Keto Diet: An Introduction

A keto diet is a low carb, high-fat diet. With a keto diet, your body goes into a state of ketosis where it burns stored fats for energy instead of carbs.

A keto diet has been shown to be more effective than traditional diets at helping people lose weight in the long term. One study found that people on a ketogenic diet lost 2x more weight than those on a calorie restricted low-fat diet over 12 months. They also had better mental clarity, less inflammation, and were able to keep the weight off after losing it. Researchers believe this is because a ketogenic diet helps reduce cravings and hunger pangs while stabilising blood sugar levels.

What is it about?

When you eat a lot of carbs, your body produces glucose and insulin. Glucose is the easiest molecule for your body to convert and use as energy so that’s what it uses first. Insulin is produced to process the glucose in your bloodstream by taking it around the body.

On a keto diet, there are not many carbs so glucose isn’t available for energy and insulin levels are low. This means that fat can be used for energy instead of carbs. When fat is used for energy, it’s called ketosis.

In order for your body to enter ketosis, you need to consume very few carbs (no more than 50 grams per day), moderate amounts of protein (about 20% of your daily calories), and the rest of your calories come from fat (about 60%).

The benefits of a keto diet include weight loss, reduced hunger levels, improved mental clarity, and stabilised blood sugar levels. Keto diets also help to reduce inflammation throughout the body and improve heart health by reducing bad cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol levels.

If you are looking to break your weight loss plateau and lose those last stubborn pounds, consider trying the keto diet. It may be just what you need to jumpstart your metabolism and help you finally reach your goal weight. Have you tried the keto diet? What were your results?