nut butter lovers who go keto may be surprised to see how the carbs in some of their favorite spreads add up. Naturally very low in carbs, macadamia nuts are the keto nut—and transform into a crazy creamy nut butter. F Bomb’s single-serving packets of flavored macadamia nut butter provide a decadent dose of fat (22 grams) for just a gram of net carbs.

4. BHU Fit Protein Bars

Flavors: Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut, Apple Chunk Cinnamon Nutmeg, Double Dark Chocolate, Salted Caramel Pecan, Peanut Butter White Chocolate, Fudge Brownie Batter, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Tart Cherry Pistachio, Vanilla Almond Cashew

With a variety of primal, paleo, and vegan protein bars (using whey protein, egg white protein, or plant protein), BHU Fit’s protein bars are made with a handful of recognizable ingredients, like shredded coconut, almond chunks, coconut oil, and dark chocolate. Sweetened with monk fruit and loaded with plant-based fats, each bar provides a balance of fat and protein, along with plenty of fiber and just a gram of sugar.

5. VPX Meltdown

Flavors: Grape Blade Lemonade, Citrus Twist, Peach Mango

The creators of BANG Energy Drinks have gone keto with their Meltdown drink. Every sugar-free can provides a whopping 7,500 milligrams of exogenous ketones, 225 milligrams of caffeine, a solid dose of electrolytes, and energy-revving theacrine and yohimbe bark extract.

6. Fat Snax Cookies

Flavors: Chocolate Chip, Lemony Lemon, Peanut Butter

Fat Snax’s small, snackable cookies satisfy a sweets craving in a flash—for just 90 calories a cookie. Almond flour, coconut flour, butter, sea salt, erythritol, and stevia form the base of these chewy bites, which contain eight grams of fat and two grams of net carbs a pop.

7. Know Brainer Creamer

Flavors: Mocha, French Vanilla, Original

Known as ‘The Thinker’s Creamer,’ Know Brainer is made from a blend of MCT oil, grass-fed clarified butter, and coconut milk powder to power a fat-burning mind and metabolism. The single-serving packets make keto coffee possible when you’re on the run; just knead the packet, squeeze into your go-to cup of Joe, swirl, and enjoy.

Related: 5 Keto Dessert Recipes You Need In Your Life

If you’re really in a pinch (or just that hardcore), you can also slurp down a packet straight. Each contains 200 calories, 21 grams of fat, and zero carbs.

8. Ancient Nutrition Keto Protein Singles

Flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla

If you’ve constantly got your shaker cup in-hand, single-serving packets of keto-friendly protein powder make fueling up easy, wherever you are. Ancient Nutrition’s Keto Protein provides quality protein from chicken bone broth, and quality fats from coconut MCTs.

Plus, the blend also incorporates antioxidants and adaptogenic herbs to take wellness and performance to the next level. Each packet provides 11 grams of fat and 15 grams of protein for just 170 calories and a gram of carbs.

9. KNOW Better Cookies

Flavors: Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Cinnamon, Lemon

KNOW Foods’ soft and chewy cookies are all about keeping it clean. These grain- and gluten-free treats are made with simple ingredients like almonds, egg whites, coconut oil, cocoa butter, flax, and coconut flour—and are sweetened with low-glycemic allulose. For their 16 grams of fat and seven grams of protein, they clock about three to six grams of net carbs.

10. F Bomb 100% Pure Oils

Flavors: Pure MCT, Coconut, House Blend (Coconut, Macadamia, Brazil)

If you’re in the business of shooting back MCT oil straight, F Bomb’s oil packets make chugging the fatty fuel easy. (They’re also easy to add to coffee, salads, soups—you get the picture.) With 30 grams of fat per packet, they’ll fire you right up.

11. Bulletproof Collagen Protein Bars

Flavors: Vanilla Shortbread, Fudge Brownie, Lemon Cookie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip

Biohacker Dave Asprey is all about clean, smart fuel—and his Bulletproof protein bars are no exception. Made with grass-fed collagen protein, MCT oil, and quality ingredients like cashews and cocoa butter, the decadent-flavored bars keep you fueled and focused. They’re sweetened with stevia but slightly higher in carbs, at about nine grams of net carbs a piece.

Bulletproof products are only available in stores, so head to your local The Vitamin Shoppe to try them out!

Everyone seems to be ditching bananas and whole grains in favor of avocados and coconut oil these days. If you’re interested in going keto, though, it’s important you do it right. We rounded up some of The Vitamin Shoppe nutritionists’ best advice for going high-fat in a healthy way.

1. Stay Hydrated

When you first go keto, your body burns through the glycogen (a form of carbohydrates) stored in your muscles and liver before shifting into fat-burning mode. Because glycogen stores water, your body releases lots of H2O as it depletes its stores.

That’s why The Vitamin Shoppe nutritionist Jaclyn Jacobsen recommends prioritizing hydration on the high-fat diet. “Drink your body weight in ounces of water,” she says. “Water is essential for every function in your body and much is lost while on keto.”

If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, aim to drink 150 ounces of water (18 cups) every single day.

