A keto diet is a “mistake” that causes people to miss out on eating healthy, nutritious foods, according to one well-known New York dietitian.
Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, MSc, serves as director of immune cartography at Montefiore Health System and professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In an interview with Plant Based News, he explained why he urges most patients not to follow the high-fat, low-carb diet.
“As a cardiologist, I believe that a keto diet is a mistake,” he said. “The keto diet, I believe, is based on misinformation. ”
According to Ostfeld, individuals who follow a keto diet miss eating whole grains, fruits, beans and other foods associated with major health benefits. Unless the patient has a specific condition – salvage epilepsy, for example – he said patients should avoid the keto diet altogether. It may be a helpful tool for short-term weight loss, he said, but “cocaine is too.”