Ultimate Guide for a Vegan Keto Diet

Guide to the Vegan Keto Diet

Yes, you can adopt a keto eating plan even if you’re vegan. With a vegan keto diet, you’ll mix low-carb plant-based foods with healthy fats such as avocados and nuts. A keto diet can bring certain health benefits, and you can follow a keto eating plan even if you’re vegan. To succeed at vegan keto diet plan, ditch the animal products and construct a low-carb, high-fat eating plan using vegan foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados and broccoli. The keto diet is known for being quite restrictive in nature. In order to reap the benefits of keto, you need to cut sugars and keep net carbs to under 25 grams per day. It ain’t easy. Plus, you’re not only cutting carbs, you’re also bulking up on fats. On keto, about 80 percent of your diet and calorie intake consists of fat, necessitating a preference toward high-fat foods like meats and dairy. Since these high-fat foods are staples in the keto diet, it presents a challenge for vegans who want to give the keto lifestyle a go. So how exactly do you follow a“vegan keto diet plan” and is it worth trying? Let’s dive in.

What is the vegan keto diet?

The vegan keto diet is a plant-based ketogenic diet. “It combines a vegan diet, which is plant-based and excludes all animal products, with the ketogenic diet, which is a diet focused on making fat the primary fuel,” says Randall Evans, MS, RDN, LD. In other words, vegan keto diet helps you stay plant-based while taking advantage of the benefits of ketosis for weight loss. Alright, so what can you actually eat on vegan keto plan, and what’s off limits?

The Biggest Challenge with a Vegan Keto Diet Plan

The biggest challenge with the vegan keto diet is that many plant-based proteins are also very high in carbs. For example, a half a cup of lentils has about 61g of net carbs. To put that in perspective, in order to get your daily recommended protein intake (about 46-75g of for the average female and 56-91g per day for the average male), you would also be blowing your 25g net carb budget. This makes vegan keto diet plan a bit more challenging than standard keto or a standard vegan diet. “Soy milk, beans and lentils aren’t an option, and those foods can play a big role in a regular vegan diet. People following a vegan keto diet will most likely need to use unsweetened pea protein powder,” says Seattle-based registered dietitian, Ginger Hultin, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Yet as long as you eat enough good proteins allowed from the list below and combine when needed, you should be okay. Plus, adding supplements will help you get the nutrients you need.

What to eat on a vegan keto diet

On a vegan ketogenic diet, fat is the primary fuel. As long as you’re hitting your macros — 70-80% fat, 20-25% protein and 5-10% carbs — you’ll be in good shape for ketosis.

Foods you can eat on a vegan keto diet plan:

Here’s a list of foods that are vegan keto-friendly. We’ve included each food’s net carb count per 100 grams.

Foods you have to exclude on when you eat a vegan keto diet plan:

Here’s a list of foods we recommend avoiding on the vegan keto diet. Again, we’ve included each food’s net carb count per 100g.

We recommend avoiding sweetened wines and other alcoholic beverages or cocktails as well.

Does Vegan Keto Work for Weight Loss?

“I have not seen research on vegan keto meal plan but it may exist. Keto research is now very popular, but much of the research we have on types of keto is new. It’s still evolving, as is the research on the mechanisms that make the diet effective for chronic health issues and weight loss,” says Evans. “Vegan diets are strongly linked to a number of health benefits. They are used to prevent and treat diabetes and heart conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They have been shown to reduce the incidence of some cancers, too,” says Hultin. There is a lot that we don’t know. We have plenty of research on using vegan diets for weight loss and there is similar research showing keto to be effective for weight loss. It makes sense there could be some synergy in combining the two diets.

Vegan keto diet recipe ideas

Vegan Keto Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is roasted and then pulled to get the spaghetti-like shape. Give them a kick with good spices like cayenne, garlic and chili powder. These spices pack a flavor punch.

Vegan Keto Cauliflower Rice

These vegan keto cauliflower rice is a good choice when you want something hearty and rich. Top with avocado for fats.

Vegan Keto Mango Habanero Sauce

This vegan keto mango habanero sauce recipe is a great topping to add some flavor to your vegan keto dishes! Prevent diet-burnout and make the plant-based keto diet more enjoyable with this mango habanero sauce recipe you can make at home.

Vegan keto meal plan ideas

Here is a sample vegan keto meal plan to get you started.

Breakfast: Tofu scramble with kale and avocado

Lunch: Spaghetti squash with avocado pesto sauce, sautéed greens, and mushrooms

Dinner: Cauliflower rice over salad on greens with peanut sauce

Snacks: Nuts/seeds (as much as you can while controlling carb content), protein shake (hemp milk with a low-carb protein powder, such as pea)

Are There Drawbacks to Vegan Keto?

The biggest danger with this type of diet is that it’s very restrictive. Plus, it will be a challenge on a vegan keto diet to meet protein and fiber needs, so work with a registered dietitian to make sure you’re being safe. “Over time, we have seen vegan patients become low in B12, other B vitamins, and other nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, calcium, vitamin D and iron. It’s best to check with your doctor when considering major diet changes so you can work together to keep track of nutrient levels,” says Evans. As with any restrictive diet, it’s important to make sure you’re meeting all your nutritional needs. “As a dietitian, I use a lot of caution with a diet this restrictive. Anyone on a vegan diet needs to be supplementing with B12. A multi-vitamin, extra calcium, vitamin D or iron may also need to be considered,” says Hultin.

Who is the vegan keto diet plan not for?

This diet isn’t for everyone. “Anyone underweight, with blood sugar or blood pressure control issues, with an eating disorder, pregnant or breastfeeding, at risk for malnutrition or who has increased needs due to a chronic disease or condition should probably not use it. I definitely would not support using this diet for a child or teen,” adds Hultin. Lastly, “constipation is always a real challenge on keto so if this type of GI issue is a problem for you, use extra caution,” says Hultin.

Should You follow a Vegan Keto Diet Plan?

As long as you properly monitor macronutrient requirements and intake, take supplements if needed, plan balanced meals accordingly, and don’t fall into one of the categories mentioned by Hultin above, you should be able to thrive on a vegan keto diet plan. You’d be burning ketones and fat, losing weight, and remaining fueled on a meatless lifestyle.

Tips for the Vegan Keto Diet Plan

Tip #1: Ease into it. It is best to transition to a new diet gradually. Doing this allows your body and metabolism to adjust to diet changes.
Tip #2: Consider working with a nutrition coach or dietitian. A dietician can help you meal plan efficiently. This professional can also track your macro intake to make sure you are in ketosis and getting enough nutrition each day.