The keto diet works by putting your body into a state called ketosis. Your body naturally enters that metabolic state where it burns down fat and produces ketones for energy. When you don't consume a lot of carbohydrates, your body switches to fat storage in place of the glucose found in carbohydrates, which it would normally use as energy. This is how weight reduction with the keto diet occurs.

This state of ketosis is not reached by your body instantly. Your body runs out of its usual fuel in three to four days, at which point you enter ketosis and begin using fat as energy for daily activities.

The basic principles of eating "keto"

It's normally advised to consume less than 50 grammes of carbohydrates per day in order to put your body into ketosis. This entails avoiding foods heavy in carbohydrates, such as breads, pastas, potatoes, sweets, and the like. Sorry, no alcohol is also involved!

Avoiding foods high in carbohydrates, such as breads, pastas, potatoes, sweets, and the like, is necessary to achieve this. Regrettably, booze is not also included!

What can you eat on the keto diet?

You'll mostly want to eat meals that are high in healthy fats when you're "eating keto" (think unsaturated fats like omega-3s). The list includes items like nuts, seeds, cheese, yoghurt, butter, and avocados. Foods rich in high-quality protein, such as eggs, poultry, fatty fish, and meat from humanely raised animals, are also essential.

Although there are a few various ways to eat keto, the most common one entails dividing your food into portions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates: Generally speaking, the keto diet entails eating a diet that is roughly 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrates.

What does the keto diet look like in practice?

So, how does a day of eating on the keto diet truly look?

• You might eat two eggs and some sautéed greens prepared with butter for breakfast.

• For lunch, you might have a cheeseburger with avocado, mushrooms, and greens (without the bun).

You might serve a pork chop and green beans that have been prepared in coconut oil for dinner.

A handful of almonds, a piece of cheese, or some jerky could be snacks throughout the day.

Although the keto diet is undoubtedly very different from the typical carb-rich diet that many of us are used to eating, it offers some general health advantages, which we'll discuss below.