If your goal is simply to develop a better overall diet plan in order to live a healthier life, then reducing your carbohydrate intake is a good idea, even if it doesn't put you into ketosis. Most of us consume more of that particular macronutrient than we need, and most of us would benefit from modifying our diet plan to incorporate a wider variety of locally-sourced, nutrient-dense foods.However, the ketogenic diet works by limiting your carbohydrate intake to the bare minimum and nudging your body into the biological state where it uses fat —rather than glucose — for fuel. That's the reason why keto dieters have such great success in burning fat. But it should go without saying that your body does need a source of fuel, whether that's glucose or ketone bodies from fat. Thus, if you're cutting carbs as dramatically as required on the standard ketogenic diet, you need to make sure your diet has a high fat proportion.