Ketotarian: The (Mostly) Plant-Based Plan to Burn Fat, Boost Your Energy, Crush Your Cravings, and Calm Inflammation

by Will Cole

A Goop Book Club Pick

A new twist on keto: The fat-burning power of ketogenic eating meets the clean green benefits of a plant-centric plate

The keto craze is just getting warmed up. The ketogenic diet kick-starts your body's metabolism so it burns fat, instead of sugar, as its primary fuel. But most ketogenic plans are meat- and dairy-heavy, creating a host of other problems, especially for those who prefer plants at the center of the plate. Dr. Will Cole comes to the rescue with Ketotarian, which has all the fat-burning benefits without the antibiotics and hormones that are packed into most keto diets.

First developed for individuals suffering from seizures, keto diets have been shown to reduce inflammation and lower the risk of many chronic health problems including Alzheimer's and some cancers. Adding a plant-based twist, Ketotarian includes more than 75 recipes that are vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian, offering a range of delicious and healthy choices for achieving weight loss, renewed health, robust energy, and better brain function.

Packed with expert tips, tricks, and advice for going--and staying--Ketotarian, including managing macronutrients, balancing electrolytes, and finding your carb sweet spot, this best-of-both-worlds program is a game-changer for anyone who wants to tame inflammation and achieve peak physical and mental performance. Let the Ketotarian revolution begin!

Genres: Health, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Nutrition, Vegetarian

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Daniil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying that the info is great, and very useful for the 'lay vegan/vegetarian' types. If you are still thinking that boiled chicken is the epitome of clean nutrition, this book will also be of great use for you.

The book covers lots of material on a very shallow basis, quickly skimming by stating that things are good without going in-depth. Vague statements along the lines of 'does your body good' while correct, are a bit of a miss for me. Had to pinpoint several new facts that were introduced by the author and then search the in-depth breakdown of what he was alluding to.

Another personal let down is that while the author says that getting the optimal nutrition being vegan IS possible (although a little more tough), he continues to push the fact that it is not advised. A little depressing that someone who followed the lifestyle for a long time wasn't able to see the bigger picture of the environmental meltdown that is currently fueled by the animal agriculture industry. On the same note, i had a great laugh reading the quote by the author's friend who's opinion is quoted to show that veganism may not be optimal.

" I spent some time reflecting on life in the wild. We all consume one another in the end. Our atoms and molecules are continually recycled. Every living thing without the benefit of photosynthesis must consume other beings – plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals. And in the end, they will consume me. I prayed and meditated on these ideas. Humans have been eating all these things for thousands of generations, so I decided I was not committing a crime against nature if I ate meat. Perhaps I was getting even closer to nature. "

Forgive me for not believing that modern slaughter house mass production of 'pork processing plants' is not getting me closer to nature. Please take a look at the conditions of just about any animal farm and then report back on how it 'makes you feel closer to nature' to support the mass executions of animals.

Regardless of my 'militant vegan' view, the book offers lots in the way of beginner level nutrition, and helped me identify several areas i might be falling short. Great info, questionable priorities.

[Ron S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another health & nutrition book, with recipes, of the "finally, this will solve everything!" variety. About half the book details the supposed health benefits to get you to buy in, with the back half devoted to recipes. (I'd rather have less of a sales job and more recipes.) If you don't like avocados and coconut, you're probably not going to be crazy about this book.

[Kiki Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really want to write a scathing takedown of this book but I’m not educated enough on the topic to really do it, so this will have to be more like a list of things that bothered me about this book.

First off, the “I’m a doctor, trust me” is so damn sketchy. I’ve met plenty of doctors who don’t know what they’re doing. Hell, I broke my arm this past May, and every piece of information the ER doctor told me was totally wrong. I’ve seen a lot of dumb doctors. In fact, one of the only things I agreed with in the first section of this book was the author pointing out that doctors don’t get much education in nutrition. I’m aware of that since every doctor who’s given me (unsolicited) weight loss advice has focused on fad or unsustainable or blatantly ridiculous diets: low-carb, no added salt (you need sodium in your diet! your body needs salt!), no sugar or alternatives, low-fat, no fruits, just chicken breasts, meal replacement bars, protein shakes twice a day, Special K twice a day, 1500 calories or less (not even the recommended intake of calories for someone my height at a healthy weight!), 1200 calories or less, skipping breakfast, intermittent fasting before it was called that, and just vegetables without sauce or fat or protein.

