The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat way of eating. Some would say that the high fat content consumed in this diet is bad for you, but many folks have been very successful on their weight loss journey on the Keto Diet.
The idea is that by drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake, your body goes into a metabolic state called ketosis. When your body enters into ketosis, it becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy instead of carbs.
There are other health benefits as well…by turning fat into ketones in the liver, your body also supplies energy for the brain. Eating keto has also been known to significantly reduce blood sugar and insulin levels.
The ketogenic diet has several different versions, but the “standard” keto diet usually uses the macros of 10% carbs, 20% protein and 70% fat. It isn’t the typical Low Carb diet that allows you to eat protein as much as you would like. It’s important to keep your protein consumption at a moderate level. Protein can be converted into glucose if you have too much and it might slow the ketosis transition.
It’s also important to choose healthy fats – healthy oils (olive, avocado, coconut for instance), eggs, salmon, nuts and nut butters, avocados and olives to name a few.
You will find yourself reading labels ALL THE TIME. And you should! Most people who are doing keto count “net carbs,” which is the amount of carbohydrates minus the fiber. So, for instance, if you see a label that reads 18 carbs per serving, but it has 15 grams of fiber, the net carbs would only be 3.
Best of luck on your keto journey!
Partial Source: healthline.com