'Jersey Shore's' little brother took some time to chat before a book signing in Staten Island, New York, opening up about his 'Keto Guido' cookbook and all things Jerzday.

Vinny Guadagnino has always been the little brother of the more boisterous stars of MTV’s Jersey Shore. Seemingly more thoughtful and reflective than his co-stars, Guadagnino always appeared to be taking in the relative absurdity of his life experiences with a wink and a nod toward his unlikely celebrity status.

Prior to his return to television in 2018 in a reboot of the reality series, now titled Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Guadagnino decided he needed to reevaluate his health. He looked into ways food could be used to heal his body and clear his mind, and the discovery of the keto lifestyle changed him both personally and professionally. It has also given Guadagnino a new vocation: cookbook author.

The Keto Guido Cookbook isn’t Guadagnino’s first foray into the realm of publishing, having co-authored Control the Crazy: My Plan to Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool with Samantha Rose. But it does show off a particular part of his personality. Guadagnino’s research and dedication to providing the correct information in an informative way shines through, and stems from his attention to the smallest of details. Whether guiding readers toward healthier alternatives to the dishes they love or exploring their palates by introducing them to new tastes they might have never believed they would enjoy, Guadagnino is meticulous in his delivery.

Vinny Guadagnino is looking at a future with new possibilities as a leader in the keto movement, hoping to make this style of eating accessible, delicious, and fun. He took some time to talk with me about his rise to fame and growing up on MTV’s airwaves, his lifestyle changes and, of course, his new cookbook.

Lucille Barilla: What can fans expect in upcoming episodes of the show? It has been such a dynamic season for viewers.

Vinny Guadagnino: We don’t live in a house anymore. It is now more about our individual lives mixed in with us getting together. That’s why you’re seeing those more serious moments. If we were just living in a house and partying you wouldn’t see Mike’s sentencing, or his wedding, or all the things that are on TV right now.

There is so much drama in our lives, you can’t write this stuff up. Between marriages, divorces, crazy baby mamas, people going to jail, some people being strippers. We kind of film indefinitely now and the network just breaks it up into seasons.

LB: What is the most memorable moment or event you have experienced since joining the show 10 years ago?

VG: There have been so many moments up to this point. There have been so many milestones in my life because I started when I was 21; being on the show I have literally grown up doing it. I remember when the show took me to Italy back in the day, and we went to go visit my family in Sicily for the first time. I had never met them before. We all grew up together on camera.

LB: Appearing on this show has become more than I think even all of you, as its stars, had expected.

VG: When we first started, we were rock stars. The initial hype was crazy. Just the fact that we are still doing this 10 years later, and it’s still the number one show on MTV. It’s unbelievable. It was also a good time for it to come back because our fans who grew up watching us are interested in seeing how we have developed in our lives.

LB: Speaking about your new book, ‘The Keto Guido,’ do you find it hard to maintain a keto lifestyle with your busy schedule? Is it challenging?

VG: I got on this diet because it was the only thing that could fit in my lifestyle. I could eat keto or low carb in any restaurant. If I ate fast food now I could make it work. I needed a diet that would fit with that life. If I tried a 600 calorie a meal diet, it wouldn’t work. People don’t know how many basic dishes they can make keto. Many people think that eating keto is just eating eggs, butter, bacon and steak. It’s really not that.

LB: Have you converted other ‘Jersey Shore’ stars to that lifestyle? Do they still pick on you for eating this way as they have done in the past?

VG: They still do (laughs). They’re all generally healthy, they try to be. Mike (Sorrentino) is in shape, he does keto, Jenni’s (Farley) pantry has almond flour and buckwheat flour in it. I am always sending them articles and podcasts. But they love making fun of me; they make fun of me about anything. I am the little brother they love to pick on.

LB: You credit your family with teaching you that eating is all about being happy and content during a meal by sharing good food and creating family memories. Obviously Italian cooking can be carb-heavy. How has keeping a keto diet affected that dynamic when it comes to eating with your family?

VG: Having that background got me into the mess of being a little chubby. Eating my mom’s cooking, you know where she’s frying chicken cutlets every day, dishes of pasta and mountains of bread on the table every night. It tastes delicious but now I stay away from it. I actually enjoy those foods more as a treat. I look at pasta now and sometimes I think before I eat it that it could make me sick. I love my energy now. I am clear-headed now and if I ate a dish of pasta, I would be down for the count.

LB: Do you plan to stick to a keto diet for the foreseeable future?

VG: One hundred percent. All I promote is eating non-processed, whole, natural food. That’s it. You’re going to eat fat, you’re going to eat avocados, and you’re going to eat natural fat. That’s what all the recipes are based on.

LB: What do you feel like you’ve accomplished by writing this cookbook?

VG: I don’t think that a cookbook is a natural progression for being in the public eye. A cookbook is something special. If you do have a passion for it and believe in what you do, it’s great. No, I never thought I would be writing a cookbook if you asked me 10 years ago. But once I became fully engulfed in this world I realized ‘I have to do this.’ I try on my Instagram page to show different recipes and give out information, but this way I am able to help people in one book. Here are the recipes, here’s what to do. It’s a manual really for the lifestyle.

LB: What other projects do you have in the works and what is the response you have gotten from social media regarding this project?

VG: The social media speaks for itself. I started my Keto Guido page on Instagram with a couple of hundred followers. It now has 900,000 followers. Those people just wanted to hear about my lifestyle. If you want to hear about me and what I am doing on the show and personally, just go to my regular Instagram page. My other projects are still doing ‘Jersey Shore,’ promoting the cookbook, there might be more Chippendales appearances on the horizon. I am an off-season stripper now (laughs). I would also love to have a cooking show one day just to continue this lane of my life.

LB: How does your mom Paula feel about your stripping career?

VG: She came to the show. You will see her attending a show. It’s like a play, it’s nothing crazy.