Abby Langer

<p>I get the <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19548275/temptation-bundling/" id="9e0e6a1d-93d6-37a8-a27b-af2bb436f283">  temptation </a> to believe in the "latest thing." Nutrition is a science that moves at the speed of light. Keeping up with the latest diets, supplements, and research can be a tough job. And sniffing out the nutrition scams? Thats even tougher.</p>

<p>Its easy to be swindled into thinking that faulty nutrition information is true. Many of the people who sell complete malarkey look so good themselves. They sound like they know what theyre talking about by dropping complex technical terms.</p>

<p>But there's a big difference between convincing and truthful. In my years of experience within the nutrition field, I've seen countless nutrition scams come and go, and I've determined that there are seven important things all those scams have in common.</p>

<p>Read up, and you'll forever protect yourself from shelling out for another "miracle" supplement or diet that ultimately doesn't work.</p>

<h1> 1. There's an emotional "rags to riches" story to draw you in. </h1>

<p>Eliciting emotion in various ways is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40691-018-0164-y" id="028f0b71-d8f2-3bca-ae8a-12ca8ac5adf0">  a proven marketing tactic </a> .</p>

<p>Whether its a personal epiphany on top of a mountain in Tibet with <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/health/a25902826/bulletproof-dave-asprey-biohacking/" id="c38b545c-6d7c-3efd-a947-d6c351994f69">  butter coffee </a> , or a story about being cured of autoimmune disease by cluster salts in celery juicemany nutrition scams use powerful stories to convince you of their benefits.</p>

<p>But a story is just that: a story.</p>

<p>Use your head, not your heart, when it comes to your health. </p>

<p>Fear can motivate, but using scare tactics as a selling point is disingenuous and irresponsible. </p>

<p>One popular diet falsely claims that nightshades and legumes are both "toxic" and "inflammatory," which sounds ominous, especially because we have always known these foods to be healthy. </p>

<p>Using scary, hyperbolic words about the safety of the food we eat is never warranted and almost always signals a scam. </p>

<p>A lot of fads and scams either require you to buy their branded pills and powders, or they insinuate that youll be more successful if you purchase upgraded plans or products. </p>

<p>Many of these productslectin blockers, gluten blockers, fat burners, and metabolic support supplements, for exampleare completely useless. </p>

<p>If youre a healthy, active person, there is absolutely no situation where losing weight or being healthy requires you to supplement your diet with special products. </p>

<h1>  4. There's not an R.D. to be seen.  </h1>

<p>Far too many doctors are getting into the nutrition game by riding on their M.D. credentialand not much else. </p>

<p>The same goes for "nutritionists," trainers, and anyone else who has no extended, formal training in nutrition. </p>

<p>Registered dietitians (R.D.s) arent the only professionals who understand food and the body, but its a red flag when someones only experience is that theyve lost weight, or that theyre a personal trainer or doctor with an idea.</p>

<h1>  5. It claims to do something that has "never been done before."  </h1>

Light of the setting sun through the clouds

<p>No supplement has ever burned fat, and if it did, we'd all be thin. </p>

<p>And if a product or diet is that innovative, trust me when I tell you that the FDA would have its hands on it before you do. </p>

<h1>  6. It claims to do something that can't be measured.   </h1>

<p>Cleansing, resting your organs, getting rid of adrenal fatigue and candidaall of these things arent measurable. Its tough to assess the efficacy of a plan or product if you cant measure the baseline and treated states. </p>

<h1>  7. The research has been done on rats, or by the company selling the product, or there's no research at allonly testimonials.   </h1>

Little white hamster eating carrot in a child's hand

<p>You're not a rodent, and testimonials arent worth the paper (or computer) theyre written on. A recent survey showed that up to 40 percent of testimonials and reviews are false, so dont assume that the ones you see are meaningful. </p>

7 Red Flags It's Probably a Nutrition Scam

As a registered dietitian, I've routinely cautioned my clients this: Just because something has <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/g19547019/nutrition-myths-debunked-facebook/" id="130cae2d-05dc-3c51-a510-7bf3f08da6a7">  a lot of hype </a> doesnt mean it's legit.

