What is a Keto Diet?
If you have been anywhere near the internet in the last year, you have likely heard of the ketogenic diet, or keto for short. But what exactly is this style of eating? Essentially, keto involves eating a very low-carb, high-fat diet. “It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.”
Many people have been turning to this diet for weight loss because it often does not require counting and tracking calories but participants in this style find it to be more filling than other diets. “One study found that people on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a calorie-restricted low-fat diet…There are several reasons why a ketogenic diet is superior to a low-fat diet, including the increased protein intake, which provides numerous benefits. The increased ketones, lower blood sugar levels, and improved insulin sensitivity may also play a key role.”[1] This is due to something called “ketosis.” “After about two to seven days of following the keto diet, you go into something called ketosis, or the state your body enters when it doesn't have enough carbs for your cells to use for energy. That's when you start making ketones, or organic compounds that your bod then uses in place of those missing carbs. At this point, your body also starts burning fat for more energy…When you eat carbs, your body retains fluid in order to store carbs for energy (you know, in case it needs it). But when you’re not having much in the carb department, you lose this water weight. Also, it's easy to go overboard on carbohydrates—but if you're loading up on fat, it may help curb cravings since it keeps you satisfied. That, plus the fact that ketosis encourages your body to burn fat, means you can end up with pretty dramatic weight loss.”[2]
Of course, before starting any major dietary or exercise change, you should talk to your physician to make sure this is a healthy choice for you, so talk to your doc if you think keto sounds neat-o!