Below are the best Keto documentaries I’ve found.
If you’re a newbie to Keto (short for “Ketogenic”), a quick primer on Keto:
Keto says adios to carbs, limits you to 50 grams. Fats fill the void, clocking in at 70-80% of calories. Proteins get 10-20% and carbs a measly 5-10%; backslide to bagels.
You might pay the price in headaches, sluggishness. But you get to ride steady with bacon and butter as one approach to weight loss.
As always, consult your doctor. Captain Obvious. I know.
Here are the top Keto docs I’ve found (ranked):
1) Fat Fiction
A key part of Keto is our assumption about fat.
“Fat Fiction” makes you think twice about fat.
It turns out that eating fat, the doc says, isn’t actually what makes us fat!
Keto is all about eating more fats but cutting way back on carbs.
This switch is supposed to help your body burn fat for energy instead of carbs, which can lead to weight loss for some people.
“Fat Fiction” suggests that this kind of diet might be a better way to stay healthy, instead of the low-fat diets we’ve heard about for years.
One thing I really liked about “Fat Fiction” is how it makes complicated stuff easy to get.
They talk to a bunch of experts and doctors who explain things in a way that’s not too hard to follow. They use real-life examples, too, which helps make the ideas stick in your head.
But remember, while “Fat Fiction” brings up some really cool points, it’s always good to think about different sides of a story.
The doc is super into the keto diet, but not everyone agrees that’s the best way to eat.
It’s a reminder that when it comes to health and diet, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
Overall, “Fat Fiction” is a must-watch if you’re curious a cornerstone of Keto (eat more fat).
Watch “Fat Fiction” for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUADs-CK7vI
2) The Magic Pill
Step right up folks and watch the magic trick of making carbs disappear!
This doc stars Rob Tilney who says hasta la vista to bagels and pasta so she can achieve a “life-changing transformation”—keto-code speak for more bacon, less bread.
The doc
follows regular folks who swap out pizza for pork rinds, milkshakes for meat sticks—and voila! The weight melts faster than gelato on a hot summer sidewalk. Now that’s magic.
Of course, Magic Pill isn’t subtle about preaching the keto gospel—no siren songs here, it’s a full-on bullhorn.
The film pitches that the ketosis cure-all of munching mostly fat and protein can fix everything from obesity and diabetes to cancer and Alzheimer’s.
No more mystery why keto’s all the rage!
But even so, prepare to live in chia seeds and chia seeds alone if you want to copy Rob and friends. Hope you like avocados!
This pill looks to have some magic mojo judging by all the success stories.
But don’t freak if your willpower waves the white flag against French fries now and then.
Just remember Rob when cravings come knocking: step away from the croissants, lady! No baguettes allowed in magic pill land!
Watch “The Magic Pill” for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6duhSjYyj0k
3) Fat: A Documentary
Saddle up folks, ’cause director Peter Parry is taking us on a tasty 95-minute ride exploring one big kahuna question: Is fat really the artery-clogging killer it’s been made out to be?
This 2019 doc serves viewers some food for thought from doctors, authors and other talking heads on whether we got faked out when fat got cast as the bad guy way back when.
Turns out Ancel Keys — remember that name — mighta fibbed a little when he said eating fat was like pouring hot grease down your pipes.
Uh oh!
Even a peewee football team knows correlation doesn’t equal causation.
But somehow Keys’ half-baked study still became the hot dish for policy makers looking to solve heart attacks in the 1950s.
Oops?
Now Parry trots out some new evidence in this 95-minute flick that Keys coulda had it bass ackwards.
Eating fat might give you a free pass from feeling like a beached whale!
But if you still wanna look like Jabba the Hutt, keep pounding ’em pretzels, pizza and pops!
This doc will have even sweet tooths second-guessing Skittles.
The slim-down stories might turn some heads onto this high-fat way of eating.
But good luck keeping your paws off fries forever!
Either way, “Fat: A Documentary” brings some extra bite to this tasty debate.
Those who like food docs best check it out and decide for yourself who’s really been buttering your bread.
Watch “Fat: A Documentary” for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVJM_0XEiBI
4) Fat Head
In the world of food documentaries, “Fat Head” is the class clown sitting at the back of the room, lobbing spitballs at the more serious-minded films.
Directed by Tom Naughton and released in 2009, this 104-minute film is like a stand-up routine disguised as a documentary.