My point here is: This doctor isn’t any different. He’s combining two restrictive diets in one. Three, technically, if you count the autoimmune protocol. He’s taking out healthy grains and legumes, most animal products, and several vegetables. That’s not necessarily helpful long-term. Unless you dislike all of these things, it’ll be hard to sustain for long periods of time. You might get sick of eating similar things, it’s harder to find something if you ever go out, and you’ll be irritating to cook for if you ever go to someone’s house. Intensely focusing on your food and food intake isn’t mentally healthy either and can lead to disordered eating patterns or a full on eating disorder.

So then he makes some generalizations, like vegetarian diets are high-carb and low-fat. Yeah, sure, it’s a big thing (because of another doctor with sketchy nutrition advice) but that isn’t the rule. A lot of people don’t do that, YouTube vloggers aside. You get a lot of your essential amino acids and protein from high-carb sources like legumes and whole grains, but that doesn’t mean you cut out fat. He appears to have mentioned this solely because that’s what he did, but outside of bloggers and people with disordered eating patterns/eating disorders, most vegetarians I know don’t really limit any one macronutrient group. Doing so is both difficult and can lead to deficiencies and things like orthorexia. Hell, if you know anything about vegan vloggers, you’ve seen that on YouTube recently.

The author continues to give some “facts” with no citations (like one in two men and one in three women will get cancer in their lifetimes) that I just don’t believe without strong scientific evidence. There’s also genuine facts with citations (like 20% of adults being diagnosed with depression) but these facts are often used to lead you to the wrong conclusion. People aren’t just depressed because of chemical imbalances (or inflammation, as this book suggests). They’re depressed because they have or have had traumatic experiences, stressful lives, money worries, are experiencing grief, have bad jobs, live in a society that doesn’t give a fuck about them (since the focus is the United States). Same with anxiety. Autism isn’t necessarily appearing more often because toxins—it’s likely appearing more often because we now have guidelines and better ways to diagnose it. Suicide rates in teenagers might be going up for any number of reasons—bullying, increased pressure, teens now understanding more about LGBT+ things and identifying earlier and earlier. Drug deaths are increasing because doctors (like you!) are giving out highly addictive painkillers without compunction, not because people are taking a lot of prescription drugs in general. The US spends a lot of money on healthcare because we have no national health services, and we’re less healthy in general because of the way food is sold and because it’s harder to pay for and receive healthcare.

I also do not trust anyone who says we should use food to heal the body. Food can help you but only if your issues are with your intakes of essential nutrients. Maybe for some people food can cure your ills, but for most of us, it can’t and won’t. I have hypothyroidism, it’s genetic, I’ve been on medication since I was 10, and I’ve been told just eating well will reverse it—but it can’t. I’ve been told eating better will help my high cholesterol, but that’s also genetic. I was born with it. Again, I’ve been on medication since I was ten. This only works if your diet was the cause of these things in the first place.

(Apparently this diet can reverse your PCOS!… never mind no one knows what causes it in the first place and how diet can affect it. Now, I don’t doubt it might be able to help—increased fat is often suggested—but that’s a big claim to make. And I don't trust big claims without evidence. And anecdotes aren't evidence).

Anyway, this is the general pattern I noticed. Even with the things that are cited, he sometimes misstates or twists what was actually said. And then there are are plenty of things that aren’t cited. And there are several things he says that don’t make any sense. For example, he lists folate as a nutrient he could’ve supplemented for as a vegan and didn’t want to. But folate is super easy to get on a vegan diet. Legumes and leafy green and things like beets… you aren’t going to be deficient unless you eat none of these things.

