Why keto treats stall your progress, according to Dr. Berry

Dr. Ken Berry opened a keto conference talk by reframing a few ideas. Fire is a tool that serves you when used properly and burns down the house when misused. OxyContin is an excellent tool for the first few days after hip replacement or back surgery, yet it caused huge problems when misused. His point: keto treats are the same kind of tool.

Keto treats are a tool, not a lifestyle

When you first transition away from a high-carb diet, keto pies, cookies and fat bombs can play a meaningful role. Berry says they saved him when he started around 2017. But in 2026 he cannot pretend they are still useful for people who have been on keto for a long time. He includes himself: he admits he is a sugar addict, and that when he got a goodie bag at the event he was ready to either throw it out or eat half of it.

For some people, the sweet taste alone brings enough endorphins and oxytocin to give the same hit from keto pancakes as from a trip to Waffle House. If every meal ends with a keto dessert or every coffee needs a sweetener, that may be your problem.

What counts as keto

Carbohydrate count is the usual definition. Berry goes further. For a food to be keto, he says, it must be a single-ingredient whole food that either grew in the dirt or grazed on what grew in the dirt. More than five, six or seven ingredients, and it is not keto.

Many companies started with the best intentions, much like Dr. Kellogg believed cornflakes would improve world health. But starting keto is different from doing and staying keto. Berry says each time he regained 10 or 20 pounds it came from what he now calls keto marketing. The real keto foods in the supermarket are the ones that do not say keto on the front.

If you have hit your goals, keep going. If keto helped but you are not where you want to be, treats are probably your number one culprit.

Questions from the audience

Do you trust large food brands?

Berry cited a peer-reviewed study that questioned the purity of some popular avocado oil products. He says he contacted the brands, and one never replied. His broader view: when production scales up, a contract kitchen can alter a recipe to save two cents, and real keto and carnivore foods cannot scale and stay fresh after months on a ship and a shelf. He distrusts any company over a billion dollars in annual sales.

Do I need collagen or lysine supplements?

No, he says. Meat is rich in lysine. For collagen, eat the gristly parts of the steak, fish skin, the membrane inside an egg and the membrane on ribs. He also criticized the supplement fatty15: a tablespoon of butter has more C15 for about 7 cents.

Does keto change as I age?

Yes. Younger people can get away with dirtier keto, but metabolism slows and insulin resistance can grow. Many people may need to move from 50 total grams of carbs to 30, 20 or even 10, with more fat and a little more protein. After 10 years Berry says he must eat strict carnivore nearly every day.

What about B vitamins and MTHFR?

The MTHFR mutation matters little for meat eaters. Vegetarians should choose a methylated B complex, not only B12. Pork is the best source of B1, so eat a pork chop or a few slices of bacon.

Which brands are safe?

Berry points to corporate fiduciary duty. Executives can be sued for failing to maximize profit, which he links to the Ford and Dodge brothers case. He highlights label tricks: Morton salt contains sugar, and Splenda contains dextrose but is labeled zero calorie because of the rounding rule for under 5 calories. His advice is to buy from local farmers, and to split a quarter or eighth of a beef with friends.

Is stevia insulin neutral?

Store stevia is processed. Berry refers to the cephalic phase insulin response, in which even tasting saccharine or smelling bread can raise insulin. An occasional treat may be fine, but if you must have something sweet after every meal and your last 40 pounds will not move, rethink it.

Cooking and pets

Berry notes he is not a veterinarian but a trained biologist, and that mammals share basic physiology. For sous vide, use silicone bags or glass jars instead of plastic. He also argues that cats are obligate carnivores, dogs should eat mostly meat, and kibble drives obesity and diabetes in pets.

Conclusion

Berry's closing message: you are a mammal. A cow eats grass, a wolf eats meat, and a human should eat meat. Eat real food, play in the sun, love your family and live well. His standing rule is to do the best you can with what you have.