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The ketogenic diet, known for its focus on foods high in fat and low in carbohydrates, was one of the most-Googled diets in the United States in 2019.

The ketogenic, keto for short, diet was developed in the 1920s after it was noticed that after fasting, epileptics would experience a marked reduction in their seizures. The diet is designed to get your body into a state called ketosis whereby your body is so low on carbohydrates it starts burning fat for fuel.

Ketosis is also what the body does when fasting.

The diet’s proponents say it is the best way to lose weight without feeling hungry and that it increases energy levels. Keto dieters drastically cut carbohydrates to about 10 percent of their daily diet, which in some cases can be just 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.

That amount of carbohydrates is equivalent to one slice of white bread per day. The amount of fat someone following the keto diet may consume in one day could be more than five times the recommended intake for daily fat for the average person.

Those fats should come from healthy fat food sources, such as olive oil and nuts. Foods that are “keto-friendly” include items like eggs, butter, unprocessed cheese, avocados, meat, low-carb veggies and nuts and seeds. If you are ready to commit to the keto diet, you should talk with a qualified healthcare practitioner first to make sure the keto diet is safe for you and that you are correctly adjusting your macronutrients — protein, carbs and fat.