Keto Myth Busted: Why You Need More Dietary Fat, Not Less

Many people start a ketogenic diet with the assumption that they should consume less dietary fat if they have more fat to lose. Bad news? This flawed logic is like trying to climb Everest in flip-flops — you might eventually get to the top, but it’ll be a painful, slow struggle.

The truth? Skimping on fat severely hinders your overall success with a low-carb, high-fat diet, especially in the beginning. You’ll feel hungry, moody, and sluggish, suffer intense brain fog, and quit before you can actually experience the incredible results you hoped for.

So, before you banish fat to the nutritional Siberia of your diet, let’s talk about why embracing it makes all the difference.

5 Benefits of Higher Dietary Fat On A Ketogenic Diet

Standard keto diet macros call for 5–10% of your daily calories from carbohydrates, 20–25% from protein, and 70–80% from high-quality fats. Aiming for the higher end of your fat intake goals empowers you to:

1. Quickly Transition To Ketosis & Fat Adaptation 

Nutritional ketosis is the goal when kicking off a keto diet. Your body switches off glucose metabolism and turns on fat-burning for its primary energy source.[*] Getting here takes slashing your daily carb intake to less than 50 grams/day and upping the calories you get from dietary fat.[*]

But here’s the thing: your body needs time to upregulate the metabolic pathways that know how to leverage fat as an energy source. Fat adaption can take at least 2–3 weeks, if not longer.[*] 

Think of it this way: Your body’s been taking the sugar trail for decades, leaving the fat track overgrown and out of use all that time. Dietary fats sweep in like a mower, efficiently clearing and unlocking those metabolic pathways to ignite fat-burning.

Flood your diet with fats, and your body will realize you want to take a new ascent to the summit. It’ll tap into and use your stored fat/adipose tissue to light the way faster.

2. Optimize Weight Loss

Most people start a keto diet to lose weight, and it works.[*] 

However, not noshing enough fat can sabotage this goal because it often means you’re eating too few calories. If you don’t replace the calories you used to get from carbs with fat, your metabolism will switch into self-preservation mode and grind to a halt right at the onset.

On the other hand, higher dietary fat intake:

Elevates your ketone levels. Ketones are an alternative fuel your body makes from fat when it can’t use sugar, powering you up like mini-batteries. More dietary fat means more ketones.[*] And more ketones means you can keep the fat-burning ketosis furnace going all day and night.

Suppresses your appetite. Moderate protein and minimal carbs don’t do squat for satiety compared to fat, which helps you feel fuller for longer. Research shows one ketone, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), may even reduce both the urge to eat and feelings of hunger.[*] This means fewer distracting hunger pangs, mid-afternoon fridge raids, and unbearable cravings.

Conversely, when you skimp on fat on keto, you’ll feel hungry all the time and may even start to (gasp) gain weight.

3. Score Higher Energy Levels

An empty cubicle in the fat department can leave you feeling tired and ready to ditch your new keto diet. But eating more high-quality fats is your ticket to feeling like a mountain lion, not a malnourished kitten.

Ketones are often referred to as “super fuel” because they produce a greater amount of ATP (energy) than glucose.[*] Even better? They enable you to maintain this uber-efficient fuel production even when you’re in a caloric deficit for weight loss.[*]

The longer you’re in ketosis, the more ketones you’ll accumulate. This steady, sustained, high-octane fuel will power your performance, whether you’re mountain biking or dominating business meetings. See ya, afternoon slumps!

4. Raise Your Brain Power

Fat isn’t just about burning blubber; it’s about cognitive function too. Your noggin needs adequate fats for optimal performance. Anything less can lead to brain fog, impaired focus, and abysmal mental stamina.

Keto diets are a win for brain health and mental performance, mainly due to the production of BHB.[*] Ketones cross the blood-brain barrier to provide a more efficient energy source for your neurons (brain cells).[*] This premium brain food can help sharpen your mental edge, enhance your memory and concentration, boost quick thinking, and grant you the clarity of an eagle on the hunt.

5. Prevent or Fight Off the Keto Flu

The keto flu refers to a collection of unpleasant symptoms some people experience when starting a ketogenic diet. It’s not an actual illness, but your body’s “withdrawal” from relying on carbs for energy and its adjustment to using fat (ketones) instead.

Translation? It’s your body throwing a tantrum because it’s used to having readily available glucose (from carbs), and now it has to learn a new way to operate. 

Keto flu symptoms are temporary, lasting a few days to a week, and typically include:

• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Irritability
• Difficulty sleeping

Here’s the thing: no studies say you have to suffer through the keto flu to reach the promised keto land. So, how do you prevent or overcome it ASAP?

You fast-track your fat adaptation with more dietary fats. As we’ve seen, loading up on your new fuel source may combat all those symptoms, so you start keto on the right foot and skyrocket to greatness.

Need High-Quality Fat On Demand? Keto Brick Delivers

The benefits of higher fat on a keto diet are undeniable. That’s why we created Keto Bricks — shelf-stable, gluten-free performance bars with the perfect keto macros (81.5% fat; 12.5% protein; 6% carbs). 

Our healthy fat-dominant bars are built with only the cleanest ingredients, including:

• Grass-fed and pastured whey protein or superior-quality plant protein

• Raw, organic cacao butter (nature’s #1 source of fat-burning stearic acid!)
• Pure MCT oil powder (to boost ketone production)
• Ground flaxseeds (for those essential omega-3s)
• Raw, organic cacao nibs
• Pink Himalayan salt
• Stevia and monk fruit extract (no sugar alcohols!)

Every Keto Brick supports a healthy keto lifestyle and won’t derail your nutritional goals. Plus, one scientific study demonstrated that our Bricks elevate ketone levels and spark greater fat burning.[*]

So, Keto Bricks make sense for anyone looking to:

• Take the guesswork out of macro-tracking
• Add more clean, high-quality, healthy fats to their diet
• Streamline meal prep
• Pack a readily available, sustained energy source for your body and mind when on the go
• Satisfy cravings while in ketosis

Have more time to spare? Though phenomenal on their own, our Keto Brick recipes open a world of possibilities for your taste buds. Use them to make clean keto cookies, muffins, cakes, snacks, and more to treat your inner foodie and delight your inner circle.

Make Fat Your Friend, Not Foe

Powering your keto journey with more of the right fats will supercharge ketosis, unlock sustained energy and mental acuity, and jumpstart your weight loss. You’ll feel ready to conquer any mountain (both literal and metaphorical) and less likely to fall off the keto wagon.

So start experimenting to find what works for you. Track your macros, listen to your body, and adjust your fat intake as needed (erring on the side of more = better). Remember, you’re the captain of this ship, and fat is your trusty first mate.

🚀  If you’ve never tried keto with Keto Bricks, it’s time to experience the difference. We know what it takes to thrive on a ketogenic diet, and we don’t gatekeep. So, which fat-fueled rockets will you ride to victory this time?