how keto diet works

10 min readJun 12, 2024

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat way of eating.1 It shifts your body into ketosis, a state where it burns fat for energy.2 This change can help you lose weight, manage blood sugar, and might improve some health issues.1

On the keto diet, you eat very few carbs and more healthy fats.3 Keeping carb intake between 20 and 50 grams daily helps your body start using fat for fuel.2 It takes your body a few days to get into this fat-burning mode.3 The time it takes can vary based on age, how active you are, and your health.3

When you’re in ketosis, your liver makes ketones for the brain and other organs.3 This helps lower blood sugar and insulin while boosting fat burn.3 The keto diet’s effects are why it’s linked to weight loss, better insulin use, and help with conditions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.3

Key Takeaways

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat way to eat that puts the body in ketosis.
When the body is in ketosis, it burns fat for energy, not carbs, which can help with weight loss and health.
To get into ketosis, one needs to limit carb intake to 20–50 grams daily, which takes about 3–4 days.
The keto diet has benefits for health issues like type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy.
Possible keto diet downsides include the “keto flu,” dehydration, and kidney problems, though these can be lessened with the right approach.

What is the Keto Diet?

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat way of eating. It’s like the Atkins diet and other low-carb plans. You eat very few carbs and more fat instead.3 This change makes your body use fat efficiently for energy.1 It also creates ketones, which your brain uses for energy.

Low-Carb, High-Fat Approach

To start the keto diet, you need to eat 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day. You also focus on eating healthy fats.3 Trying intermittent fasting can speed up the time it takes to get into ketosis.

Entering Ketosis

In ketosis, your body burns fat and ketones for energy. It stops using as much glucose from carbs.1 Being in ketosis can help you lose weight and improve blood sugar control.

How Does the Keto Diet Work?

The keto diet changes how your body gets energy, moving from using carbs to using fat and ketones.1 Normally, you use glucose from carbs for energy. But if you eat very few carbs, your body starts using fat as its main source1. In ketosis, your liver makes ketone bodies to power your brain instead of glucose.1 This shift to using fat for fuel means lower blood sugar, less need for insulin, and more fat burning.1

Shifting Metabolism to Fat Burning

Creating ketone bodies is how the keto diet provides benefits like losing weight and better insulin function, plus it might help with epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease1. By making fat and ketones the main fuel, the diet boosts how much fat you burn and helps you lose weight*1. This change also can make blood sugar and insulin levels steady, which is good for your health1.

Production of Ketone Bodies

When your body is in ketosis, your liver makes ketone bodies for energy instead of glucose, for the brain and organs.1 This metabolic state is useful for some neurological conditions, as ketones are better for the brain than glucose1. Making ketone bodies is a key way the keto diet might help slow down diseases like Alzheimer’s*1.

Keto Diet and Weight Loss

The ketogenic diet is good for losing weight and cutting disease risks. Studies say it’s as good or maybe better than low-fat diets for weight loss.4 It works by making you eat less. This happens because it lowers your hunger hormones. So, you’re not as hungry and find it easier to eat fewer calories without feeling hungry all the time.5 Also, the keto diet trains your body to burn fat for energy more than carbs. This way, you end up burning more of your stored fat, which helps in losing weight, even if you don’t count calories.4

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT CHECK THIS COURSE

Reduced Appetite and Calorie Intake

Research shows the keto diet can lower how much you eat, which is good for losing weight.5 It’s especially helpful because it makes you feel full more quickly than other diets. This means you eat fewer calories throughout the day, making weight loss easier.5

Increased Fat Burning

The keto diet’s power lies in entering a state called ketosis. This state turns your body into a fat-burning machine where it prefers using fat for energy.6 There are many reasons why keto is great for losing weight. This includes less hunger, more calories burned, and a focus on burning fat over muscle.6

Benefits of the Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet is not just for losing weight. It also helps control blood sugar and insulin. This is great for those with type 2 diabetes. It may lower your A1C levels, needing less diabetes medicine.7

Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases

This diet could lower the chance of getting chronic diseases such as heart issues. It does this by improving your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and triglycerides.7

Potential Therapeutic Applications

The keto diet might be a therapy for some brain conditions and certain cancers. It’s early, but its effects on the body are promising for such uses.7

Beyond helping with weight, the keto diet offers a mix of health benefits. It might boost your overall health and well-being in various ways.

SEE THIS HUGE OFFER (75% OFF)

Foods to Eat on the Keto Diet

On the keto diet, you aim to eat foods high in healthy fats and low in carbs. The best choices are:

Meat: red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey
Fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel8
Eggs: pastured or omega-3 whole eggs9
Butter and cream: grass-fed butter and heavy cream9
Cheese: unprocessed cheeses like cheddar, goat, cream, and blue cheese9
Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, etc.9
Healthy oils: olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil9
Avocados and low-carb veggies89

Eating these high-fat, low-carb foods can put you in a state of ketosis. This helps meet your keto diet aims.89

Foods to Avoid on the Keto Diet

To follow a keto diet right, you must cut back on foods high in10 carbs. This means staying away from sugary stuff like sweets and drinks10. Also, you should avoid grains or starches2>, as well as many fruits11.

Sugary Foods and Beverages

Avoid things like soda, juice, and desserts. They are full of10 carbs and can snap you out of ketosis quickly.

Grains and Starches

Forget about wheat products, pasta, and cereal, along with carb-heavy grains like rice10 and potatoes11. They’re just too full of carbs for keto.

