Keto diets are essentially programs that lower carbohydrate intake below 100 grams; strict ketogenic diets are a subset of low carb diets that typically only allow < 50g of carbohydrates per day. This limit does a good job of eliminating junk foods, refined carbohydrates and any other “fattening” foods. The full premise of a keto diet is far more than just minimizing carbs, it is a lifestyle about overall health. A Ketogenic diet is not easy and will test your willpower but transforms the way you think and understand about yourself, food, and health in general.

There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate. . . . Anyone who tells you to start eating carbohydrates in order to fix a health problem is totally missing the point.

- Nora Gedgaudas

Starchy foods and sugars are always unacceptable during Keto: grains (Even whole grains), bread, cereal, beans, pasta, potatoes, and everything in the dessert category. To your body, they’re all sugar, which breaks down into glucose in your bloodstream and causes an insulin response.

"Macros" are what your body uses for fuel: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The macro-nutrient makeup of a ketogenic diet make it very easy to stay at a caloric deficit and lose weight. Most people don't even need to count calories on keto, because they naturally start consuming a healthy amount of calories.

Although limited carbohydrate intake is arguably the most important aspect of inducing ketosis, protein intake is also extremely important in order to prevent muscle loss. While an easy solution is to simply eat as much protein as possible, too much protein can prevent ketosis as well. Therefore, protein intake must fall within a narrow range: high enough to prevent muscle loss but low enough that ketosis is not disrupted.