Is Keto Bad For You? The Hidden Truth About Dairy, Coconut Oil & Hormone Disruption | Dr. Brad Montagne

Keto has become one of the most popular diets in the world — but is it actually doing what people think it's doing? In this episode of Your Health Reclaimed Podcast, host Dr. Brad Montagne, a functional medicine practitioner and founder of HealthfullyU, takes a hard look at why keto was designed as a short-term metabolic reset, not a permanent lifestyle, and why so many longtime keto dieters share the same warning signs: red, blotchy skin, hormone imbalances in women, and developmental concerns in children raised on the diet.Dr. Brad unpacks the diet's core promoted foods one by one — butter, ghee, avocado oil, "extra virgin" olive oil, high-fat dairy, fatty fish, feedlot meat, and conventional poultry — and explains where the marketing claims fall apart. He covers why most commercial dairy is difficult for the body to fully absorb or tolerate, how the wrong form of calcium in milk may actually pull minerals from your bones rather than supporting them, and how herbicide residue in animal feed (atrazine and glyphosate) can end up concentrated in the fat we eat. He also shares a firsthand story from a functional medicine conference that revealed how MCT oil and coconut oil affected two physicians' systems in real time — and a patient case that connected coconut oil use to symptoms she'd been told were an unrelated bladder condition.Beyond the fats and proteins, Dr. Brad makes the case that keto's restrictive vegetable list leaves people without enough fiber to properly feed their gut microbiome or enough variety to get a full range of antioxidants — two things he ties directly to long-term gut and hormone health. He closes with why beans, legumes, and starchy vegetables, often demonized on keto, may actually be some of the most important foods for regular, healthy digestion.In this episode, you'll learn:Why keto was never meant to be followed long-termThe hidden issues with dairy, coconut oil, and avocado oil on ketoHow feedlot and commodity-fed meat changes the nutritional pictureWhy women and children may be more affected by keto's downsides than menWhat's missing from a "low-carb vegetables only" approachWhy fiber and antioxidant variety matter more than most diets admitAbout the host: Dr. Brad Montagne is a functional medicine practitioner and founder of HealthfullyU, based in Asheville, North Carolina, where he works with clients nationwide through in-person and distance care. After overcoming his own chronic health struggles, he has spent decades helping clients address root causes behind gut dysfunction, hormone imbalance, autoimmunity, and chronic illness.🎥 Watch the full video episode on YouTube — search "Your Health Reclaimed Podcast."Ready to dig into your own health concerns? Visit healthfullyu.com to learn more or book a consultation with Dr. Brad. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook @healthfullyu for more functional health insights every week.This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.