2. Add Electrolytes

Another effect of your body losing water: It loses electrolytes. These minerals—which include sodium, potassium, and magnesium—play roles in hundreds of body functions and are crucial for energy, immunity, focus, mood, and more, says Jacobsen.

When electrolytes levels drop too low, people often experience the fatigue and brain fog described as the ‘keto flu.’ For that reason, people on keto typically need to ramp up their electrolyte intake. However, considering the fruit and vegetable restrictions involved in the diet, this can be difficult to do through food alone, says The Vitamin Shoppe nutritionist Rebekah Blakely, R.D.N.

That’s where an electrolyte supplement comes in. Look for a product that contains a blend of sodium, potassium, and magnesium—like BodyTech Electrolyte Fizz, which adds fizz and flavor to all that water you need to drink. Jacobsen recommends a serving or two daily.

From there, you’ll also need to make a considerable effort to consume more sodium. The hormone insulin, which moves glucose from our bloodstream to cells throughout our body, helps our body retain sodium. Since keto eliminates sugar, insulin levels drop and we flush out more sodium in our urine and need to consume more, explains Blakely. Though most people should try to keep sodium intake below 2,300 milligrams a day, many experts recommend those on the keto diet consume up to 4, 000 milligrams per day—maybe even more if you work out a lot. To get there, Blakely recommends sprinkling pink Himalayan salt on your meals and drinking bone broth daily. (If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before ramping up sodium intake.)

3. Support Your Digestion

“People don’t often think about how going keto might affect their digestive tract,” says Blakely. Since most of us are not used to eating high amounts of fat, suddenly eating tons of it may cause some stomach upset at first. Plus, since keto tends to be lower in fiber, people may eventually experience some constipation.

To help keep your gut microbiome healthy and digestion smooth, consider taking digestive enzymes with meals, a daily probiotic, and some type of fiber supplement, recommends Blakely.

Though a general digestive enzyme supplement will help, consider taking a supplement specifically formulated for the keto diet, like Real Essence Labs Real-Zymes Keto. For the probiotic, Jacobsen recommends ProBioCare 20 Billion Probiotic, which contains a blend of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains. For additional fiber, consider a formula like Ancient Nutrition Keto Fiber, which combines fiber, collagen, MCTs, and popular superfoods.

4. Remember Your Greens

Since keto restricts most fruits—and even many vegetables—it can easily become pretty devoid of micronutrients (like vitamins and minerals).

Maximize the nutrient-density of your keto diet by eating plenty of dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale, arugula, and chard. Not only are leafy greens low in carbs (and calories), but they’re also packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. The Vitamin Shoppe nutritionist Roseanne Schnell, C.D.N., recommends incorporating these greens—and other low-carb veggies, like broccoli—into every single meal. The micronutrients and fiber they provide help your body detoxify and balance electrolytes.

Related: What A Healthy Day Of Eating Fat Looks Like

You may also want to consider adding a greens powder to your regimen—especially if you don’t eat plenty of keto-friendly vegetables every day. Just be wary of how many carbs it contains, says Blakely. Ora Organic Easy Being Greens Organic Alkaline Greens Powder contains a blend of over 20 grasses, greens, herbs, and superfoods.

5. Focus On Plant-Based Fats

Though it’s tempting to eat lots of bacon, butter, and cheese while on keto, many of our nutritionists recommend getting the bulk of your fats from plant-based sources.

In some people, dairy causes digestive and skin issues, and promotes inflammation, Jacobsen explains. Plus, the chemicals and nitrites in processed meats have been linked to health issues like cancer, according to the World Health Organization.

Instead of relying primarily on animal products, base your diet on healthy, plant-based fats, such as avocados, coconut, coconut oil, olives, olive oil, and nuts and seeds, says Blakely. From there, sprinkle in organic, grass-fed meats and poultry, grass-fed butter, and free-range eggs.

6. Get Creative

With such specific macronutrient requirements and so many foods off-limits, enjoying a variety of meals on keto requires some creativity. That’s why Schnell encourages her clients to transform their favorite comfort snacks and meals using low-carb vegetables.

Related: 8 Nutritionists Share Their Favorite Low-Carb Snacks

A few of her go-to keto-friendly swaps:

• Instead of on crackers, spread tuna, chicken, or egg salad on cucumber slices
• Swap rice out for cauliflower rice, and regular pizza crust out for cauliflower crust
• Spiralize zucchini noodles instead of making pasta
• Use Portobello mushrooms as burger buns

Schnell also likes to bake proteins (like ground beef or turkey) in hollowed out zucchini, eggplant, or Portobello mushrooms.

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy and Staying Fit, today!

Everyone—and we really mean everyone—is trying keto right now. But despite the diet’s wild popularity, there’s still some debate about how to do it right. Here, we break down the macro mix, which isn’t as cut and dry as you might think.

The Goal Of Keto

The basis of the ketogenic diet is to shift your body into ketosis, a state in which it uses fat for energy instead of carbs and sugar. The resulting benefits include weight loss, increased energy, and reduced cravings.

