What diet is recommended?

A different approach might be to take a supplement of ketones (like beta-hydroxy butyrate) or fats that the body metabolizes into ketones. Caprilic acid, an eight-carbon fatty acid that makes up eight percent of the fats of coconut oil, is a fat that gets metabolized into a ketone after absorption. Another important piece of this approach is maintaining a high-fiber diet. Aside from being a boon to general health, fiber is often fermented in our gut into a type of fatty acid that gets turned into a ketone after absorption. This latter point may help explain why cultures with a high fiber intake tend to have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. All these steps help maintain the health of our vascular system, while providing sources of ketones in the blood that can provide energy for the brain. It is an approach that can provide the benefit of ketones while helping maintain a plant-based, whole foods diet that contributes to all aspects of healthful living.