Thinking about the keto diet? You've probably heard of some of the amazing results people have achieved with the keto diet, or you've seen them yourself with a family member, friend or co-worker.

Keto is a low-carb diet that is especially beneficial for people trying to lose weight or improve their metabolic health. It can help you burn stored fat, improve blood sugar levels and control your appetite. Keto may even provide some brain health benefits.

In this guide, we'll share what you need to know about the keto diet for beginners - including what to eat and what to avoid, how to get started, and an example of a 3-day keto diet plan.

What is the Keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are micronutrients or food components that provide calories. In general, most people on the Keto diet tend to aim for this macro schedule:

Carbohydrates: 5% of calories or less

Proteins: 20-25% of calories

Fats: 70-75% of calories

For many people, this amounts to approximately 25-50 grams of carbohydrates per day.

Carbohydrates - such as bread, pasta, potatoes, sugary sodas and even fruit - are broken down in the body into sugars and have a big impact on blood sugar levels.

Although protein and fat can also affect blood sugar levels, they have a much smaller effect than carbohydrates.

By reducing your carbohydrate intake on the Keto diet, you dramatically reduce your calorie intake. This is how you enter a metabolic state known as ketosis. You can read more about ketosis and its benefits right below.

How does the Keto diet work?

The keto diet allows your body to go into a state called ketosis.

Although the body normally uses carbohydrates for energy, in ketosis it uses fat as its primary energy source instead.

In ketosis, your body can use dietary fat or stored fat for fuel.

A keto diet can help reduce appetite and preserve muscle mass. This makes Keto especially useful if your goal is weight loss.

Potential health benefits of the Keto diet

The main benefits of the keto diet are weight loss, brain health and blood sugar control. Keto can be profoundly anti-inflammatory, and this anti-inflammatory effect is thought to be the main cause of many of the benefits of this diet.

For this reason, keto diets are a hot topic in the research world, and many new studies have found evidence to support these benefits. You can also find thousands of positive stories of drastically improved health due to the keto diet online.

Weight loss

Many people try keto because they want to lose weight. A quick online search will yield thousands — if not tens of thousands — of success stories of people who have achieved their weight loss goals using the keto diet.

There are several scientifically proven reasons why keto is great for people trying to lose weight:

Fat loss: In ketosis, your body is directed to burn fat instead of carbohydrates - so it can be easier to burn stored body fat.

Muscle preservation: Keto diets can also prevent muscle loss during weight loss. This helps maintain your metabolic rate, so you're still burning the same number of calories while losing weight.

Decreased appetite: Fat and protein are very filling, and many people report that their appetite is much better controlled on a keto diet than when they eat foods high in carbohydrates.

Better control of blood sugar levels: Finally, keto diets can help stabilize blood sugar levels—which could help regulate appetite and reduce carb cravings.

Brain function

Keto diets have long been successfully used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children.

Although research is still ongoing, ketosis appears to be very beneficial for other aspects of brain function as well—especially for certain conditions.

Researchers have found that, in addition to epilepsy and other seizure disorders, following a keto diet may also be beneficial for mood disorders such as depression, mental illness including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and cognitive decline.

Blood sugar control

Many people also try keto to help control their blood sugar levels. You can find many stories online of people who have reversed their type 2 diabetes or reached a point where they no longer need insulin or blood sugar medications thanks to the keto diet.

Additionally, research shows that keto diets can help improve blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.

Keto can be beneficial for type 2 diabetes, along with other conditions associated with insulin resistance and blood sugar control—like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and metabolic syndrome.

What to eat on the Keto diet?

These foods are keto friendly and can be part of your keto diet plan. However, remember to check the nutrition and ingredient declarations for any packaged "keto" foods to see if they're really keto-friendly - it would be impossible to list them all here.

Meat and proteins: beef, chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, pork, eggs, soy, soy proteins

Fruits: raspberries, strawberries, lemon juice, lemon juice, coconut

Vegetables: broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, kale, mustard, lettuce, cabbage, arugula, zucchini, garlic, tomatoes (in small quantities), onions (in small quantities), peppers, hot peppers, radishes, cucumbers, okra, mushrooms, green beans, spinach, kale, bok choy, carrots, celery

Dairy products: sour cream, cream cheese, sweet cream, cheese

Alternative dairy products: unsweetened vegetable milk (soy, coconut, almond)

Nuts and seeds: chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts keto diet

Fats and oils: butter, cooking oils, coconut oil, animal fats

Other: vinegar (except balsamic), spices, dark chocolate (without sugar), broths, mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce.

What foods to avoid on the Keto diet

These foods are high in carbohydrates and should be avoided on the Keto diet.

Meat and proteins: fried/breaded meat, all legumes and legumes (except soy and peanuts), imitation crab

Fruits: All fruits except those on the Keto-friendly list

Vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, autumn squash, peas

Grains: bread, rice, pasta, oats, porridge, flour, cornmeal, quinoa, tortillas, scones, scones, cookies, cakes, snacks, ice cream, syrups, jams, honey,

Nuts and seeds: cashews, pistachios keto dijeta

Food with added sugar: carbonated drinks with sugar, fruit juices, sweetened drinks, sweets, biscuits, cakes, snacks, ice cream, syrups, jams, honey,

Dairy products: milk, yogurt

Other: coffee sweeteners, balsamic vinegar, ketchup

Remember to always check nutritional information on labels. There are many foods that contain more carbohydrates than you might expect.