What is keto?

Keto is short for ketogenic, which is a general term for low carb higher fat or protein diets. The basic idea is that you get more calories from protein or fat and less from carbs. You cut back on the very easy to digest carbs like sugary foods, and foods that are high in carbs like many breads.

How it works is very simple. When you eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day, your body eventually runs out of blood sugar for it to quickly use as fuel. Once that happens, your body breaks down stored fats and protein for energy instead. This causes you to lose the weight stored in your body as fat.

This process is called ketosis, which is where the name keto comes from. All diets that cause the body to go through this process are thus ketogenic diets. This includes low carb, paleo, atkins, and more. It a type of diet that is mainly focused on quick, short term weight loss. It can help you lose more weight in the first few months than other diets, because it takes more energy to turn fat to energy than it does to extract that energy from carbs. A high fat high protein diet can also satisfy your hunger for longer as well, leading to less overall eating.

Keto can also help those that have trouble with insulin, like type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Keto diets force you to burn blood sugar very quickly, so your body makes less insulin. It simply doesn’t need as much so it makes less.