When you hear people talk Keto, you’ll hear words like “macros” or “ketones” and probably wonder what they’re talking about. While the keto diet does have some unique language, it is actually pretty simple to understand and follow.
It so easy, in fact, that once you are done with this short article, not only will you know what the Keto diet is, you’ll be close to an expert on it.
What Is the Keto Diet?
The Keto or ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate and high-fat diet.
Food is made up of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. These three things are called “macronutrients” or “macros.” The keto diet is described by “macro ratios” or how much of each type of food you can eat.
There are several varieties of the keto diet, each with different macro ratios.
- Standard Keto Diet: This diet is the best choice for most people. You eat a diet consisting of 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.
- High Protein Keto Diet: Another popular variation of the keto diet has a slightly higher protein level. Your macro ratios are 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.
There are more complicated versions of the keto diet too, but they are not recommended for the average person. They are as follows:
- Therapeutic Keto Diet: A much stricter form of the keto diet followed for medical reasons. Here your target is 90% fat, 6% protein, and 4% carbohydrates.
- Timed Keto Diet (TKD) and Cyclical Keto Diet (CKD): These two variations of the keto diet are popular with athletes and bodybuilders. Here you eat a standard keto diet most of the time, but you eat higher carbohydrates at certain times. These diets are more complicated and require careful timing of carbs.
I do recommend that you talk to your doctor before starting on Keto. This is especially important if you are on diabetes medicines as the keto diet can dramatically lower blood sugars.
How Does the Keto Diet Work?
Your body has two sources of fuel – sugars and fats. It makes sugar from carbohydrates and to a small extent, from protein. This is why protein is limited in some forms of the keto diet.
Your body will almost always use sugar first as an energy source. Once the sugar runs out, your body starts to use fat. As your body uses fat, chemicals called ketone bodies are produced- this is where “keto” gets its name.
When you are on the keto diet, you are forcing your body to use fat rather than sugar. This is the reason why it is so effective for weight loss.
The keto diet has many advantages:
- You will experience more even energy throughout the day.
- You will be less hungry after you switch to a high-fat diet.
- You will find it easier to lose weight since you are less hungry.
Don’t give up if you don’t feel amazing at the beginning. The keto diet takes about two weeks to become fully adapted to fat burning. Once you get through that initial period, you will be well on your way.