The ketogenic diet forces the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Most of the body's cells prefer to use blood sugar, which comes from carbohydrates, as the body's main source of energy. But when there is not enough blood sugar, the body begins to break down stored fat into molecules called ketone bodies (the process of ketosis).

Getting into ketosis is the goal of the ketogenic diet. When your body is in a state of ketosis, the liver produces ketones that become the body's main source of energy until we start consuming carbohydrates again.