Vegetarian Keto Diet:
Many of the best tasty vegetarian keto recipes include ingredients from the list above. If weight loss a vegetarian is something you are interested in, we suggest you check out our free 7-day vegetarian weight loss meal plan. To even be considered for this list of veggie exclusives, recipes have got to be quick, tasty and naturally vegetarian, and suitable for the ketogenic diet.
To learn more about combining carb restriction with a vegan lifestyle, see our evidence-based guide, How to eat low-carb as a vegan. Brierley is a dietitian nutritionist, content creator and strategist, and avid mental health advocate. She is co-host and co-creator of the Happy Eating Podcast, a podcast that breaks down the connection between food and mental wellness.
Although it is one of the primary sources of protein on the keto diet, meat is not necessary to meet your protein needs. In fact, you could get enough protein by simply eating eggs and cheese every day. Eggs and high-fat dairy will be a significant component of most of your keto meals. In fact, you can use many plant-based oils to replace all the animal fats commonly used in cooking and baking if you’d like.
Both vegetarian and keto diets have been shown to increase weight loss, support blood sugar control, and protect against several chronic illnesses. Keep in mind that no studies examine the vegetarian keto diet specifically. Like vegetarians, they don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish, but they also avoid dairy, eggs, and other foods that contain even trace amounts of animal ingredients.
Despite boasting many health benefits, a vegan keto diet comes with many risks and considerations. To start with, it’s an exceptionally restrictive way of eating. In a nutshell, a vegan keto diet combines plant-based eating with an extremely low carbohydrate intake. To better understand how it may work in practice, let’s start by discussing the principles behind both of these approaches. Finding the right type of protein is often the biggest challenge for those who are meat-free. “If you’re vegetarian, your main protein sources are beans, lentils, and whole grains,” says Roxana Ehsani, RD, a nutritionist in Miami, Florida.
You’ll want to make sure that the majority of your calories are coming from fat and protein sources like eggs, dairy, tofu, nuts, and seeds. A good option is chia seeds because they are high in fiber and amino acids. One serving of chia seeds has 3.1 grams net carbs and 6.6 grams of protein. One concern around this specific diet check these guys out is the risk for nutritional deficiencies. According to Dr. Kara, another disadvantage is that transitioning the body to a state of ketosis can cause flu-like symptoms such as headaches, trouble sleeping, muscle cramps, irritability, nausea, and more. If you’re on the ketogenic diet, should you use exogenous ketone supplements?
To ensure that you get the healthiest tempeh and tofu, make sure you buy 100% organic soy products. Conventional soy products contain traces of harmful chemicals like pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed in copious amounts on GMO soybeans. Although tofu tends to be soft and mushy, you can make it as firm and chewy as meat by buying extra-firm tofu and pressing the heck out of it or freezing it and then pressing it. Make sure you season or marinate it before cooking so that it can soak up all of the flavors like a sponge. For example, studies have observed that vegans have a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure and up to a 78% risk reduction of type 2 diabetes (3). There are plenty of keto-friendly vegetables that taste delicious, provide a nice dose of fiber, and help you to meet your daily micronutrient needs.
One thing you don’t have to worry about as a vegetarian embarking on a keto diet is healthy fats. The holy grail when it comes to keto, high-fat vegetarian foods are blog easy to come by, especially in the form of nuts and seeds. These crunchy, healthy12 vegetarian staples are a great addition to any salad or as an afternoon snack.
A vegetarian keto diet eliminates all meat while limiting high-carb foods like starchy vegetables, sugary drinks, grains, and fruits. People choose to go vegan for environmental reasons, animal welfare and for the nutritional benefits of following a plant-based diet. According to the Humane Society International, eating a meat-free diet can cut our water footprint in half. Producing meat also creates more CO2 emissions and pollution than growing plants. And there’s no denying that eating a plant-based diet is linked to longer life and reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Research shows that plant-based diets are low-cost, effective interventions for lowering body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar (A1c) and cholesterol.
By sticking to the vegetarian keto-friendly foods listed above, you can be a vegetarian and a keto dieters at the same time, while covering most of your nutritional needs. While you are on the ketogenic diet, do not eat the foods listed above. These foods are so high in carbohydrates that one serving can take you above lowest price your carb limit for the day and kick you out of ketosis. If you consider transitioning to a vegan keto diet, consult your doctor or a qualified health professional first to ensure the diet is safe to follow. However, it may be difficult for vegan keto dieters to meet their micronutrient needs through food alone.
Nuts are a healthy addition to any diet, and they are filled with different types of essential fats, vitamins, and minerals. Macadamias are arguably the best nut for keto because they have the highest amount of healthy monounsaturated fats and the lowest amount of net carbs and inflammatory omega 6 fats compared to other nuts. That being said, there are plenty of vegan-friendly fats and protein-dense vegan ‘meats,’ nuts, seeds, and supplements you can use to meet your fat and protein needs while minimizing carb intake. If you search through ruled.me (or any other keto website), you will see a ton of recipes featuring eggs and cheese.
People often refer to the ketogenic diet colloquially as the keto diet, so these terms refer to the same thing. Yes, but it may not work as well as on a moderate carb diet (52, 53). For more details about low carb or keto diets and exercise performance, read this article. However, protein intake and high ketone levels may help minimize muscle loss, especially if you lift weights (50, 51).