What Exactly Will I Eat on The Very Low Calorie Ketogenic Diet?
When it comes to healthy eating, I’ve always emphasised the importance of vegetables and fibre as the foundation of our daily diet – as seen in my maintenance food pyramid. We also need protein, vitamins, minerals, and small amounts of carbohydrates to maintain our weight. However, when the goal is weight loss , we must reduce carbohydrates and overall energy (calorie) intake.
Vegetables: Your Foundation
The VLCKD is built on vegetables that grow above the ground . To help you make the best choices, I’ve divided them into two lists (scroll down for list 2). :
- List 1 vegetables are lower in carbohydrates .
- List 2 vegetables contain more carbohydrates but are still acceptable.
Ideally, you should aim for 80% from List 1 and 20% from List 2 . Vegetables are not just a source of fibre – they’re rich in plant compounds that support gut health and metabolic function.
Protein and Fibre from My Products
To support you, I’ve created a range of high-protein, high-fibre, low-carb products that make following this plan easy and enjoyable.
Take my porridge, for example:
- It contains 18g of protein per portion , four times more than conventional porridge.
- It has only one-third of the carbohydrates but the same calories – meaning you get more protein, more fibre, and fewer carbs.
This helps you reach your protein and fibre targets with fewer calories .
Combined with the vegetables you’ll prepare at home – in soups, stews, stir-fries, grilled, steamed or baked – you’ll be able to reach the recommended 25–35g of fibre per day .
What’s Not Included
To achieve the energy deficit needed for weight loss, certain food groups are excluded:
- Fruits, grains, cereals, bread, pasta, and most dairy products
To ensure you get the nutrients you need while cutting calories, we recommend taking Vitacal twice daily .
A Typical Day on the VLCKD
You’ll eat three main meals and three snacks per day , structured to keep your blood sugar stable and hunger controlled.
- Breakfast : High-protein porridge (3 flavours), muesli, or pancake
- Lunch : Homemade vegetable soup with my high-protein wrap, roll, or bread with soft cheese and salad veg
- Dinner : A stir-fry with my Smart Noodles or Smart Rice (high-fibre, only 12 kcal), or one of my ready meals, or your own veggie-based pasta sauce with my protein pasta
- Snacks (3/day) : Sweet or savoury snacks spaced between meals to prevent hunger and stabilise energy
For example:
- 10:30 am : Snack between breakfast and lunch
- 4:00 pm : Snack between lunch and dinner
- 9:00 pm : Evening snack with herbal tea or sparkling water, to keep you full and stable overnight
You’ll also receive a written diet plan to show how everything fits together in practice.