If you’re looking for a scholarly, solemn dissection of dietary guidelines, look elsewhere.
But if you’re up for a bit of fun, mixed with surprising insights, “Fat Head” is your ticket.
Naughton, the star and witty provocateur, dives fork-first into the world of diet and health.
He’s responding to Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me,” but with a twist.
Instead of ballooning on a fast-food diet, Naughton sheds pounds.
How? By flipping the script on conventional diet wisdom and going low-carb, a nod to the burgeoning Keto movement.
Throughout the film, “Fat Head” makes sly references to ketogenic principles. You know, the whole spiel about how reducing carbs can lead to weight loss and improved health markers.
Naughton doesn’t just talk the talk; he walks the walk—or should I say, eats the eats? He slashes his carb intake, keeps the fat, and watches the scale numbers go down.
It’s like a magic trick, except the magic is just good ol’ science and a touch of dietary defiance.
Naughton’s approach is less about the deep dive and more about skimming the surface with style.
He’s not just questioning the high-carb, low-fat dogma; he’s turning it into a punchline.
His take on the lipid hypothesis (the idea that saturated fat is the dietary villain) is less a lecture and more a comedy routine that makes you think, “Hey, maybe there’s something to this Keto thing.”
Naughton is like that uncle who always has a controversial opinion at family gatherings, except this time, his opinion might have some merit.
“Fat Head” is entertaining, somewhat educational, and a bit of a rebel in the diet documentary genre.
If you’re interested in Keto, or just want a good laugh with a side of food for thought, give it a watch.
Watch “Fat Head” on YouTube for free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evcNPfZlrZs
5) Do you have to eat a Ketogenic diet all of the time to get its benefits?
Step right up folks, it’s time for a 64-minute deep dive into keto land with the godfather himself, Mark Sisson.
This silver-haired stallion has been sprinting down the low-carb trail for decades—and he ain’t slowing his roll yet!
Dr. Mark “More Supplements Than GNC” Hyman lassos Mark onto his “Farmacy” podcast to chat burning fat, starving cancer and going sugar-free
Seems Mark found the fountain-of-youth via food—the 66-year-old looks fresher than a farmer’s market!
This anti-aging avenger dishes on becoming a “fat-burning beast,” busting cravings, the benefits of taking a break from constant feasting, and hacking hunger by harnessing those powerful ketones.
BothMarks dive deep into the biology—maybe too nerdy for some!
But fitness freaks will eat up chatter about metabolic flexibility, exhaustion from excess carbs, the transition to fat adaptation, and why Mark’s brain prefers ketones over glucose.
Good luck avoiding glazed eyes! The duo covers lots of terrain from cholesterol and Statins to exercise and even Mark’s tricks for a good night’s rest.
For those feeling frisky, Mark also shares his formula for making occasional cheats like pie and pasta side dishes instead of main courses!
Overall, this low-carb convo offers lots of food for thought—even if the science stretches longer than a Post Malone song.
Mark definitely brings the passion while unpacking his primal blueprint for better living. And the plant-loving Hyman makes for a fine dance partner!
So for those feeling beaten down by Big Food’s bland brand of help, pull up a barstool with the Marks to get educated.
Just don’t blame me if your pantry gets a keto makeover!
Watch it for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt1uUaok7SI
6) The Ketogenic Diet for Treating Epilepsy: What You Need to Know
This pops knew his boy Charlie was suffering—seizing all day long from epilepsy at just 16 months old.
Six doctors offered only drugs, surgery, and shrugs while this California kiddo jerked about.
But a desperate library dig unearthed old research on some “ketogenic diet” where you ditch the carbs and take a buttered coffee break.
So desperate dad Jim hauled the fam to Baltimore to beg the best epilepsy diet guru to work his voodoo.
And voila–young Charlie’s lightning bolts stopped cracking two days into the fatty feast!
One month of fat later, the kid kicked all meds, seized no more, and even became a school teacher!
So why—after 29 zillion success stories of ketogenic diets squashing seizures like bugs—are 29.9 million shaky earthlings still riding the struggle bus, scratching their noodles about whether to ask their docs for the Peter Pan meal plan?
Ding dang carb-pushing, pill-pushing interests mucking things up, that’s why! But pops Jim did what all parents should do—read bold, think bold, try bold. And he whipped epilepsy without a magic pill.
Now Charlie’s eating birthday cake and Jim’s signed up to grant all quaking kids that chance!
