Client Spotlight for Keto Vegan – Marisa

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT – KETO VEGAN – MARISA FRANCESCA

Before ketogenic “dieting” what other forms of meal planning had you tried?

I have always been really bad at meal prep/planning and I had never really done so. I have realized that it is essential in order to be successful, especially if you’re busy.

What were your first impressions of ketogenic nutrition?

I was skeptical of a keto “diet.” I’ve always heard and have been told, from vegans as well, that “the fat you eat is the fat you wear.” When I was actually taking the time to learn about keto, everything made sense, and with that I was able to be successful with it! It took some time for me to get used to, since I never did anything like it before. When you do it correctly, it absolutely works.

What did you find to be the biggest challenge with switching to a “high fat” diet?

At first, it was definitely hard to go through the day without planning what I was going to eat, because at times I’d find that I had reached my net carb limit, but had plenty of fat left, and vice versa. It’s really all about the planning.

What were your best resources for recipes, tips & tricks?

Meatfreeketo website, as well as the Vegan Keto Made Simple / Vegan Keto Facebook groups. I found ways to make vegan, keto friendly pancakes, crackers and others’ favorite keto foods!

Plan plan plan! I can’t say that enough- I try now to input my days worth of macros into MFP the night before, with a few extra grams of each macro for some wiggle room, so I know that I will do my best to meet my macros.

LC Foods has low carb vegan breads and bagels- they are so good! Not everything is vegan though.

Do you think if you weren’t vegan you would have a harder or easier time “going keto”?

I think that I would have a harder time. I think that even people who aren’t vegan understand that the nutrition and fats/cholesterol from dairy and meat products are NOT good, so eating them in excess would be really scary health wise.

Did you find a favourite keto recipe that you can share with us?

It’s pretty universally understood on low carb diets that you will really miss bread, and that there really won’t be a satisfying replacement for most bread-based items that you truly love. Instead, you have to sort of compartmentalize the experience of your former favorites, figure out what it is about them that you really like, and try to recreate that … Continue reading

What did you miss the most from your diet (favourite foods etc…) when eating keto?

I was loving having a smoothie with frozen cherries, chocolate flavored vega clean protein powder and some peanut butter powder in the mornings. It became a habit, so I’d say I missed that the most. There are low carb options for everything else, really! Fettuccini made of tofu is one of my favorites.

Do you think you could “do keto” for most of your meals, for life?

Yes, I definitely could. I was addicted to junk food, so the higher fat meals helped me kick those habits. I’ve now realized I could definitely do this for a long time.

What would be your biggest piece of advice to anyone who might be interested in trying keto?

My biggest piece of advice I would say is to do your research- this is a must (for me, any way!) I also tend to do things better when I know why and how it works, so this also helped me succeed. Find groups where other people are doing the same or similar things, like a vegan keto facebook group- they are very helpful.

What were the biggest changes you noticed with the plan ie: skin, hair, sleep, hydration, energy etc…?

I’ve had so much energy that sometimes I don’t sleep that much! I have also noticed that my skin is so much clearer than it was before, and my hair feels so much softer!