I am always surprised but never amazed when I hear about a “new” diet. Truthfully, I think it’s a marketing tool to promote authors as these “diets” are just a way of giving healthy eating a new spin.
The newest craze I just heard is “KETOTARIAN”. It’s the keto diet gone loosely vegetarian. While a typical keto diet may include large amounts of meat and dairy products like cheese and heavy cream, the ketotarian diet excludes most animal products with the exception of eggs, fish, shellfish, and ghee.
Like the keto diet, when following ketotarian, you need to restrict your daily carb intake to less than 5% of your calories. For many people, this works out to 25 grams of net carbs — total carbs minus fiber — or fewer. In addition, you should aim to eat 70–75% of your calories from fat and 20–25% of your calories from protein. Proponents of this type of diet say that it is an effective weight loss tool. They say that eating this way is highly anti-inflammatory, preserves your metabolic rate and keeps you feeling full, making it easier to restrict calories. The downside is it’s highly restrictive and may make dining out difficult to follow.
Wondering what you CAN AND CAN NOT EAT? You can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables on the ketotarian diet, as well as several vegetarian fat and protein sources. You should avoid starchy carbs, high carb fruits and vegetables, nightshades like tomatoes and peppers, dairy products, meat, beans, and animal fats on the ketotarian diet.
Here are some foods TO EAT:
Fruits: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries (although they should be limited)
Non-starchy vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, cabbage, lettuce, greens, Brussels sprouts, avocado, green beans, mushrooms
Dairy: unsweetened nut milks
Proteins: hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, natto, tempeh, spirulina, nutritional yeast, peanuts, tree nuts, hemp protein powder, peas, eggs and fish (optional)
Fats: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, nut butters, ghee (optional)
Here are some foods NOT TO EAT:
Carbs: bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, tortillas, chips, crackers, cookies, cakes, pastries, ice cream
Fruits: bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, mangoes, cherries, pineapples
Starchy vegetables: sweet potatoes, corn
Nightshades: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, white potatoes
Dairy: cow’s milk, ice cream, yogurt
Proteins: meat (beef, chicken, pork), beans, chickpeas, lentils, non-fermented soy products (tofu, black soybeans), seitan
Fats: lard, bacon fat, seed oils
Like any new “diet” be sure to consult with your physician before you begin. And for more information, feel free to contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com