<p>First, a quick reminder on what each is and does: </p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19530409/ketogenic-ketosis-diet-for-beginners/" id="577dde65-5b9b-32f6-a2ce-7ac0c9db4863">  ketogenic diet </a> limits carbs to around 20 to 50 grams per day, depending on the person. Its high in fat70 to 80 percentand moderate in protein, around 25 percent of calories. The diet has been used to treat epilepsy in children, and has recently seen an astronomical growth trajectory in terms of followers, probably due to the fact that it works well for weight loss. At least, in the short-term.</p>

<p>The research behind keto in adults is mostly short-term, but suggests that maintaining this diet can have a positive impact on weight, triglycerides, and blood glucose. </p>

<p><a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a29192545/intermittent-fasting-beginners-guide/" id="28f236c8-0c82-3e50-aa03-104c22b1ba67">  Intermittent fasting </a> is an eating pattern that involves relatively long periods of fasting, interspersed with windows of feeding. This way of eating has several formats, the most popular being 8/16, which entails a daily 16-hour fast and 8-hour feeding window. IF has mostly small-scale human and animal research behind it, with some of those studies suggesting that its effective for weight loss, reducing cholesterol, and decreasing insulin resistance.</p>

<p>Given the efficacy of both these eating patterns, doing keto and IF together seems like an attractive prospect. There are pros and cons. </p>

<h1> The Pros of Combining Intermittent Fasting and Keto  </h1>

<p>Replacing carbs with fat on a keto diet causes appetite to decrease, possibly due to shifts in appetite-regulating hormones. Once youre fat-adapted on the keto diet and your appetite is lower than normal, youll probably find the fasting portion of IF easier. </p>

<h1> Pro: You might lose weight faster </h1>

<p>The controlled calories from the short feeding window, plus the fact that youre using fat for energy, may mean that you may lose more weight in a shorter period of time. While this can be a benefit for those looking to lose weight, research suggests that weight loss from IF and keto may not be any better in the long term compared to a low-calorie diet.</p>

<p>The ketogenic diet restricts carbs so the body switches to fat for fuel. At the same time, fasting causes the bodys glycogen levels to deplete, so the combination of the two diets together is like a fast-track to <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a21989884/signs-and-symptoms-of-ketosis/" id="a427108e-4701-3be8-adb5-cd3fb20000f0">  ketosis </a> . This can help mitigate the "keto flu," a particularly nasty symptom of the transition into ketosis.</p>

<h1> The Cons of Combining Intermittent Fasting and Keto  </h1>

<h1> Con: Keto doesnt guarantee good health </h1>

<p>Done wrong, keto can still be unhealthy, and IF doesnt change that. Unlike what many people perceive it to be, the ketogenic diet isnt meant to be full of cheese, eggs, and bacon. To help avoid increases in LDL cholesterol, the <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/g26024486/keto-dinner-recipes/" id="acac5baf-ed0b-3b6d-a9c3-3b0273af0e80">  keto diet </a> should be based on mostly unsaturated fats from sources such as avocados, nuts, and olive oils.</p>

<h1> Con: It may affect athletic performance </h1>

<p>While IF may help reduce fat stores while preserving muscle mass, the extremely low carb level of the ketogenic diet has been shown to negatively affect athletic performance. This may not be the case with everyone, but carbohydrates, not fat, are still considered to be the best source of fuel for athletes. </p>

<p>Its a lot of restriction. Most people would consider the ketogenic diet fairly restrictive on its own, with its extremely low carb limits. In fact, because of the level of restriction, most people cant stick to very low carb diets for the long term. Adding a layer of time constraints on top of the keto diet may be too much to handle. And the benefits of these diets are present only during the time that youre on them; they tend to disappear once you go back to your normal eating habits.</p>

<p>Combining keto and IF may be effective for some people, but in this case, more might not be better. The overall level of restriction of doing both diets together may be overwhelming, and because each diet has been shown to be effective on its own, theres no compelling reason to combine them, especially if doing so will impact your ability to maintain this style of eating for the long-term. </p>

Should You Combine Intermittent Fasting and Keto?

Given the popularity of the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting on their own, its no wonder that some people are trying both of these diets together. The two eating patterns share some similarities, so it has us wondering: is it more effective to combine them?

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Abby Langer

Articles written by the author

7 Red Flags It's Probably a Nutrition Scam

Should You Combine Intermittent Fasting and Keto?