The ketogenic diet is a low-carb diet that puts your body into a metabolic process called ketosis.

When most of us hear the word “diet,” we think of measuring every gram, counting every calorie and having to eat flavorless meals while avoiding our favorite foods. But more often than not, this approach isn’t just unsustainable. It’s also unhealthy.

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb diet that gets its name from a natural metabolic state known as ketosis. When your body is in this state, it gets its energy from burning fat, rather than burning carbohydrates.

A lot of other diets are high in carbs, and they cause the body to enter a different metabolic state, known as glycolysis. The problem is, glucose levels in the blood tend to rise during glycolysis. This results in higher levels of insulin being produced, which, in turn, causes the body to store more fat.

On the other hand, during ketosis, stored fats and proteins are burned off in order to create ketone bodies, or ketones, which generate energy. And when your body burns off fat and protein, you lose weight – plain and simple.

Keeping your insulin levels down also means you’ll have fewer ups and downs in your blood-glucose levels to cope with. When this happens, you’ll be surprised by how much more energy you’ll have during the day.

Along with cutting out high-carb and high-sodium foods, the ketogenic diet works by relying on healthy fats and proteins.

You may be familiar with the recommendations of national health organizations, which suggest that carbs are necessary to produce glycerol for energy. Well, the fact of the matter is that glycerol is also produced during gluconeogenesis, a process that takes place in the liver and relies on dietary fats, not carbs.

Nevertheless, 5 percent of a ketogenic diet can still be carbs. How much that is precisely depends on your body type, but, in a sub-2,000-calorie diet, that would be roughly 25 grams. In order to keep an active state of ketosis, however, the majority of your calories will need to come from healthy fats and proteins.

If you’re skeptical, keep in mind that ketosis is a perfectly natural state for your body and metabolism to be in. We’ll explore its benefits in the next blink.