A lot of people are confused about the term "ketosis". You may read that it is a "dangerous state" for the body, and, indeed it sounds abnormal to be "in ketosis". But ketosis merely means that our bodies are using fat for energy. Ketones (also called ketone bodies) are molecules generated during fat metabolism, whether from the fat in the guacamole you just ate or fat you were carrying around your middle. When our bodies are breaking down fat for energy, most of the fat gets converted more or less directly to ATP (remember high school biology? This is the "energy molecule"). But ketones are also produced as part of the process.
When people eat less carbohydrate, their bodies turn to fat for energy, so it makes sense that more ketones are generated.
zSB(3,3)Some of those ketones (acetoacetate and ß-hydroxybutyrate) are used for energy - the heart muscle and kidneys, for example, prefer ketones to glucose. Most cells, including the brain cells, are able to use ketones for at least part of their energy. But there is one type of ketone molecule, called acetone, that cannot be used and is excreted as waste, mostly in the urine and breath (sometimes causing a distinct breath odor).
If enough acetone is in our urine, it can be detected using a dipstick commonly called by the brand name "Ketostix" (though there are other brands as well). Even though everyone is generating ketones continually, this detection in the urine is what is what is commonly called "ketosis".
The higher the concentration of ketones in the urine, the more purple the sticks will turn. The Atkins diet in particular advises people to monitor ketosis as an indication of fat burning. Other reduced carbohydrate diets don't pay much attention to this, or aren't low enough in carbs to make much of an impression on the sticks. (These latter diets are sometimes called "nonketogenic" low carb diets.)
Why do some people think ketosis is a bad thing?
There are two reasons for this. The first is the assumption that if a body is burning a lot of fat for energy, it must not be getting "enough" glucose. However, there is no indication, from studying people on reduced carbohydrate diets, that this is the case (though there usually a short period of adjustment - less than a week in most cases). Although it's true that our bodies can't break fat down into glucose (though interestingly, they easily use glucose to make fat!), our bodies can convert some of the protein we eat into glucose. Indeed, this works well for people who don't tolerate a lot of sugar, because this conversion happens slowly so it doesn't spike blood glucose.
In Type 1 diabetes, a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis can develop, and is sometimes confused with normal ketosis. The body usually avoids this state by producing insulin, but people with Type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin. Even most of the people with Type 2 diabetes who inject insulin usually produce enough insulin of their own to prevent ketoacidosis.
Hope that helps understand what Ketosis is. However I would recomend a trip to the dentist! Could be something totally not related to food that is causing these issues. Always have these things checked out..
LittleLisaMarie
So, I'm not eating, right? Why do my teeth feel so cruddy?? 
So long as you are putting your best foot forward, then, 
Linear Mode