On more of a vegan note, he talks about how you can only get certain nutrients from animal products or how certain nutrients are only available in precursor forms that might not get converted at a decent enough rate. Thus, supplements are needed. That’s true, but I think he misses the point here. Most people go vegan for ethical reasons. This book seems to be only talking to the people who do it for health reasons. It even brings up the whole “circle of life, we all feed off each other in the end” argument. It also brings up the argument that people feel closer to their ancestors by eating meat. Both arguments are silly to me. For the first, that ignores the concerns over animal agriculture, antibiotic resistance, and carbon footprint. For the second, we don’t hunt our food anymore and we don’t consume the way our ancestors did, so how can you feel closer? Not to mention, our ancestors died from eating some things. We’re a bit more food savvy than we used to be. My point here is, if you believe in the ethics of being vegan, you’ll suck it up and take a couple supplements. B-12 obviously, maybe an EPA/DHA supplement, possibly a vitamin D—although this last one may have less to do with diet. I’ve been deficient since I was 14, and apparently a lot of people in my city tend to be. Even though I live in Texas where it’s stupid sunny eight months out of the year. And I never remember to wear sunscreen even though I own it. Possibly you’ll need calcium and iron, although these are things you can get in your diet, it's harder with veganism. You won’t even have to take a supplement daily; unless you’re deficient in something, a multivitamin will work or a supplement can be taken every two or three days.

Anyway, I’m not gonna cover everything, we’d be here forever. But I think it’s important to keep in mind he’s selling you a diet. He might believe in that diet, but he’s still trying to sell it you. People who demonize a macronutrient group should always be taken with a grain of salt. There’s evidence carbs are good for you. There’s evidence fats are good for you. There’s evidence protein is good for you. If you want to do low-fat or low-carb, that’s your prerogative. But keep in mind cutting out or severely limiting an entire group of food may have negative effects and will definitely NOT work for everyone.

He does have a little section on how to eat out while doing this, but it includes brings your sauce. Most restaurants won’t let you, so make sure you don’t get caught.

He also suggest things like bee pollen. For the record, this can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Maybe he thinks he’ll cure your allergies? (Please cure my allergies—the cedar has been ridiculously high lately. If the book had been sold to me like that, I might have tried it out of desperation).

The recipes themselves look good. They might taste delicious, they certainly sound it, but I didn't try any of them. I do have a hard time believing vegan cheese is healthier than dairy cheese, and I also inputted a few recipes into a calorie counter and got slightly higher net carbs, but generally they look healthy, mostly because they’re focusing on vegetables. My main issue with the recipes, though, is that they aren’t all vegetarian. It’s not a book giving you ideas of vegetarian dishes that are also keto, it’s a book telling you to eat fish. Presumably because of EPA/DHA. The issue here is that it’s being marketed in entirely the wrong way. The amalgamation ‘ketotarian’ connotes something very specific. I would have loved to get low-carb recipe ideas since my mother’s obsessed with low-carb and it’s harder to do when you’re vegetarian. But this book doesn’t offer any of that.

Bottom line: fear-mongering, misinformation, and false advertisement.

[Caitlin Renee Steuer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to receive this book but it did let me down a bit. The first 100+ is information about the diet and benefits, then the end is simple recipes with a rare photo. Feel like the hype mislead me into thinking this would be THE BOOK for vegan/veg keto recipes. Nonetheless, a few things look tasty and I will keep in my collection.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Nonfiction/Health. I've read other Keto books and I was just grateful that this one wasn't just beef and bacon and butter. I loved the emphasis on 'mostly plant-based.' I like that he addressed the nutrient deficiencies in the Vegan way of life, but yet he still managed to put veggies front and center.

I listened to the audio, so I wasn't as perturbed with the recipes at the end because for me, there weren't any. Overall, I appreciated the author's angle....so 3 stars.

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author writes a very readable intro on why becoming fat-adapted is good for your entire body before diving into a variety of recipes. I appreciate the emphasis on overall health rather than an emphasis on getting into ketosis via any means possible. Granted, if you picked up this book looking for “dirty” Keto recipes, the title alone should be enough to dissuade you.

You can definitely modify a lot of these recipes to be vegan if you’re looking for an entirely plant-based approach, and some of them are already vegan. However, I’m with the author on this not being an easy or necessarily healthy approach, especially if you’re an active person. Trying to avoid polyunsaturated oils and get some variety to my protein intake had me going for fish and eggs at least as much as tempeh.

