How Does the Keto Diet Work? The Basics Explained

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In the past few years, the keto diet has been the new buzzword in town for many healthy eaters. This has led to the diet increasing in popularity as more and more people want to know what it is. There is a high chance you have heard about this diet from colleagues at work, friends or read about it somewhere online.  

This may leave you wondering, “How does the keto diet work?” If you’re looking for more information about the keto diet, you’re at the right place. This article will explain more about the keto diet, what it is, how it works, and what to eat.

Keto Diet for Beginners: What Is It?

The Keto diet, also known as Ketogenic, is a high-fat and low-carb diet that can offer individuals numerous health benefits. The primary purpose of the diet is to help individuals lose weight by burning fat.

When adopting the keto diet, the main goal is to incorporate high-fat foods, take moderate proteins and little carbohydrates in your food. The standard ratio in the keto diet includes 70%-80% fat, around 10%-20% proteins, and 10%-5% carbohydrates.

What Can You Eat on a Keto Diet?

If you’re looking to incorporate a keto diet into your regular diet, the first step is taking as few carbs as possible. Unfortunately, carbohydrates are found in many foods and grains in the world. According to studies, a high-fat and low-carb diet such as Keto can be effective for people with epilepsy and diabetes and aid in weight loss.

When incorporating a Keto diet into your food, certain foods are acceptable to eat. These include:

  • Seafood such as salmon, shrimp, and crabs
  • Low-carbohydrate vegetables like green beans, kale, lettuce, olives, cucumber, and cabbage
  • Cheese
  • Olive oil
  • Poultry and meat
  • Berries
  • Unsweetened tea and coffee
  • Eggs
  •  Nuts and seeds
  • Coconut oil
  • Cottage cheese and plain Greek yogurt

Adopting the above foods can help you manage your blood sugar and achieve your weight loss goals. It can also offer you other health benefits, such as keeping your body generally healthy. The good news is, you don’t have to give up taste for healthy eating.

Fortunately, the ketogenic diet includes a wide variety of versatile, tasty, and nutritious foods that are instrumental in helping you stay within your daily carbohydrates limit. You can easily reap the benefits of a keto diet by regularly consuming keto-friendly foods, as listed above.

Additionally, you can also incorporate keto bars into your diet. You can purchase these bars and consume them on the go for breakfast or as snacks during the day. Check out this site for more on keto bars.

Keto Diet Explained: How Does the Keto Diet Work?

You can incorporate a keto diet into your daily diet indefinitely or do it for a short period of time to help you lose weight. You can also opt to do a short-term cycle of keto diet then back to your regular diet in cycles.

The goal of a keto diet is to allow your body to enter a ketosis stage. This is when the body is burning more fats and ketone bodies instead of glucose for energy.

The typical American diet is full of carbohydrates, barely any fats, and packed with some proteins. Most countries have also adopted this type of diet. When you eat a high-carb meal, your body will convert these carbs into glucose for energy and fuel.

Then, insulin in your body moves the resulting glucose into your cells. When there are too many carbs in your body, glucose acts as the primary fuel source and energy to keep the body going. On the other hand, when there are no carbohydrates, the body reaches out to other alternative energy sources such as fats.

The liver will take the fatty acids stored in the body and converts them to ketone bodies. These ketone bodies provide you with the energy you need to function. The process of burning down fat is called ketosis, and it’s the primary objective of adopting a keto diet.

When the body breaks down fatty acids, there are three types of ketones created. These ketones include:

  •  Acetoacetate (AcAc) is created during the initial ketosis process
  •  Acetone which is spontaneously produced as an acetoacetate byproduct
  • Beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) which is made from acetoacetate

Keeping your carbohydrate intake low will help you reap many health benefits for your body and even aid in weight loss. It’s also a great way to reduce your blood sugar level and stay healthy

Benefits of the Keto Diet

Is the keto diet good for your body? There are numerous health benefits associated with the keto diet, whether your eating plan is cyclical or standard keto diet. These benefits include:

  • keto diet aids weight loss
  • It regulates blood sugar
  • It improves acne
  • It improves heart health and general body health
  • It can protect brain function
  • It strengthens nerve cells in the brain
  • It reduces individual’s risks of developing certain cancers
  • Improves PCOS symptoms
  • It can potentially reduce seizures

A keto diet includes incorporating foods with healthy fats and enough protein into your meal plans. When you ingest minimal carbohydrates, the main goal is to get your body’s caloric intake from healthy fats instead of carbohydrates.

The Keto diet works by draining the body’s sugar reserves. This results in the body breaking down the fats stored in the body and the ones you take for energy to fuel the body. When the body starts burning fats, you may experience weight loss and all other health benefits listed above.

Are You Ready To Start Your Keto Diet?

The Keto diet has become quite popular in the past few years. Thanks to its rise in popularity, most people have incorporated it into their diets. But how does the keto diet work?

Understanding the keto diet and how it works to keep your body healthy is essential if you want to start on this meal plan. Not only does the keto diet keep you healthy, but it also aids in weight loss and a reduced risk of contracting certain diseases.

Did you enjoy this article? Read other posts on our website for more healthy living tips.

About Author

LaDonna Dennis

LaDonna Dennis is the founder and creator of Mom Blog Society. She wears many hats. She is a Homemaker*Blogger*Crafter*Reader*Pinner*Friend*Animal Lover* Former writer of Frost Illustrated and, Cancer...SURVIVOR! LaDonna is happily married to the love of her life, the mother of 3 grown children and "Grams" to 3 grandchildren. She adores animals and has four furbabies: Makia ( a German Shepherd, whose mission in life is to be her attached to her hip) and Hachie, (an OCD Alaskan Malamute, and Akia (An Alaskan Malamute) who is just sweet as can be. And Sassy, a four-month-old German Shepherd who has quickly stolen her heart and become the most precious fur baby of all times. Aside from the humans in her life, LaDonna's fur babies are her world.

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Kevin Elliotts
2 years ago

OMG! Such great full fashion tips this very helpful and informative blog thanks for sharing…

KiraSmith
KiraSmith
2 years ago

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Sarah Smith
2 years ago

Keto diet sure is amazing for your health and everyone should try it.