Keto vegan diet food list is mostly thought and presented to be a high-fat non-vegan diet plan. Most of the time, influencers and food bloggers also try to experiment and explore the nonveg keto diet plans like fish and the shellfish keto diet, dairy or poultry ketogenic diet, or ketogenic diet centered on meat. But in this scenario, many people question ‘is there a vegan keto diet’ if yes, ‘how to start a vegan keto diet?’
Yes, whether you believe it or not, you can follow a keto-vegan diet, although keto and vegan seem to be two different diet plans. In this article, we will focus on some of the meal plans for the vegan keto diet and a simple plant-based keto vegan food list to replace non-vegan ketogenic proteins and fats with low carbs. This keto vegan food list will help you to prepare a keto vegan meal plan and will be a helping hand for beginners to kick start their vegan keto diet journey for weight loss or being healthy.
Table of Contents
What is a vegan keto diet?
The keto vegan diet or ketogenic vegan diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carb diet that entails eating vegetable-based products only. Those who want to go for a ‘vegan keto diet’ must stick to plant-based foods and consume a particular ratio of fat, protein, and carbs. Mainly substitute animal products with plant-based foods to achieve the 4:1 ratio of the classic ketogenic diet [4].
This diet plan is effective for losing weight quickly for vegans since the carbs are restricted to 50g/day, which leads to the induction of ketosis. In addition, vegan and keto diets have immense health benefits, making the ‘vegan keto diet’ concoction a perfect recipe for weight loss and health.
How to deal with carbs in vegan keto foods?
A lot of people have misconceptions that the ketogenic diet is a no-carb diet. To achieve “Zero-carb diets,” people eat meat, egg, and some oils in contrast to a vegan diet.
But the fact is, carbs are not the devil’s; especial the fibers are also a form of carb which is equally as important as protein to keep you fuller for longer, have fewer calories, and responsible for good gut health. In addition, people do have room for 40 to 50 g of carbs/day in their ketogenic meal plan [1].
Thus, there is no need to panic about the carbs you will get through vegan keto foods like leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflowers, celery, cucumbers, and radishes. The nutrients you get from these will is good enough to outweigh the downsides of getting a few extra grams of net carbs [1].
Quick guidelines for beginners to start a vegan keto diet.
The common question that revolves in the mind of the beginners of the vegan keto diet is what to include in the shopping list, which is plant-based and can fulfill all the requirements of the keto diet. Let’s quickly review the vegan keto food list, which will provide fats, proteins, micronutrients, macronutrients, and fewer carbs.
Sources of fat for the vegan keto diet.
The requirement for the vegan keto diet is to have a good amount of all kinds of fatty acids. Although meat and fish are considered ideal, a wide range of Nuts, oils, and other plant-based fat-rich foods can provide fats for a keto vegan diet and have a broad fatty acid composition with varied biological impacts [3].
Common sources of fats in plant-based foods for the vegan keto diet [3]:
Nuts: Pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, and pecans.
Oils: corn oil, castor oil, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, palm oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, plant-based fat
Seeds: Flax seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and so on
Fruits and other foods: Avocados, Soybeans, corn, Kidney beans, plantains, Carissa natal plum, custard-apple, and so on.
The concern mainly lies in the case of essential fatty acids such as Omega-3 fatty acids, which are predominantly present in fish oils. Nonetheless, Flax seeds (22.8g/100g), chia seeds, Sacha inchi seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts are rich sources of omega-3 as well as omega-6.
The fats from the plant-based source are also suitable for the gut and overall body health; for instance, the linolenic acid derived from plant source is utilized by different gut bacteria to produce conjugate linoleic acid (CLA) which has anti-inflammatory, anti-adipogenic, anti-diabetogenic, and anti-carcinogenic properties [2].
Sources of protein for the vegan keto diet.
Most of the nuts and seeds are high in fat and protein; thus, food items made up of them are ideally suited for the vegan keto diet.
Moreover, it’s not wrong to say that you can get protein “from everywhere,” meaning there are tons of plant foods that are sufficient to cover the optimum level of protein requirement. For example, grains, nuts, seeds, beans, mushrooms, greens, and veggies are readily available and can be consumed daily to meet protein requirements.
The only tricky situation arises when you try to get a complete profile of all essential amino acids since most plant-based foods contain all nine amino acids, but some are present in trace amounts.
In contrast to an animal product diet, vegan keto diet planners must mix and match a wide range of available veg and fruits to get a complete profile of essential amino acids at optimum concentration [3].
Other food items popular in the keto vegan diet.
Spirulina: is essential in the keto vegan diet to full fill the requirement of B-complex vitamins, iron, and magnesium, which is also low in carbs and high levels of protein [5].
Nutritional yeast: generally, animal products are a rich source of Vitamin B12; thus, vegan people are found to be deficient. The nutritional yeast, called ‘Nooch,’ is the substitute for animal-based vit B12. Mainly it tastes like cheese and can be used as plant-based yeast and sauces [5].
Plant-based milk: Although dairy milk is considered part of their diet in the vegetarian community, vegans categorize dairy milk as animal protein and thus prohibit it. Therefore, soy milk and soy products like Tofu, almond milk, oat milk, etc., are extremely popular in the vegan keto or vegan community [5].
Which food can’t be eaten in a keto vegan diet?
Since only specific foods are picked that fit in the rule books of both keto and vegan diets, many vegan-friendly and keto-friendly favorites are prohibited in the vegan keto diet meal plan.
Specifically, all the animal products, sea foods, and dairy products that are super food under the ketogenic diet are not allowed to consume under the ketogenic vegan diet.
Whereas,
Fruits like bananas and apples
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and yams
Grains like wheat, rice, and corn
Natural sweeteners such as maple syrup and agave
Legumes like black beans and lentils
Some of the plant-based vegan-friendly food items are a big no in the case on the vegan keto diet shopping list [4].
Conclusion
The vegan keto diet is an induction of plant-based ketosis. Along with helping to lose weight faster, it also prevents us from various diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc., associated with animal product consumption [6]. But the person willing to follow the keto vegan diet must be cautious since many items might be suitable for vegan or keto but unsuitable for the vegan keto diet.
Frequently asked questions
Can you be vegan and Keto at the same time?
Yes, you can, although it becomes challenging for some since you must be vegan and ketogenic at the same time and find the typical food list that follows the vegan and keto criteria.
What are vegan keto protein bars?
Vegan keto protein bars contain up to 21g of keto-friendly fat, a modest amount of 8g of proteins, and chocolate with no added sugar.
