The ketogenic diet, commonly referred to as keto, is a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat. “Paleo, South Beach, and Atkins diets all fit into that category,” according to Harvard Health Publishing.
The keto diet has been used to help children reduce how many epileptic seizures they have, and the diet has also been used for weight loss, per Harvard Health Publishing.
Here’s a closer look at what the diet is, what foods you can and cannot eat on keto, and some keto recipes.
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What is the keto diet?
The keto diet is a way of eating that is low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and high in fats. The goal of the keto diet is to get into a state called ketosis, which is “a metabolic adaptation to allow the body to survive in a period of famine,” per University of Chicago Medicine.
“To achieve ketosis, the diet requires you eat 75% of your calories from fat, compared to 20%-35% normally,” according to University of Chicago Medicine.
As your body is in ketosis, you use fat for energy as opposed to glucose (blood sugar), per the Cleveland Clinic. “When your carb intake is very low, these glucose stores drain down. Since your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn for energy, it burns fat instead.”
What are the basic rules for keto?
The basic rules of keto are eating few carbohydrates and emphasizing fat with a moderate intake of protein.
In order to be in a state of ketosis, you will likely have to track the amount of carbohydrates you eat by weighing out your food. While there is not a standard range of carbohydrates people eat to achieve ketosis, a range to consider is 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates, according to Harvard School of Public Health.
“Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 165 grams fat, 40 grams carbohydrate, and 75 grams protein,” per Harvard School of Public Health.
To know whether or not you are in ketosis, you can test for ketones at home. The amount of carbohydrates a person can eat per day and still be in ketosis will differ from person to person. Check with your…