I completely agree with you, the processed carbs/sugar shit that litters the shelves is killing people.
But I think Drek mentioned this earlier, removing the processed carbs from your diet doesn't mean you're following keto. This is kinda the distinction I've been making, or trying to make.
You can have a low carb diet and not be following keto. Keto is very specific in that you are chasing the state of being in ketosis, but we both know this.
As I've stated earlier, I've practically removed processed foods from my diet, as well as high sugar things like soda/juices (obviously not completely, but on a day to day diet they are gone and I don't buy them). From what I eat, I know I'm in a low-carb diet, but I'm not inherently seeking a low carb diet, it's just the byproduct of removing highly processed foods from my life.
I'm not chasing ketosis, and my criticisms are specifically about the lack of long term knowledge of using keto for weight loss.
Ahhh, I gotcha.
You are correct. Removing processed carbs from the diet doesn't mean you are following keto at all. It just means you are taking that junk out of your life period. Tasty though some of it might be. For example I found some planters cheez balls tonight at the store and I just had to pick some up, because I have fond memories of my aunt and great grandmother giving them to me as a kid when I came over to visit. So I wanted a bit of nostalgia. Even though I know quite clearly it's horrible for me lol.
You are also right in that you can live a low carb lifestyle without being in ketosis and without actively seeking it. For some, it works. For others, it may not and I was one of those individuals. But that is because of how sedentary my job keeps me and the fact that I work on average about 50 - 80 hour weeks. Sometimes 120 in a week.
For long term, I would look for historical analysis of say, the eskimos or the chukchi people. There are also aboriginal tribes that eat mostly a diet of meat and dairy and what vegetables and insects they can gather. But in the instance of the chukchi and eskimos, they mostly relied on meat and high levels of fat to survive for their diet.
From what I understand, those people are quite healthy and hearty, all things considered. They still eat berries and whatnot when they could get it, but for winter and other times I imagine they were in ketosis more often than not. So I would look to the factors of those kinds of groups for any long term evidence. If any study has been done. I know a long time ago, there was a study done with aboriginals in Australia I believe who subsisted on meat, cheese, dairy pretty much exclusively and they were quite healthy, which generally would keep them in ketosis most of the time. When they were stuck on a western diet, things went to crap.
As it stands, if one considers things naturally, the human body will shift in and out of ketosis once we go over the limit of carbs that kicks us out. I think, for some people, it's over 120. Others have said that they have found once they went over 70 grams of carbs, they were kicked out of ketosis.
As for me, in the end I would say what is harmful is being in Ketosis and eating lean meats, and not enough carbs. Because your body turns into an engine that burns fat for energy, and if you aren't eating enough for your body to convert to ketones, you are hurting yourself pretty badly I would say.
You are required during induction to not go over 20 if you choose that route, but 40 grams of complex carbs for the easier method. Once you are out of induction, you can up the amount of carbs you eat as you move on and get healthier.
But in general, you require that fat for fuel. Since the body processes the fat for energy, it's most of the resource we use and that is why it is required to mostly come from the food ( and not solely your own body. ) So in my mind, the risk factor would be that for long term. Otherwise, I have heard some cite concerns about the liver and maybe even the kidneys. But I believe those concerns have been proven false to be concerned about.