Watch “The Ketogenic Diet for Treating Epilepsy” for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C4ukzaTLv4
7) Keto Diet: Montel Williams Show
Here’s a summary of what Montel and guests covered:
- Health Benefits of Keto for Chronic Illnesses: Shifting to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can be beneficial for health. Traditional diets are high in processed foods and carbohydrates and have contributed to a rise in chronic diseases.
- Keto for Energy and Well-being: Blubber (high in fat) was used by Inuits (aka “Eskimos”) for energy, a parallel to the ketogenic diet. A diet rich in fats, similar to the keto diet, can provide sustained energy and support overall well-being.
- Keto and Weight Management: The ketogenic diet, high-fat and low-carb, can help manage weight. It’s an effective approach to obseity.
- Keto for Reducing Inflammation: A ketogenic diet helps reduce inflammation. This is especially useful to know as modern diets high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3s contribute to inflammation.
Watch it for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Febc7zg0RXo&list=PLKTXM_iTSKXXtvy9IRX23rQ-8FXkyRgEE&index=7
8) Fat: A Documentary 2
“Fat: A Documentary 2” is the 2021 sequel to “Fat: A Documentary” reviewed above.
Directed by Vinnie Tortorich, it clocks in at just over an hour and twenty minutes
Right out of the gate, the doc tackles the meaty issue of plant-based alternatives, like The Impossible Burger and Coconut oil’s rollercoaster reputation.
The true star of the show is the ketogenic diet, presented not as a mere fad but as a scientifically backed regime.
They differentiate between ketosis, a natural metabolic state, and ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition often confused with the former.
Nutritional ketosis, a state achieved through the keto diet, is portrayed as a potential game-changer for weight loss and health.
The doc doesn’t just sing praises of the diet; it presents it as a viable, scientifically supported option for those struggling with obesity and diabetes, challenging the conventional low-fat, high-carb dietary dogma.
However, it’s not all about keto.
The doc covers the vegan diet, providing a balanced view of its benefits and pitfalls.
Watch it for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u8jzKkMA98
9) Keto Diet and Diet Comparisons: Mayo Clinic
In “Keto Diet and Diet Comparisons: Mayo Clinic,” (aired on Feb. 16, 2019) we find ourselves immersed in the world of carbs, fats, proteins, and the enigmatic ketogenic diet.
It’s a discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Cozzine, Tracy McRae and Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky.
The video delves into the history of the Keto diet, initially used to control seizures in children, and its evolution into a popular weight loss method.
Zeratsky, with her 19 years of experience, elegantly breaks down the Keto diet.
She differentiates between the medical ketogenic diet and the modern, modified Atkins-like version that’s all the rage.
The dialogue takes a turn into the scientific hinterlands of ketosis, which, as Zeratsky explains, is the body’s Plan B for energy production.
It’s like your body deciding to use a backup generator when the main power grid fails.
This analogy is perfect for those of us who’ve experienced the ‘low battery’ mode of our smartphones and desperately switched to power-saving mode.
As the video wraps up, the discussion expands to other diets like the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
At 20 minutes, it’s a bite-sized morsel in the world of food documentaries.
But like any good appetizer, it leaves you hungry for more information and perhaps a little more wary of that second slice of pizza.
Watch Keto Diet and Diet Implications for free on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUExZ9FNUCk
10) Dr Eric Westman Duke University Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss and Brain Performance
This 38-minute video from 2017 is a class taught by Dr. Eric Westman, the Duke University professor and obesity medicine expert.
He co-founded Duke Keto Medicine Clinic and authored low-carb diet books.
Westman gives a nifty eat-list of proteins and greenery for folks to follow.
And he makes it clear: If it ain’t on the menu, walk right past it! So avoid them apples and orange juice till the candy cravings surrender!
Alcohol? The doctor allows low-carb alcohol in moderation for those pining for pinot.
And yes to artificially-sweet ketchup!
Now this Duke dude may allow up to 4 ounces daily of full-fat cheese and two tbsp cream—but don’t let him catch you housing crullers or croutons!
And you can snarf two fistfuls of leafy greens plus non-starchy veggies like zucchini.
Just leave them taters on the table unless you wanna get shamed back to the cabbage soup days!
But one tasty treat no one’s banning: have yourself a downhome plate of deviled eggs!
Watch it for free on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNZsfluh0Uo
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac of Daily Doc