Most Fruits

While a few low-carb fruits are okay, most fruits have too many sugars10. Limit or skip them on the keto diet. Avoid fruits like bananas, raisins, and mangoes11.

Don’t eat too many beans, root veggies, and low-fat items10. Skip unhealthy fats and drinking alcohol if you can11. Watching your carb intake closely is vital to staying in ketosis and seeing keto’s benefits.

DON’T MISS YOUR OFFER

Keto Diet and Diabetes

The ketogenic diet is great for those with type 2 diabetes or at risk. Diabetes causes metabolism changes, high blood sugar, and insulin problems. The keto diet boosts insulin sensitivity and cuts blood sugar levels. This means big health improvements.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity

Research shows the keto diet boosts insulin sensitivity by 75%. It also drops hemoglobin A1C levels in type 2 diabetes patients.12 Plus, losing weight and shedding fat on the keto diet means better blood sugar management. This might even lower the need for diabetes drugs.13

Better Blood Sugar Management

If you’re dealing with diabetes or prediabetes, the keto diet can help. It changes how your body’s metabolism works. This leads to better insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control. It’s a big win for people fighting these conditions.12

Potential Side Effects of the Keto Diet

The keto diet offers many health perks but starting it might cause some side effects. The famous “keto flu” can make you feel like you have a headache, are tired, constipated, have a foggy mind, are irritable, and can’t sleep well. These effects happen as your body learns to use fat for energy instead of carbs. It’s also because you may lose too much water and important minerals at first.14

Keto Flu

Feeling under the weather when starting the keto diet is absolutely normal. This happens as your body gets used to running on fats and ketones rather than sugar. You might have to deal with headaches, fatigue, a confused mind, feeling grumpy, and sleep troubles during this time.15

Dehydration and Kidney Issues

One big challenge on the keto diet is getting dehydrated because your body’s water loss increases. Being dehydrated raises the risk of getting kidney stones and having other kidney problems. To avoid these issues, it’s critical to drink enough water and keep your minerals balanced.15

As your body gets used to this new way of eating, these starting side effects usually get better. Still, it’s good to know what you might face and prepare for it. Keep yourself well-watered, balance your minerals, and ease into the keto diet to help your body adjust.

Keto Diet for Cognitive Function

The ketogenic diet isn’t just for losing weight and getting healthy. It’s also good for your brain. This diet might even help with diseases like Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.16 By using ketones as energy, the brain gets a more effective fuel than from glucose.17

Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Using the keto diet might make a difference for those with bad brain injuries, too. It can change our metabolism in ways that help our brain cells heal and stay protected.16 A 2018 study found that MCT oil could boost how much the brain uses ketones. This diet helped people with Alzheimer’s think better after 90 days of using MCT oil.17

Traumatic Brain Injuries

More studies are needed, but the keto diet could be a real help for brain injuries and other brain problems.16 Its effects on our body’s energy usage may be key. This could lead to better recoveries for those with brain injuries.18

Conclusion

The ketogenic diet changes how your body works and can make a big difference in your life. This way of eating cuts down on carbs but boosts fats. Your body then starts to burn fat very well, offering you energy without needing carbs or glucose.7 It’s been proven to help people lose weight. They shed about 2 pounds more than those on low-fat diets in a year7. And after 6 months, those on keto lost 5 pounds more7.

Besides weight loss, the keto diet has other pluses for your health. It helps control blood sugar well7. Plus, it lowers the chances of heart problems by making your cholesterol and triglyceride levels better7. The diet might also help with epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and some cancers7. But there are some downsides too. At first, you might feel unwell (keto flu). In the long run, you could face kidney stones, lack of vitamins, or high liver fat7.

To do keto right, cut back a lot on carbs, sugars, and starches. Instead, eat plenty of fats from meat, fish, eggs, and more. Yes, changing your diet can be tough at first. But many find the health benefits are truly worth it19. The keto diet can be the key to reaching your health goals. Whether that’s losing weight, having a better metabolism, or helping with some health conditions.

SUBMIT YOUR EMAIL AND STAY UPDATED

FAQ

What is the ketogenic diet?

The ketogenic diet is a way of eating that’s low in carbs but high in fats. This change puts your body into ketosis. Here, it starts using fats as its main energy source instead of carbs and glucose.

How does the keto diet work?

By eating low-carb but high-fat meals, the keto diet changes how your body works. It shifts from using carbs to using fats and ketones for energy. This state, known as ketosis, burns more fat and brings health benefits.

What are the benefits of the keto diet?

The keto diet helps with weight loss and better blood sugar levels. It also lowers the chance of certain diseases. Some studies show it might help with epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE

What foods should I eat on the keto diet?

Eat foods rich in healthy fats and poor in carbs. This includes meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, and certain veggies. CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE

What foods should I avoid on the keto diet?

Stay away from sugary items, grains, many fruits, and starchy foods. Beans, root veggies, and bad fats are also on the no-go list. CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE

How can the keto diet benefit people with diabetes?

It makes the body more sensitive to insulin and lower blood sugar levels. This is good news for those with type 2 diabetes or at risk with prediabetes.

What are some potential side effects of the keto diet?

Some may experience the “keto flu,” feel dehydrated, or have more kidney stones. Drinking enough water and keeping electrolytes balanced can help avoid these.

How can the keto diet benefit cognitive function and neurological conditions?

The keto diet might help with Alzheimer’s and dementia by easing symptoms. It’s also promising for better results in people with brain injuries.

STAY IN THE KNOW ABOUT KETO

Sign up for our email list to receive the latest updates on the ketogenic diet, including new research, delicious recipes, and expert tips.