The four stars instead of five is just because I got a little confused at the author touting the benefits of olive oil in its unheated natural form, then including it as a means to sauté in the recipe section. Olive oil oxidizes at pretty low heat, which will cause oxidation in the body when consumed. Switch it out for coconut or avocado oil instead.

[Sandra Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚡️I was first introduced to Dr Will Cole on my favorite podcast, That’s So Retrograde. He’s so insightful that I was inspired to give this book a shot. Ended up a great reference on how to conquer health issues and reevaluate your relationship with food. I enjoyed learning more about my body, as well as the food and supplements that can help it perform better. I recently began the Keto Diet. Still not sure I’ll switch to Keto-Tarian, but I will incorporate some of his suggestions as to which meats to choose. Wishing I would’ve bought this book instead of borrowing from library for the recipes. Added to my amazon wishlist to snag later ;-)

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so glad I ordered this book through the library instead of purchasing it. It ultimately was not a good fit for me. The first half is all about why keto and vegan diets are so good for us, but why we need seafood too and some animal products too. The author is a doctor who's a former vegan who now does low carb, mostly dairy free, meat free foods but also eats eggs, seafood and ghee. The second half of the book is recipes.

My hubby and I have been eating keto for a couple of months now and it's working well for me (he's mourning the loss of both parents and is just in survival mode). I thought this book would be a great source of new keto recipes that focus on low carb veggies and healthy fats and proteins, but most of the recipes didn't really appeal to me. Some use ingredients like vegan cheese that I would rather avoid and there's way more seafood than I really was interested in.

Many of the recipes also have far higher net carbs than I'm comfortable with. They use healthy carbs that do have health benefits like berries and I'm sure they're healthy recipes, I'm just not sure I'd call them keto.

Once again, "healthy" is such a subjective thing. For this author, it's a very specific range of foods that he thinks are best for health (he's more focused on issues like inflammation than weight loss and glucose levels). The author is a former vegan who says he meditated on it and decided he'd be closer to nature by eating animals. He can choose whatever path feels right to him, but that's likely to alienate vegans and vegetarians who are probably his primary target audience.

I ended up copying two pages of recipes to try later, one of three different fat bombs that seemed easy and tasty with common ingredients that I have on hand, and one other that I've already forgotten. I scanned the book again before sending it back to the library and didn't see anything else that really called to me.

For me, it was a two star book -- just okay. For those interested in switching to his sort of eating style and who aren't already familiar with the benefits of some of these foods, it might be much more helpful.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this so I suppose I shouldn't count it as read, but I spent a lot of time trying to get through it so I'm giving myself credit. The author spends a lot of time talking about how preachy he was when vegan then goes on to be preachy about this diet. He turned me off and relies on seafood too much to have a name like ketotarian. Not for me.

[Caitlin Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

My doctor recommended this book, and I’m SO happy he did. It opened my eyes to inflammation issues in the body, from anxiety/depression to chronic gut problems, and I learned how to individualize my plate and begin a journey on what works for me to achieve “not just good, but optimal” health. What I appreciate is that it’s not repping the trendy keto diet (filled with meat and dairy and processed diet foods just to lose weight) but a lifestyle that is full of veggies and whole-foods. Using the many modifications given to represent what works for you, I get to to say goodbye to inflammation, which causes (in a short list) - being “hangry”, hormonal imbalances, acne and other skin problems, increased anxiety/depression, autoimmune diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and a super sick gut (the crux of it all). I’ve been plant based for a few years now, but just because I wasn’t eating animal product didn’t make me healthier in regards to my inflammation. Within six days of this anti inflammatory approach, I can already feel the difference. Here’s to many more! Beyond a 10/10 recommendation :)

