Vegetarian Keto

July 8, 2020
Updated: August 14, 2022
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The ketogenic diet is restrictive to begin with.  If you are a vegetarian, that makes sticking to the diet even more complicated.  Here are a few vegetarian food options that comply with keto diet rules.

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”As ketone bodies are produced by breakdown of fats, ketosis is the most reliable indicator of fat loss” (NIH.gov)

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The Challenge of a Vegetarian Keto Diet

In order to enter the metabolic state of ketosis, you need to cut most carbohydrates out of your diet.  While on the ketogenic diet, total carb consumption is limited to 20-50 grams per day.1  This precludes a large portion of plant-based foods, such as grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables.  Typically, a keto diet is heavy in meat and seafood,2 but as a vegetarian, you will need to get your daily intake of lipid calories and nutrients from alternative sources.

 

Our Recommendation: Use a ketone testing strip, like Perfect Keto, to make sure you are actually reaching ketosis on Keto diet.

Perfect Keto Ketone Test Strips Reagant Strips for Urinanalysis
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Vegetable Oils

Plant-based oils are a major source of energy while on the keto diet.  They are used extensively for cooking, flavoring, and as dressings.  A spoonful of coconut oil can be added to unsweetened black coffee to make “bulletproof coffee,” a popular breakfast energy booster with a high amount of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) for more efficient fat burning3  Olive oil contains vitamins E and K and can be used as a carbohydrate-free salad dressing.4  With a high smoke point, avocado oil is a healthy choice for frying without producing too many harmful volatile aldehydes.5, 6

 

Our Recommendation: Try an MCT Oil with C8, like Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil, a healthy fatty acid which can increase ketone production.

Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil
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High-Fat Dairy Products

If you are a vegetarian who still eats non-meat animal products, several good keto-friendly food options are available to you.  In addition to being good sources of fats and protein, eggs and dairy are a good way to get vitamins and minerals into your diet.  Eggs, for example, contain B vitamins and vitamins A, D, and E, as well as iron, phosphorus, and zinc.4  Cheese also is a source for those vitamins, along with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.4

Keto-friendly dairy products include:

  • Eggs
  • Cream
  • Butter
  • Cheese
  • Unsweetened whipped cream
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Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds provide a good plant-based means of getting protein into your diet.  They also are good sources of vitamins and minerals that often are lacking in keto dieters.  Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, while almonds and hazelnuts contain vitamin E.7  Some, like flax seeds and walnuts, are also good sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, otherwise obtained largely from seafood.8

Nutrient-dense nuts and seeds include:

  • Walnuts
  • Almonds
  • Brazil nuts
  • Cashews
  • Flax seeds
  • Chia seeds
  • Hazelnuts
  • Hemp seeds
  • Pecans
  • Sesame seeds
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Low-Carb Vegetables

Vegetables provide a wealth of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and much-needed dietary fiber.  However, many vegetables contain starch and other carbs, and therefore cannot be consumed in large amounts or at all on a keto diet.  As a rule, vegetables that grow above the ground (i.e. no root vegetables) have lower carb contents, and green leafy vegetables are especially good low-carb options that are high in nutrients.4

Low-carb plant-based foods include:

  • Spinach
  • Lettuce
  • Kale
  • Celery
  • Artichoke
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Eggplant
  • Olives
  • Cucumber
  • Zucchini
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocados
  • Mushrooms
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Nutritional Supplements

With the absence of major food groups, several important nutrients have been found to be low in people on keto diets.  This will be especially likely to happen when you avoid nutrient-dense meats like seafood.  Therefore, you may wish to take a multivitamin or supplements for commonly-deficient vitamins and minerals.  For example, B vitamins and vitamin D, along with calcium, magnesium, and selenium, are particularly low in keto dieters.9  Also, supplementing with dietary fiber (normally obtained from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) will be helpful to keep your gut microbiome healthy and alleviate common keto flu symptoms like constipation.10

Our Recommendation: A vegan kosher wholefood multivitamin that is certified organic, gluten free and non-gmo, such as Summit Nutritions.

Summit Nutritions Vegan Whole Food Multivitamins

[1] F Brouns. 2018. "Overweight and diabetes prevention: is a low-carbohydrate-high-fat diet recommendable?" Eur J Nutr. 57(4):1301-1312. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5959976/

[2] MC Staff. 2018. "The truth behind the most popular diet trends of the moment."Healthy Lifestyle: Weight Loss. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/the-truth-behind-the-most-popular-diet-trends-of-the-moment/art-20390062.

[3] ME Clegg. 2017. "They say coconut oil can aid weight loss, but can it really?" Eur J Clin Nutr. 71(10):1139-1143.

[4] "FoodData Central."USDA Agricultural Research Service. United States Department of Agriculture. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html.

[5] HR Katragadda, A Fullana, S Sidhu, and ÁA Carbonell-Barrachina. 2010. "Emissions of volatile aldehydes from heated cooking oils." Food Chemistry. 120(1):59-65. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814609011303

[6] M Wong, C Requejo-Jackman, and A Woolf. 2010. What is unrefined, extra virgin cold-pressed avocado oil? INFORM. American Oil Chemists' Society. (April 2010). https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/what-is-unrefined-extra-virgin-cold-pressed-avocado-oil-april-2010

[7] 2017. "Why nutritionists are crazy about nuts."Harvard Women's Health Watch. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/why-nutritionists-are-crazy-about-nuts.

[8] BC Davis and PM Kris-Etherton. 2003. "Achieving optimal essential fatty acid status in vegetarians: current knowledge and practical implications." Am J Clin Nutr. 78(3 Suppl):640s-646s. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/3/640S/4690006

[9] EH Kossoff, BA Zupec-Kania, S Auvin, KR Ballaban-Gil, AG Christina Bergqvist, R Blackford, JR Buchhalter, RH Caraballo, JH Cross, MG Dahlin, EJ Donner, O Guzel, RS Jehle, J Klepper, HC Kang, DA Lambrechts, YMC Liu, JK Nathan, DR Nordli, Jr., HH Pfeifer, JM Rho, IE Scheffer, S Sharma, CE Stafstrom, EA Thiele, Z Turner, MM Vaccarezza, E van der Louw, P Veggiotti, JW Wheless, and EC Wirrell. 2018. "Optimal clinical management of children receiving dietary therapies for epilepsy: Updated recommendations of the International Ketogenic Diet Study Group." Epilepsia Open. 3(2):175-192. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5983110/

[10] F Cavaleri and E Bashar. 2018. "Potential Synergies of β-Hydroxybutyrate and Butyrate on the Modulation of Metabolism, Inflammation, Cognition, and General Health." Journal of nutrition and metabolism. 20187195760-7195760. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/PMC5902005/

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