Will Cole's Ketotarian Plan: Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Crush Cravings with (Mostly) Plant-Based Eating

Gina: As soon as I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. I wanted a keto veggie cookbook with just recipes, and this book is not that, but it is so much more to my surprise. It’s the most wonderful book if you want to understand keto and all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, electrolytes, etc. our bodies need that we can get mostly through vegetables but also other food and products. He also talks about different keto levels and plans, which I have not read about anywhere else. I’ve finally gotten to the recipes and at least 80+ percent look wonderful. I’ve wanted to incorporate keto vegetables without dairy for several months now and this book is perfect for that. No dairy except eggs and he does discuss salmon and wild fish. The recipes are fresh and creative and flavorful.

After reading it I think I will often use the first half of the book as a reference. The recipes are now a perk. Some reviews state that his recipes aren’t very keto. I’m guessing that’s because he uses beets, for example. We’ve been on low-carb for about 8 months. I feel better physically which surprised me but not after I read this book. I also lost weight even though that...

United States on Nov 07, 2023

Catherine Kapahi: I TRIED THIS KETO-TARIAN DIET TO IMPROVE MY SPINO-CEREBELLAR ATAXIA. AFTER ONE WEEK ON SUCH A HIGH FAT DIET I COULDN'T BREATHE, SO HAD TO GO TO A VERY LOW FAT DIET,AND USE PUFFERS. STILL VERY FATIGUED AND HAVE SHORTNESS OF BREATH.
AND NO REFUND AFTER 7 DAYS OF PURCHASE.
i WISH THE AUTHOR WOULD CONTACT ME TO GIVE A REFUND ON AMAZON.CA ON kINDLE. MY INITIALS ARE CK.

Canada on Aug 03, 2022

Jasmin Louise Smith: I think a lot of people misunderstand the book’s title - the author isn’t trying to provide recipes just for keto vegetarians, he’s trying to invent a new term “ketotarian” which is a keto diet based on mainly eating plants with some eggs and fish/seafood thrown in for their health benefits. I have recently turned vegetarian and have been struggling with weight gain ever since (I think due to too many carbs and not enough protein) so this book has helped provide me with a set of recipes that I’ll use for a long time even when I stop following the meal plan. Several of the recipes are delicious (e.g. chia seed pudding, cauliflower w romesco sauce, broccoli w olives (with or without the salmon).

The downsides are:
1) the lack of recipe index is frustrating, although I saw that someone has created one in one of the reviews here
2) there are several recipes provided in the meal plan section that don’t appear anywhere else in the book (e.g. salads, strawberry shake) so if you weren’t planning to follow the weekly plan you’d miss them
3) some of the recipes are revolting, and I mean inedible (I can’t find a way to make the matcha tea anything less...

United Kingdom on Feb 28, 2022

Mark B.: A gorgeous, glossy, informative REFERENCE book, that explained all aspects & health benefits of Keto, but it’s not the best book if you want recipes or meal planners. There were a few, but they were often (& surprisingly) high in carbs. Recipes not listed in the index, so you have to write your own recipe index.
It didn’t help with how to calculate your personal macros either, ie the ratios of exactly how many carbs/protein/fat you should be eating. It’s one thing knowing you should have 20% carbs, but 20% of what? how do you calculate it? What’s that in grams? and how do you know your body fat figures? (not the same as BMI). It seems that calories are still involved, which left me VERY confused; so a few charts, explanations & calculations would’ve been very useful.

United Kingdom on Sep 05, 2020

BB: Lot of recipes at the back so buying the kindle edition wasn’t the smartest idea :-(. It’s better on the kindle app on my iPad, especially as the colour is restored, if you have only a kindle itself probably buy the book instead.
It’s American ( although the recipes are metric) so it references food trends, available foods, etc, through an American perspective so you have to do a bit of interpreting. A lot of the science went woosh over my head although where I did follow it there is a lack of balance, it’s a bit of a polemic. The habits of people who eat a largely meat free diet described me very well I have to say, although they probably describe a lot of other people as well.
I thought about it a lot, wondered how to find a way to fit it with my family routine ( following much of what it says would be both a huge change and really expensive)and then we’ve had the Covid 19 risks so it’s moved down my list of priorities. However, I am trying to be more observant of not eating such carb heavy meals, especially refined/ sugary carbs during the day and I think I can see how that helps prevent dips in energy - being more aware of how what I eat effects me. That’s...

United Kingdom on Mar 22, 2020

Creatrix: I bought this book because I was appalled with all the meat dishes that inundate the so-called 'keto-lifestyle.' I wanted to find more vegetarian alternatives, as I don't think eating meat 2 or 3 times a day is sustainable for the planet.

The most useful part of this book for me is the first half, where the author provides great health information regarding food nutrition and supplements. However, I gave this book 3 stars because the recipes are too limited for me. Since I am limiting myself to 20 net carbs a day (to reach deep ketosis), I can only eat a third of the meals offered in the book - and out of that selection, I am only interested in half of those recipes. All but one of the main dishes, a spinach salad, are off limits to me. Five out of the twenty-five main dishes clock in at OVER 20 net grams each (that's 20%)!

Of course, I understand eating more veg on a weekly basis will require accepting a slightly higher carb threshold, and I can make adjustments after I reach my target weight, but the fact of the matter is, the recipes in this book are more suitable for individuals eating 30-55 net grams of carbs per day than for someone like me.

What does...

Canada on Feb 12, 2019

Haical Sajovic Haddad: Now, after few weeks since I read the book and prepared around 10 recipes, I wanted to add some details about favorite recipes at the end of the review to share with you. But before that, the review continues to be positive.

The diet plan proposed by Dr. Will Cole pleases both vegans and omnivorous who enjoy eggs, fish, and shellfish. Taken as a whole, it is a clear, engaging, and updated reading. First half of the book is dedicated to the principles of the diet, whereas the second part contains many recipes and a meal plan.

The book delivers a key promise. That is, the ketotarian way of eating brings together healthy plant-based fats, clean 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, to calm inflammation down, and to promote happiness from inside out.

Dr. Cole is down-to-earth and writes in a clear manner. Let me share key points following each chapter:

– The first chapter...

United States on Aug 29, 2018

jennifer knollenberg: The book is very well laid out and I really enjoyed reading about Dr. Cole's health journey. It all made perfect sense when considering the vegan lifestyle isn't for everyone and the dangers of having a one size fits all mentality. I do a lot of research or diets and specifically healthy eating. This book really hits the mark in terms of being easy to read and I am in agreement in the idea of eating whole foods and healthy meat products in limited amounts. I was disappointed in the high carbohydrate (which is actually higher than net carbs that are listed in the book). It would have been nice to list out the fiber content (total carbs can be back calculated with the fiber... but alas no fiber was listed only the protein, net carbs and fat so not easy to plug into an app to track your macros) as he mentions how important fiber is on a keto diet. Sadly even the meal plans suggest 40-60g NC which in my opinion is way too high to loose weight with this plan or for a lot of people to even maintain weight. The recipes look delicious it would just be very difficult to follow the plan as laid out using only these recipes. So overall I feel it is a good book, I would recommend it to...

United States on Aug 29, 2018