What does the diet consist of?

Healthy fats in the form of extra-virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, butter, coconut oil and oily fish are the main staple of a ketogenic diet. Starches and grains including pulses are avoided at all costs. Starchy vegetables such as parsnips, sweet potatoes and carrots should be limited. Cruciferous vegetables along with other vegetables such as peppers, courgettes, cucumber and aubergines are permitted.

Physiology and biochemistry behind the Keto diet

A meal rich in carbohydrates results in the starch molecule being broken down into glucose which is then transported to tissues and organs. Keto diets instead utilise fats as the primary energy source. The fats are transported into the liver where they are converted into acetoacetate and β-hydroxybutarate, more commonly referred to as ketone bodies. Some specific tissues such as the heart muscle and the renal cortex prefer to utilise acetoacetate rather than glucose as an energy source. The brain and red blood cells in contrast prefer to utilise glucose as an energy source. During fasting or prolonged ketosis when glucose levels are low the brain adapts and utilises ketone bodies as a fuel. High level of ketone bodies in the blood signals the adipose tissue (body fat) to inhibit the synthesis of lipids.