Let’s talk about something cool called the keto diet. Ever heard your parents or friends say they want to lose weight? Well, the keto diet is one way they might try to do that. It’s like a game for your body where you change how it gets its energy. Instead of using sugar from food like bread, rice, or fruits, your body starts using fat. Sounds interesting, right?
Here’s how it works: Normally, our bodies use something called glucose (it’s like sugar) for energy. But if you stop eating foods with lots of carbs—like pizza, cakes, or bananas—your body runs out of glucose. That’s when it says, “Okay, I’ll use fat instead!” Your liver helps by turning fat into special energy molecules called ketones. This process is called “ketosis.” Cool name, huh?
To make this happen, most people eat very few carbs—like only 20 to 50 grams a day. To give you an idea, one banana has about 27 grams of carbs! Some people may need to eat even fewer carbs to make enough ketones. It usually takes 2 to 4 days of eating this way for the body to start using fat as fuel.
There are also different versions of the keto diet, like the Atkins or South Beach diets. But a true keto diet means most of your food comes from fats, like avocado, olive oil, and nuts. Imagine getting up to 90% of your daily energy from fat! That’s a lot of guacamole and peanut butter.
In the short term, the keto diet might help people lose weight quickly. But it’s not easy to keep eating like this forever. Experts say it’s better to switch to a balanced diet like the Mediterranean diet after a few weeks and exercise more to stay healthy in the long run. So, now you know! The keto diet is like a science experiment for your body, and it works by using fat instead of sugar for energy.
