What Is Keto Dieting?

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Keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet that helps reduce blood sugar and insulin levels. It can help people lose weight and may offer benefits for some conditions like epilepsy. The keto diet may also improve heart disease risk factors such as triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, though more research is needed.

The diet focuses on eating foods rich in fats, especially healthy unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, avocados) and omega-3 fatty acids. It also includes protein from lean meats, poultry, fish and some dairy products such as yogurt. It limits grains, starchy vegetables and tubers, fruits, added sugars, processed vegetable oils and unhealthy saturated and trans fats. It allows small amounts of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale, as well as peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onions and summer squash.

Some people who follow the keto diet report symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fatigue and nausea, which are known as the keto flu. This may be because the body is adjusting to burning fat instead of carbohydrates. Also, the keto diet can be low in fiber and is high in saturated fat, which could lead to nutrient deficiency, especially if the diet is followed long term.

Another concern is that the keto diet may raise “bad” cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, which could contribute to cardiovascular disease. It’s also unclear how sustainable the keto diet is for the long term. Some studies show that a low-carb diet improves blood glucose control in the short term, but that improvement does not last over a year.