There’s a big myth floating around the keto diet world that makes some people steer clear of the diet. It’s that the ketogenic diet is the same as a high protein diet. It’s not. In fact, protein should only be approximately 25% of your macros for the day.

One of the reasons people think keto is synonymous with high protein is that you can eat lots of protein foods such as eggs, chicken, beef, cheese and other meats for very few carbs.

This means dieters often fill up on these foods, and probably aren’t tracking their macros very well. If they were, they’d realize that the majority of their meals are made up of healthy fats, not proteins.

The macro count for healthy fats is approximately 70% of your nutrition for the day, with the remaining 5% being carbs. Healthy fats are beneficial for your body, while too much protein can be damaging.

One of the benefits and most alluring things about the keto diet is that you don’t have to go low fat. Fat is flavorful, so consumers love to be able to eat marbled meat, like a steak, without having to feel guilty.

When bacon and cheese are encouraged on a diet plan, it makes many dieters’ mouths water, so you often see people starting their keto diet with a heavy amount of meats and cheese.

But that doesn’t eliminate the fact that the real focus of the ketogenic diet is low carb, high fat – so it’s very important that as you wean yourself off carbs and sugar, you begin looking at which fats will keep you satisfied in lieu of larger portions.

Healthy fats are things like avocados, olives or olive oil, nuts and seeds. That doesn’t mean you can’t have other fats, but you really want to make the switch from cream butter and coconut to the ones listed above.

Keep in mind that as you stay on the diet longer, your taste buds will probably change. After going without sodas and using fake sweeteners for weeks, if you were to cheat and have a Coke or Dr. Pepper, it would probably taste way too sweet for you.

This is helpful because it curbs your sugar cravings and instead, you begin craving the healthy fats that benefit your body from head to toe. So enjoy the fact that you can have plenty of proteins, but don’t neglect the real star of this meal plan – the one that keeps you feeling full – fat!