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book.
In the upside, it’s written in a down to earth manner and includes a lot of useful information. I also liked the layout. And there were practical tips and recipes.
On the downside, I discovered that the author is a former vegan. If he was a former plant based eater then I would feel less wary. But it looks like he was a vegan for ethical reasons. I found his inclusion of how a former vegetarian justifies her change in eating habits and ethics a pure cop out. His inclusion of it was a bad idea.
The good news is, this book isn’t advocating full on animal products. There is eggs, seafood and ghee. Quite frankly I’m not convinced that eggs are healthy to consume, period. Dairy is an ethical nightmare and seafood is a mercury and micro plastics minefield.
So I’ve read this book with a pinch of salt and will be altering my diet towards Keto but sticking to veganism. I did however, take to heart the information on omegas but will do my best with that within vegan sources and supplementation.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I don't ever plan to eat fully keto. BUT, I do have Type II diabetes, and I have been struggling to find main-dish recipes that are heavy on the vegetables, that sound tasty, and that aren't afraid of some damn fat. Because I believe good fats are super essential. I super enjoyed the information at the front of the book, and the author's ideas about health, including this one simple line that brought me to a full stop: "You can't heal a body you hate."

Anyway, this book has a lot of recipes that seem completely sensible, based on actual whole foods, and tasty, while being easily adaptable if you don't love all the ingredients.

I'd give him 5 stars but ... vegan cheese? Really? And dude, stop COOKING avocados, that's just gross. But otherwise I'm excited by all the creative, low-carb, plant based recipes.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. The sales pitch and reference to quackery turned me WAY off. It came across as someone pitching MMS, or Jilly Juice. Fear mongering about medical professionals was also a huge turn off. Professionals lift each other up, they don't talk trash and pronounce themselves as the sole savior of the people.

People aren't picking up the book for the sales pitch, they're picking it up for practical advice on maintaining ketosis while eating a plant-based diet. I guess I'll be looking elsewhere.

[Jacqie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I actually have read it twice this year and have learned so much each time I read it. I am a huge lover of keto, but I also believe alot of people do it in an unhealthy way. This book has you eat tons of veggies, whole foods, healthy fats, and the recipes are simple and super tasty! Highly recommend to anyone doing keto, or any plant based eaters.

[Emma Grayson]

book 19

60-75% calories from fat
15-30% from protein (45-68g/day)
5-15% from carbs

washing veg: fill sink and add 1 cup of white vinegar and let veg soak 15 minutes - check dirty dozen and clean 15 for most and least contaminated produce published yearly by the environmental working group

yes:
olive oil
avocado oil
avocado
almonds
artichokes
arugula
asparagus
beets
bok choy
broccoli for detox
Brussels sprouts for detox
blueberries for inflammation
blackberries
brazil nuts
bee pollen
bone broth
cashews
crackers - almond flour, chia flour or flaxseed flour
cucumber
cantaloupe
clementine/oranges
chives
chia and hemp and flax seeds
cauliflower for detox
cauliflower rice
collards
chard
carrots for inflammation
coconut sugar and nectar and meat
cabbage for detox
dates
duck eggs and eggs
ginger for inflammation
garlic for inflammation
green tea for inflammation
grass-fed beef
ghee
grapefruit
ginseng (boost of energy without hitters from caffeine)
honeydew
honey (manuka from NZ)
hazelnuts
holy basil (for brain fog)
kale bc potassium
kiwi
lettuce / lettuce wraps
mushrooms for detox
molasses (blackstrap)
macadamia nuts
maple syrup
marine collagen
nutritional yeast
onions for detox
olives
pecans
peas
pickles
pumpkin and pumpkin seeds
passion fruit
pineapple
pine nuts
pistachios
raspberries
rosemary
strawberries
stevia, raw and organic
seed and nut oils
scallions
spinach
squash
spaghetti squash
pure soy and tempeh
sweet potatoes
spirulina
turmeric (powerful anti-inflammatory)
walnuts (go for RAW nuts and seeds- soak nuts in a bowl w 1-2 tbs of salt overnight then pour off and roast to dry)

no: canola oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, vegetable oils, cured meats, 2nd-gen soy products like soy flour found in meatless burgers and dietary protein supplements, any sugars ending in -ose, wheat, oat, rye, spelt, buckwheat

no for now: rice and corn because they contain the protein lectin and can cause inflammation and hormonal resistance patterns (like weight loss resistance), quinoa can damage the cut, eggplant, goji berries, peppers (bell peppers, chili, paprika, cayenne), potatoes (not sweet potatoes), tomatoes, peanuts, any beans (soybeans, garbanzo), meat, agave, turbinado, brown rice syrup

