The ketogenic diet, often called "keto," is a unique eating plan designed to shift your body's energy source from carbohydrates to fats. It's a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very low-carbohydrate approach that encourages your body to enter a metabolic state called ketosis.

How Does Keto Work?

• Macronutrient Focus: On a keto diet, about 70-80% of your daily calories come from healthy fats, 15-20% from protein, and only 5-10% from carbohydrates. This typically means consuming less than 20-50 grams of "net carbs" per day, though this can vary for each individual.
• Embracing Ketosis: When carbohydrate intake is significantly reduced, your liver starts breaking down fatty acids into compounds called ketones (like beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, and acetone). These ketones then become your body's primary fuel source, including for your brain, in the absence of sufficient glucose from carbohydrates.

What to Eat and What to Avoid:

• Foods to Enjoy: Focus on healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, nuts, and seeds. You'll also include moderate amounts of protein from sources like meat, fish, and eggs, along with plenty of low-carb vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• Foods to Limit: This diet typically avoids sugars, grains, starchy vegetables, most fruits, and highly processed carbohydrates.

Keto vs. Other Low-Carb Diets: What's the Difference?

While the ketogenic diet is a low-carb eating plan, it's important to understand that not all low-carb diets are ketogenic. The main distinctions lie in how strictly carbohydrates are limited, the specific metabolic goals, and the body's physiological response. Here’s a clear comparison:

• Carbohydrate Restriction:
  • Ketogenic Diet: This diet is extremely low in carbohydrates, usually limiting net carbs to 20-50 grams per day. This strict limit helps minimize insulin spikes and depletes your body's glycogen stores, prompting it to rely on fat for fuel.
  • Other Low-Carb Diets (e.g., Atkins, Paleo, South Beach): These diets often allow for a higher carbohydrate intake, ranging from 50-150 grams per day, depending on the specific plan. While they can help reduce blood sugar and insulin levels, this level of carbohydrate intake often isn't low enough to consistently maintain ketosis.
• Metabolic State:
  • Ketogenic Diet: The core goal of keto is to achieve and maintain a state of ketosis, which can be measured by testing ketone levels in your blood (typically 0.5-3.0 mmol/L), urine, or breath. The aim is to keep your body in this fat-burning state continuously.
  • Other Low-Carb Diets: These diets may or may not induce ketosis, or they might only do so intermittently. For example, the initial "induction phase" of Atkins can mimic keto's carb limits, but later phases introduce more carbs, potentially taking you out of ketosis. Paleo, while focusing on whole foods, allows carb-rich options like sweet potatoes or certain fruits, which can prevent sustained ketosis.
• Fat Intake:
  • Ketogenic Diet: A high intake of fat is crucial on the ketogenic diet. Fat isn't just a filler; it's the primary macronutrient, providing the energy needed for ketone production.
  • Other Low-Carb Diets: These diets often emphasize protein more than fat. Some Atkins or Paleo followers might prioritize lean meats, which can lead to higher protein intake. Too much protein can sometimes convert to glucose in the body (a process called gluconeogenesis), which might interfere with achieving or maintaining ketosis.
• Purpose and Goals:
  • Ketogenic Diet: Originally developed to help manage epilepsy, the ketogenic diet is now being explored for its potential benefits in neurological conditions, metabolic disorders (like type 2 diabetes), and weight management. Its precise structure makes it suitable for applications that require consistent ketosis.
  • Other Low-Carb Diets: These are often designed for broader goals like general weight loss, improving energy levels, or reducing inflammation (as seen in Paleo's focus on ancestral eating). They tend to be more flexible and lifestyle-oriented, with less emphasis on a specific metabolic state.
• Monitoring and Precision:
  • Ketogenic Diet: Many people on a ketogenic diet meticulously track their macronutrients and sometimes measure ketone levels to confirm they are in ketosis. It's often a more data-driven approach.
  • Other Low-Carb Diets: These diets are typically less strict, often focusing on the quality of food (like Paleo's emphasis on whole foods) or gradual reintroduction of carbohydrates (as in Atkins). Monitoring ketone levels is generally not a common practice.

Let's Look at an Example:

• A Keto Meal: Imagine grilled salmon with sliced avocado, sautéed spinach cooked in olive oil, and a small handful of macadamia nuts. This meal is rich in healthy fats and very low in carbohydrates.
• A Non-Keto Low-Carb Meal: Consider grilled chicken breast with a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli. While lower in carbs than a typical meal, the sweet potato adds more carbohydrates than a ketogenic meal would include, and the overall fat content might be lower.

What to Keep in Mind:

• Keto Considerations: Beginning a ketogenic diet often involves an "adaptation phase" (sometimes called the "keto flu"), which can last from one to four weeks. During this time, you might experience temporary fatigue or other symptoms as your body adjusts. Maintaining a good balance of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium) is also important to help prevent side effects. Due to its restrictive nature, the ketogenic diet might not be suitable for everyone.
• Other Low-Carb Considerations: These diets tend to be more flexible and potentially easier to follow in social settings. However, they may not achieve the same significant metabolic shift or offer the specific therapeutic benefits that a consistent state of ketosis can provide.

In summary, the ketogenic diet is a highly specific, fat-focused, and very low-carbohydrate eating plan designed to achieve and maintain ketosis. This sets it apart from other low-carb diets, which are generally less restrictive and don't prioritize this unique metabolic state. If you're thinking about trying the ketogenic diet, it's a great idea to consider your personal goals (whether it's for therapeutic reasons or general health) and consult with a healthcare professional to ensure it's tailored safely and effectively to your needs.

Last Updated: June 5, 2025