To get there, though, you have to deprive your body of its primary fuel source, glucose (which it breaks carbs and sugar down into). That means virtually all carbs are off the table. You also have to limit protein, which your body can turn into glucose when desperate.

To make up for the lost calories, you need to eat fat (and lots of it!), which your body uses to produce an alternative form of fuel called ketones.

Why Macros Matter

Sounds like tricky business, right?

While your average low-carb diet may allow for up to 20 percent of your daily calories to come from carbs (that’s about 120 grams), keto requires keeping carbs much, much lower, explains Monica Auslander Moreno, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., nutrition consultant for RSP Nutrition.

Related: What Is Keto Breath—And Can You Do Anything About It?

Eating even just a hair too much carbs or protein can throw you out of ketosis, so going keto requires paying incredibly close attention to how much of each macronutrient (a.k.a. carbohydrates, fats, and protein) you eat.

The Average Keto Macros

For most people, getting into ketosis requires eating 60 to 70 percent of their daily calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and 5 to 10 percent from carbs, says Auslander Moreno.

For someone eating 2,000 calories per day, that’s 1,200 to 1,500 calories from fat, 300 to 600 calories from protein, and just 100 to 200 calories from carbs.

Another way to look at it: 133 to 166 grams of fat, 75 to 150 grams of protein, and 25 to 50 grams of carbs. (Fat contains nine calories per gram, while carbs and protein contain four.)

Often, dieters have to follow these macros for a week or two before their bodies transition into ketosis.

The Total Carb-Net Carb Debate

Sounds straightforward enough, right? Not so fast. You see, there are two ways to look at carbs—and some keto enthusiasts debate which measurement matters most.

First, you’ve got ‘total carbohydrates,’ which refers to the total grams of all carbohydrates consumed—including fiber, says Auslander Moreno.

Then you’ve got ‘net carbs,’ which refers to total grams of carbohydrates minus grams of fiber.

Most keto eaters insist that tracking total carbohydrates is the way to go, while others believe you can just track net carbs and essentially ignore fiber.

Though fiber is technically a carb, “it’s ‘indigestible,’ which means it doesn’t theoretically contribute to ‘energy intake,’” says Auslander Moreno. “The ‘net carb’ theory says that since fiber is indigestible, you can subtract the grams of fiber you consume each day from the amount of carbs you consume each day,” she explains. “But to imply that fiber grams negate carb grams is wrong.”

Thing is, the fiber you consume is anything but ignorable. Not only does fiber nourish the microbiome and help keep your digestive system moving and grooving, but it also promotes satiety, balances blood sugar, and supports healthy cholesterol levels.

That’s why Moreno—like many nutrition experts—recommends tracking total carbs when trying to get into ketosis. That means sticking to 25 to 50 grams of total carbs a day, fiber and all.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid eating fiber, though! Most experts recommend adults get at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber every day—keto or not.

Finding YOUR Ideal Keto Macros

Though the general keto macro framework above is a good starting point, it isn’t necessarily the end-all-be-all.

In a perfect world, you’d test your urine’s ketone levels daily and experiment with your macros to determine the highest threshold of carb intake you can get away with without shifting out of ketosis. How many carbs you can handle without shifting out of fat-burning mode depends on a few factors, like your body’s natural metabolism, how long you’ve been on keto, and how active you are.

Ketone levels between 1.5 and three mmol/L (referred to as ‘deep ketosis’), are recommended for maximum weight loss, explains Joshua Axe, D.N.M., D.C., C.N.S. However, you’ll still reap many of keto’s benefits with levels between 0.5 and 1.5 mmol/L (considered light nutritional ketosis).

When You Can Eat More Carbs On Keto

In any of the following apply to you, you may be able to up your carb intake without sabotaging your fat-burning.

1. If You’ve Been Keto-ing For A While

“When someone first starts a keto diet, they need to be especially strict in keeping carb intake low,” says Axe. He recommends sticking as close to five percent of your daily calories as possible in those first weeks and months.

“However, once the body gets use to burning fat for energy, you can often increase your intake up to 10 percent, and then maybe up to even 15 percent,” he says.

2. If You’re Training Hard

Certain types of exercise, like intense lifting, rely on sugar stored in your body (called glycogen) for fuel. When you severely limit your carb intake, though, your body turns to a process called gluconeogenesis (in which it breaks down protein to produce glucose) to fuel exercise.

However, this last-resort energy production method isn’t very efficient, says Jessica Crandall Snyder, R.D.N., dietitian at VitalRD. Not only will your performance likely take a hit, but you may also lose muscle mass over time. (Where do you think your body gets the protein for gluconeogenesis?)

Given that, keto dieters may want to consume some carbs before and after this type of training. While it may temporarily affect your ketosis to some degree, it’s worthwhile if training hard and maintaining muscle are top priority for you. Just keep those carbs low the rest of the day to support fat-burning.

The Bottom Line

Ultimately, the keto macro formula that works best for you depends on your lifestyle and where you are in your keto journey. Working with a dietitian can ensure you make any necessary adjustments and meet your nutritional needs.

Diggin’ What’s Good? For more essential health facts, tips, and inspiration, join our Facebook communities, Eating Healthy and Staying Fit, today!