Dirty (Lazy) Keto Diet vs. Clean Keto Diet: Everything You Need to Know

Some of you may have come across a term called dirty keto diet in your research. In short, a dirty keto diet still follows the core principles of maintaining low carbs and high fat but the foods consumed to achieve this don’t necessarily have to be nutritious. Clean keto diets, on the other hand, rely on nutrient-dense foods to achieve the same goals of reaching ketosis.

One of the key differences between a dirty keto diet and a clean keto diet is the consumption of processed foods. Those who don’t have a lot of time for food preparations may feel a dirty keto diet is more appropriate for them because it will allow them to include highly-processed and packaged meals into their diet. The advantage here is saving time but this potentially comes at the expense of not eating important micronutrients.

As a result of eating more processed foods, those who follow a dirty keto diet may find themselves consuming more sodium. This obviously isn’t good for the long-term because high sodium intake could have long-term health consequences like developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

In terms of weight loss progress, those who follow a dirty or lazy keto diet aren’t necessarily going to make slower progress than those on a clean keto diet because there are so many different aspects involved when it comes to losing weight. Theoretically, it would make sense for people on a dirty keto diet to lose weight more slowly because they will have less control over what they consume but this may end up not making too much of a difference if the individual gets in plenty of exercise.

To summarize, there are specific benefits to following a dirty keto diet but it’s not something you should rely on for the long-term. If time is an issue for you then you could always try to do a mix of both dirty and clean. You can follow a clean keto diet during the weekend and any work day throughout the week when you have some more breathing room.