A Plant-Based Pathway for a Ketogenic Diet

 Dominic D’Agostino is a University of South Florida associate professor who undertakes clinical research in areas such as ketone ester and supplementation, and muscle performance. One of Dominic D’Agostino’s areas of expertise is a plant-based approach to a ketogenic diet, which is detailed on the KetoNutrition website.

While most people associate a keto lifestyle with abundant meat consumption, this is not necessarily the case. The classic strict 4:1 ketogenic diet has caloric intake of 90 percent fat, 6 to 10 percent protein, and 2 to 4 percent carbs. This makes significant vegetable consumption a challenge. However, today’s modified versions of the keto diet are more lenient, with 65 to 85 percent of daily calories derived from fat, 15 to 35 percent from protein, and as much as 10 percent from carbs.

A sustainable vegan keto diet is possible with this configuration. It starts with removing or severely limiting all legumes, grains, and fruit. Without the fat that meat and dairy provide, make healthy oils such as those from coconut, walnut, and avocado an integral part of your daily diet. At the same time, remove all root vegetables from the diet, such as beets or potatoes, as they are not fibrous and are typically high in carbohydrates. Once an ideal diet is in place, carefully track the macronutrient ratios (not calories) required for sustaining nutritional ketosis.