the issue isn’t in the dairy itself, it’s in what we did to the cows

amount of fat per meal:
almonds - 10 nuts, 6g fat (20-30 nuts per meal)
almond butter - 1 tbs, 10g fat (3 tbs per meal)
avocado - 1 whole, 30g fat (1 whole per meal)
coconut cream - 1 tbs, 5g fat (6 tbs per meal)
coconut oil - 1 tbs, 14g fat (2 tbs per meal)
ghee - 1 tbs, 15g fat (2 tbs per meal)
eggs - 1 egg, 5g fat (3-4 eggs per meal)
macadamia nuts - 10 nuts, 21g fat (15 nuts per meal)
olive oil - 1 tbs, 14g fat (2 tbs per meal)
pecans - 10 nuts, 20g fat (15 nuts per meal)

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ketotarianism is not about shame or using food to punish your body"

As someone who struggles with weight fluctuation (no thanks to PCOS and other genetic predispositions + bad eating habits), this ketotarian diet shows a lot of promise! I don’t necessarily plan on incorporating this diet asap, I just really wanted to know the science behind it!

Dr. Cole presents this book with utmost succinctness! He summarized the relevant studies, as you would a typical review of related literature in a research paper, and he included his own journey to health and mishaps along the way. As this book is not the actual research papers (methodologies, limitations++ were not mentioned), it is important to take it with cynicism.

I particularly liked how he included gender differences i.e., brain-ovary axis’ impact on intermittent fasting. Overall, this is very layman-friendly! There were some helpful tips that I see fit for me, and I bookmarked the recipes I want to try out for the day I’m mentally there ♡

“Eating healthy foods is a form of self-respect” 💯

[Hannah Snow]

Decided to give this a listen because I have a friend (heyyy girl) doing the keto diet right now, and I wanted to understand it more. Let it be noted, the author’s take on it is a little different than the standard keto diet (noooo don’t take away the cheese!!).

Will I personally do the keto diet? Nah, I’m not that hardcore. But there were plenty of good takeaways on overall health and wellness, the dangers of the pesticides/toxins in the foods we eat, and facts about herbs/oils/cooking preparation that make me want to do a little more research into food.

[Marianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

To say that a vegan diet makes you sick is factually false. It's sad that there are people saying these lies and causing confusion. Putting that aside, I got some nuggets of other info and vegan recipes in this book that may be worth a try.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info on the science behind this diet trend. Makes sense. Love that it has a plant-based focus. Allows fish/seafood as protein - no dairy though. Some good recipes.

[Christina Nunyas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the plant-based "keto" concept - and thought adding a few no/low carb recipe ideas to my repertoire would be cool.

The first 142 pages were proselytizing for Keto, full of complete and utter woo. The guy keeps referencing toxins and inflammation, the horror of "leaky guy" and then at one point discusses how keto can treat "adrenal fatigue." I went and looked these up and they seem to be made up conditions by quack-tors. But hey - these guys will definitely order tons of disgnostic labs to see if you have them, or sell you a supplement or some MCT to help these totally not made up conditions!

So after going through the Keto indoctrination, you are granted entrance to the recipes and they are... shitty. Like, put and avocado in an egg! Roast some cauliflower and olives and put some hot sauce and lemon on it! Or hey - roast some Brussel sprouts and put some lime juice on them! Eat tuna on greens!

I'm guessing after the hard sell sales pitch, you are expected to eat any bullshit recipe he feeds you promising to cure your maladies with food. Sorry quacktor - I could have come up with 80% of those "recipes" on my own.

Apparently, the writer is basically a glorified chiropractor - not an MD or DO. Shame on me for checking out a book by a fake Goop "doctor."

[Rikard Gehlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book is dedicated to describing keto and vegetarian diets which is fine by me, appreciating facts and figures, found the book kinda shallow because the author uses stories and anecdotes as the primary weapon. It's probably nice if you're new to the diet and/or not used to technical explanations.

I found the author coming off a bit preachy and relying a lot on "trust me, I'm a doctor". That kind of thing doesn't really fly with me, so that was a bit off putting. Please people; let the science talk for itself, I don't need more want a sales pitch...

