A viral keto recipe has come under fire recently for including ingredient quantities that doctors warn are unhealthy and dangerous. The viral dish “Keto Bake,” popularized on Chef Kyle Nesbitt’s blog Keto King, features just two ingredients: cheese and cooking spray.
The viral recipe calls for a generously-sprayed waffle iron, then whatever block of cheese is lying around in the fridge. According to Nesbitt, eating the dish hot will yield the best flavor, mouthfeel, and excruciating burning sensation in your chest.
Accompanying pictures on the site show Nesbitt grinning next to a small waffle iron oozing with cheese. In subsequent photos, Nesbitt is shown with his hands over his heart, illustrating the pain he is experiencing.
“It’s massively unhealthy,” said Dr. Matt Smith, lead nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic. “Just because a recipe is branded as ‘keto’ doesn’t mean that you aren’t still just eating a melted plate of cheese and oil.”
Smith says that due to the article’s popularity, local urgent care clinics have seen a 37% spike in heartburn-related visits. Nearly every recent heartburn patient, however, has reported that their visit was worth it for the keto bake.
“The keto bake is one of the best online recipes I’ve ever tried,” said patient Marcus Blackman, about a dish that kept him up all night with pains so bad he swore he’d never eat cheese again. “I’m excited to try it again.”
At press time, Nesbitt offered only cooking advice: “if you’re not getting heartburn, you’re eating a different recipe.”