Newbie Question?

[brianj]

I am a new Vegan (only a few months) and I have a question. A few friends of mine were debating recently which diet was "better" for body fat reduction, Low Carbohydrate diets or a no carbohydrate diet. One guy is a natural bodybuilder who has been competing in local contest for the last seven years. He maintains a body fat percentage year round of less than 12% and lowers his body fat to 6% for contest. The other guy is a former "fat" guy who went from 398lbs. to 178lbs. today, in less than two years. The bodybuilder swears that after seven years of competition he has found that the only successful way to reduce his body fat to such low numbers is through a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet. Our other friend who focused on eating low-fat foods to loose his weight said his diet was best.

How can a Vegan Practice A Ketogenic Diet?

Any response would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Brian

[Quantum Mechanic]

I don't know the specifics, but I believe it is possible. Some high fat vegan foods are nuts, avocados, stuff like that (not to mention the faux processed foods). There are other high fat vegan foods (not a whole lot I imagine, but there are others), and you need other stuff to live besides avocados and nuts, but being vegan doesn't mean you have to live on very high carbohydrate intake.

For most people about 70% carbohydrates is considered good intake (as long as they aren't refined sugars, and the foods are a low to moderate glycemic load, not like refined sugars), with about 10% protein and 20% fat (again, avoiding cholesterol and saturated fats - the former automatic for vegans, the latter far, far easier) for most people. Ketogenic diets are usually prescribed for people with severe seizure disorders that aren't controlled on medications, and this is the first time I've heard of it in another context.

[Gorilla]

How can a Vegan Practice A Ketogenic Diet?

i would say that since "The diet mimics aspects of starvation by forcing the body to burn fat rather than carbohydrate" (from Wikipedia) it's probably not very healthy. i don't think dropping half your body fat for competitions is healthy either.

apparently though (also from Wikipedia) "Most dietary fat contains long-chain triglycerides (LCT), but a form of coconut oil can be manufactured that contains only medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are much more ketogenic. A variant of the diet known as the MCT ketogenic diet uses MCT oil to provide between 30 and 60% of the calories. Carbohydrates and protein can be increased a little, which allows for greater freedom in planning meals."