Wondering if a pescatarian does keto, or if you are bothered about how to do Ketoarian.
No matter what your question or reservation is. By the time you are done reading this message, you will get everything you need to know about Ketotarian in just one place
What Exactly Is Ketotarian
Ketotarian is all about trying a ketogenic and vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian diet for exponentially greater health benefits.
A Ketotarian diet is simply going plant-based (or mostly plant-based) while still staying faithful to your ketogenic diet.
You’re probably very familiar with the ketogenic diet, the meal plan that shoots up your fat intake while keeping your protein consumption moderately low and carb consumption nearly non-existent. The point?
To send your body into ketosis, a state in which it’s forced to burn fat for fuel (instead of carbs), theoretically resulting in weight loss. But are you as familiar with keto’s buzzy new cousin, the Ketotarian diet?
Ketotarian was popularized by functional medicine expert and Ketotarian master Dr. Will Cole, the meal plan essentially fuses a (mostly) vegetarian diet with a ketogenic diet, replacing the majority of animal fats with plant-based ones like avocados, olives, nuts, and coconut.
The aim is to deliver the same benefits as the classic keto diet (think: fat loss, stable blood sugar levels, more energy) without loading up on potentially inflammatory animal foods like red meat and dairy.
When comparing plant-based fats to animal-based fats, the literature shows that fats from plants are preferred as they contain less saturated fat, which has long been demonized,” explains Sydney Greene, RD, a nutritionist at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City.
A high-fat, moderate protein, and very low-carb eating plan, the Ketotarian diet eliminates meat and dairy and focuses on plant-centric sources of fats.
It also allows some animal sources of protein and fats, including eggs, ghee, and fish—although those foods aren’t required. If you’re vegan, you don’t eat them on this plan; if you’re a vegetarian, you can if you’d like.
What you can eat as a Ketotarian:
- Non-starchy vegetables (like artichokes, asparagus, and salad greens)
- Low-fructose fruits (Cole says that include berries, lemons, and limes)
- Plant-based fats (such as nuts, seeds, coconuts, olives, vegetable oils, and avocados)
- Optional: Organic eggs, ghee, and wild-caught fish (depending on whether you’re a vegetarian or vegan)
What You Should Never Eat
- Grains
- Dairy
- Starchy vegetables (like potatoes, corn, and peas)
- Meat
- High-fructose fruits (like mangoes, apples, and watermelon)
What Makes It Different From The Traditional Keto Diet
Ketogenic and Ketotarian diets are highly rich in fat and very low-carb diets. Their aim is to reach ketosis—where you’re burning fat for energy because you’re eating minimal carbs and have used up all of your body’s glycogen stores (i.e., glucose mostly housed in your liver and muscles).
While people on the original ketogenic diet may rely heavily on meat and some types of dairy for fat and protein, the Ketotarian diet focuses on fish and plant-based sources.
If you are a vegan and, or an omnivorous type who enjoys eggs, fish, and shellfish, Then the diet plan proposed by Dr. Will Cole is the best for you.
Taken as a whole, it is a clear, engaging, and updated reading. In the first half of the book, you will find the principles of the diet, while the second part shows you many recipes and a meal plan.
The book upholds a key promise. That is, the Ketotarian way of eating brings together healthy plant-based fats, lean protein, and the rich, vibrant colors of nutrient-dense vegetables to reach the benefits of a low-carb high-fat diet in a realistic way.
It is, in fact, a plan focused on two major lifestyles combined: taking the best of ketogenic and vegan diets to create an easy-to-follow plan in order to nourish our microbiome properly, calm the inflammation down, and promote happiness from the inside out.
Dr. Cole is down-to-earth and writes in a clear manner.
In the first chapter where you will find the principles of the ketogenic diet, you will see the mechanisms, the benefits, the lifestyle, as well as where the diet could fall short in certain instances.
Then the second chapter, it covers the plant-based diet. Similarly, to the previous chapter, here you learn the principles, and the benefits associated with this lifestyle, but also where it can go wrong if not taken proper care of.
When you keep reading you will notice Dr. Cole shared his own journey through his previous diet experiences, and how he managed to combine both diets together, creating a positive synergy. This you will find in the third chapter.
Ketotarian Food Choices
Next, you learn the specific food choices we would want to include on a daily basis to comply with a “clean” ketogenic diet.
Generally, food choices are broken into categories such as fats for cooking, fats for eating with/on/in food, nuts, and seeds, plant proteins, vegetables, spices, herbs, beverages, fruits, natural sweeteners, grain-free options for baking, as well as sources of protein/fats for omnivorous such as pasture-raised eggs and fish.
Dr. Cole also shares tips on how to soak nuts and seeds, ways to measure fat content in normal meals, potential inflammation some people may suffer from the nightshade family, and also a list with proper explanation of those food sources we should avoid.
In the fifth chapter, Cole shares simple but insightful tips on how to eat out, some ideas for easy and handy snacks to carry on the go, alternatives to beloved meals, as well as how to take advantage of certain superfoods and supplements.
Dr. Cole Discusses More Than Just The Basics
When it comes to knowing everything all about implementing the Ketotarian lifestyle, where a step-by-step plan is given to make sure you get into ketosis according to your own biology was explained solidly in chapter six
Fasting, stress management, finding your carb intake sweet spot, and creating a peaceful environment with food and body were discussed extensively in chapter seven
The recipes are simple, easy to find, and have natural ingredients and the methods used to cook are equally handy.
As you will see, they are mostly vegan, but some include eggs, fish, or shellfish.
Approximately one-fourth of the recipes are accompanied by professional pictures, whereas all recipes inform macros breakdown, number of servings, and time required to prepare.
Final Thoughts on The Ketotarian Diet
If you are looking for a more plant-based way to follow the Keto Diet, check out Dr. Cole’s book on Ketotarian. As you can see, this can be a healthier approach to the original Keto Diet.
This will give anyone leading a vegetarian lifestyle the opportunity to follow Keto without compromising their beliefs or increasing their risk of diseases that are associated with consuming animal products.
Here is a PIN you can share with your friends on Pinterest:
With a vegetarian daughter who is always having trouble attempting keto, this is the best of both worlds!
My daughter is about 90% vegetarian, so I know what a challenge it can be. Dr Cole has a lot of helpful information to using Keto as a vegetarian and has published a few books on the Ketotarian Diet. These can be found on Amazon, along with several good cookbooks.