The second half of the book is dedicated to recipes. This part of the book had its own slate of problems where most of the recipes are just written one after another, being just text with very few pictures. Some of the recipes are written multiple times (with slight differences, mind you) and the meal plan is not easy to grasp either. So much so that I had to manually copy everything out and building my own meal plan...

Overall a book that could have the potential to change someone's life but, sadly, falls on the finish line for me. Either because it was rushed or the people involved not being experienced enough with creating a good reading experience.

[Hazel Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty much my diet. Glad I'm doing things right.

[Bruin Mccon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book for the recipes which by the time I got to them were totally useless for me. I was all over the fat bomb recipes but the smoothie recipes and most others didn’t work with my tastes or food allergies. C’est la vie.

That said I got a lot out of the rest of the book. I have started putting hemp seed hearts on everything and can’t fathom how I managed to do keto for six months (few years ago) without ever tasting its magnificence. I add it to high fat yogurt now and every smoothie and my chia seed breakfast pudding.

I’m guessing the recipes didn’t work for me because I was already aware of them from trial and error over that last few years. I’m solid on my protein smoothies and breakfast. I’m struggling with lunch and this book didn’t really help with that. A lot of good info nonetheless. And like I said, I’ve found my true food love, hemp seed.

In addition, being an experienced keto person and a new vegetarian, this book helped get me in the mindset that I can easily continue on with both food regimens and there are others doing the same.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited about this one as I am on keto but don't absolutely love meat. It's a perfectly fine book about keto that has a decent amount of references too, but it turns out it's not the right style for me. If you are looking at keto as a way to reduce inflammation, this one is for you. My main focus is glycemic control, followed by weight loss, and this book didn't quite fit with my pattern. It's a non-dairy keto book (didn't realize that from the title) which meant there were more substitutions in the recipes than I would prefer. The write up in the beginning was quite detailed and good, but again, it wasn't my style. Finally, a lot of the recipes had higher net carbs than I would want to have for a meal on traditional keto. Verdict: this could be a good book for someone, but that someone isn't me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and discovering the health benefits of a low carb, high fat diet. I had been looking for a book like this that has keto recipes that aren’t so heavily meat-based, and this fulfilled that requirement! Sources are cited for follow up research and many of the physiological concepts are detailed in a way that is easy to understand.
This book’s recipes are not for you if you don’t like coconut (oil, milk, cream, etc), avocado, mushrooms, or ghee, because those are primary ingredients in most of the recipes. I would also like more pictures of what the food should look like before I go on blindly experimenting.

[Sierra Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the science of the book, but the recipes were a huge disappointment. He discussed the problems with nightshades and peppers and mentioned avoiding them, and then there were quite a few recipes with nightshades, peppers, and paprika. I'm allergic to cashews and I don't like olives. So between the nightshades, peppers, cashews, and olives, there were only a few recipes that looked appealing to me. Borrow this book from the library or a friend, read the chapters on the science of it, but then build your own recipes.

[Dana Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this comes with recipes and even a 5 week plan of eating. He breaks everything down into science while still using laymen's terms. I can see how it could become overwhelming for someone who has never thought about about what they are feeding their body or the relationship with food. I feel like he gives a compelling argument to forego grain carbs and dairy. And this is coming from a person who eats cheese every day.

[Emma Eagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting... it has a lot of factual information about what foods are good and bad for you and why.

Unfortunately, while the book makes a good case for the author’s proposed Keto-tarian diet, the downside is that this way of eating is remarkably inaccessible. The author assumes that every person can afford, obtain, and has the time to prepare the complex meals that they set forward.

On the plus side, I did make one of these meals with a friend and it was delicious.

[Karen H · Rating 4 out of 5]

so I have been trying to stay on the keto diet for a year . I have my ups and downs but having choices makes it easier. I have nothing against eating meat / dairy but I do like having vegan / vegitarian choices too--- so this just adds another dimension to the keto lifestyle. For that it is wonderful.

[Cassia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book 📖 👌

I love this book. It is perfectly written and very well researched. The
layout is very pretty and clean with pleasing fonts, colours, images and beautiful and iluminated with valuable knowledge. I've just ordered his other book on Gut Health as I'm so impressed and pleased with this one 🙏🥑🙌