If you haven't yet heard of the keto diet, then you've been hiding under a rock. The truth is this trendy diet tends to come up a lot in conversation and you may even know of a friend who is currently on it! You may have also heard of someone experiencing the keto flu, but you have no idea what it is.

Well, even if you have no idea what exactly the keto diet entails, you may still be curious to learn more. After all, this well-known diet doesn't get talked about for no reason. It turns out it's a rather effective diet that has a lot of excellent benefits.

Let's strip it down to the basics so you can learn more about this low-carb high fat diet and why it may be the right fit for you.

For starters, keto is short for ketogenic diet. It’s a fancy way of saying low carbohydrate, or low carb/high fat (LCHF) diet. On a keto diet, breads are bad, fats are fine, and strictly monitored amounts of protein are a part of each meal.

That genetic process of fat-burning manipulation is called ketosis, and it is essentially the goal of the whole experience. Ketosis is basically an entirely different operating system that your body gear-shifts into when food is sparse. During this alternate metabolic state, your body’s fat reserves are plundered and sent to the liver for digestion. As the liver breaks fat down, unique digestive molecules called ketones are produced, which are in turn burned off as energy.

Ketosis under normal circumstances is triggered by the stark absence of food in its entirety. But I keep using the word manipulated because it turns out that our brains are savvier than our bodies. Ketosis can be triggered without abstaining from food entirely by simply depriving the body of those simple glucose molecules, even as fats are still being ingested. That means it is possible to induce a fat-burning metabolic state by simply cutting out carbs, even as you’re chomping down on eggs and bacon.

If your mind is made up about moving forward with a keto diet, brace yourself for some math. The process of keeping careful track of your nutritional intake to thereby induce ketosis is called “counting macros” in keto-speak. Counting macros is less about the breakdown of various vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy diet, and instead focuses on the big three: carbohydrates, fats and protein. Individual foods each possess an inherent macro score. Carbs are 100% anti-ketogenic, as their very presence in the stomach prevents ketosis from occurring. Fats are scored 90% ketogenic, due to the small amount of glucose liberated into the body during digestion.

Various proteins, however, can range anywhere between 40% and 60% ketogenic, and inversely anti-ketogenic as well. With individual proteins varying by as much as 20%, counting macros is a critical part of maintaining the balance necessary for triggering the ketogenic metabolic state.

Of course, before starting any diet it's best to consult with a doctor. You want to make sure the diet aligns with your current lifestyle and health needs. However, the keto diet is known to help people with their energy, diet, and just feel better overall.

Just like with any diet, there will be an adjustment period, especially since it'll take some time for your body to get into ketosis. As soon as you're in ketosis, however, your body will become adapting to burning fat as opposed to carbohydrates and that's when the real benefits come in. Eat Sip Trip explains more about the keto diet and what it can do for us.