Why No-Plant GAPS Does Not Always Produce Ketosis

No-Plant GAPS does not always produce ketosis. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride says this directly in Gut and Physiology Syndrome. She describes differences in individual metabolism and gut flora, along with the body’s ability to make glucose from protein. A very short plant-food list therefore does not tell you what your ketone reading will be.^[1]

This distinction matters if you are following the No-Plant food sequence and wondering whether you are supposed to reach ketosis. The book treats No-Plant GAPS and Ketogenic GAPS as separate approaches. Most people following GAPS are not asked to pursue ketosis.^[1]

Gut Flora and Glucose

Campbell-McBride’s explanation begins with gut microbes. She describes microbes producing glucose from protein and fat for their own use and releasing glucose into the bloodstream. In her account, the individual composition of gut flora can make ketosis more difficult to reach. This is the explanation given in her ketogenic chapter, not a conclusion drawn from one person’s food diary.^[1]

One research paper she cites is De Vadder and colleagues’ 2016 study of microbiota-produced succinate. In mice, the researchers examined how bacterial fermentation products could supply material for glucose production by the intestine. They found that succinate-related improvements in glucose regulation depended on intestinal gluconeogenesis.^[3]

That study gives a concrete example of communication between microbial metabolism and the body’s glucose metabolism. Its experiment concerns succinate and intestinal glucose production in mice. Campbell-McBride’s chapter applies her broader gut-flora explanation to individual difficulty reaching ketosis.^[1][3]

Why Removing Plants Is Not the Whole Question

The second part of the chapter’s explanation is protein. The body can make glucose from protein through gluconeogenesis. No-Plant GAPS keeps carbohydrate intake very small, but protein intake can still be high. For someone specifically pursuing ketosis, Campbell-McBride therefore describes gradually reducing protein while increasing fat.^[1]

These are two different parts of her explanation. One concerns the gut’s microbial activity. The other concerns the body’s conversion of protein into glucose. They help explain why copying another person’s food list does not guarantee the same result, even when both lists contain no plant matter.

It is also worth looking beyond the word “carbohydrate” on a menu. Animal foods are not automatically carbohydrate-free. Our No-Plant nutrient guide explains the book’s discussion of glycogen, soft tissues and dairy. No-Plant is a food approach with its own purposes, not another name for a zero-carbohydrate ketogenic ratio.^[4]

Ketosis and Ketoacidosis Are Different

Campbell-McBride describes natural periods of ketosis as part of normal metabolism. Her book distinguishes physiological ketosis from diabetic ketoacidosis, which she describes as dangerous. The official GAPS FAQ makes the same distinction while explaining that GAPS generally is not a ketogenic diet.^[1][2]

The distinction does not turn an isolated ketone reading into a diagnosis. The useful question in this article is whether the GAPS approach you are following deliberately aims for ketosis in the first place. Ordinary Full GAPS and the No-Plant starting sequence do not make that a requirement for everyone.

If You Are Deliberately Pursuing Ketosis

The separate Ketogenic GAPS guide contains the full transition. Campbell-McBride begins with a few weeks on No-Plant GAPS, then gradually changes protein and fat proportions. The chapter names coconut oil and ghee, keeps meat stock and fermented foods, and asks for daily blood or breath measurements.^[1]

Her blood target is 0.5–3 mmol/L. That range belongs to blood measurement, not every kind of device. Recording the method alongside the result keeps a breath reading from being mistaken for a blood value.

The proportions needed to remain in ketosis are individual in her account. The chapter says they can differ from another person’s proportions or a cookbook’s suggested ratio, and stable ketosis may take time. It does not set a deadline or tell every reader to keep reducing protein whenever a reading disappoints them.^[1]

In our house, keeping a pot of meat stock available has made ordinary GAPS cooking more manageable. The stock varies with our budget and what is in the fridge. I find that distinction useful when reading a specialized approach: a familiar food can remain part of the day while its amount and place in the food sequence change. Our household routine is not evidence that a particular ketogenic ratio will work for someone else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Low Ketone Reading Mean No-Plant GAPS Is Not Working?

The book does not define the No-Plant approach by reaching ketosis. Its food sequence has a separate role for people who cannot tolerate plant matter. A ketone reading cannot stand in for the whole account of food tolerance and progress.^[1][4]

Does GAPS Ask Everyone to Reach Ketosis?

No. Campbell-McBride says the vast majority of people following GAPS do not need ketosis. Her official FAQ also describes finding an individual balance of animal and plant foods rather than making GAPS ketogenic by default.^[1][2]

Is Gut Flora the Only Factor the Book Names?

No. It also names individual constitution and metabolism and explains gluconeogenesis from protein. The chapter does not assign every difficult reading to one microbe or one food.^[1]

Your Next Step

If you are deliberately considering ketosis, read the complete Ketogenic GAPS transition before changing the food proportions. If you are following No-Plant for plant-food intolerance, keep its own introduction guide beside you instead of assuming the two approaches are interchangeable.

The Ketogenic GAPS Cookbook is listed in the WFLI Shop. For recording food changes over time, the 90-Day Family Food Diary gives that work a separate place.

References

1. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Ketogenic Diet,” gut flora, protein/gluconeogenesis, individual metabolism, blood range and daily measurement.
2. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Official GAPS FAQs, “Diet and Food,” question 64, GAPS not generally ketogenic, individual food balance and natural ketosis.
3. De Vadder F, Kovatcheva-Datchary P, Zitoun C, Duchampt A, Bäckhed F, Mithieux G. Microbiota-Produced Succinate Improves Glucose Homeostasis via Intestinal Gluconeogenesis. Cell Metabolism. 2016;24(1):151–157. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2016.06.013.
4. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “No-Plant GAPS Diet” and “How to Implement the No-Plant GAPS Diet,” purpose, food progression and animal-food carbohydrate discussion.