Is a Vegan Ketogenic Diet Possible?

It’s not often that you hear someone say, “I’m on a vegan ketogenic diet!” Low carb diets are often scorned in the high carb low fat vegan community – after all, low carbers only eat meat, and carbs make the world turn round. So, a low carb vegan diet would seem impossible.

However, this isn’t the case at all! I was first introduced to the low carb world while vegan, and actually found it really easy to adapt my current diet to be low carb. Hopefully the following info helps you to do the same.

Determine Your Daily Carbs on a Vegan Ketogenic Diet

While conventional keto rules say to start at 20g of net carbs a day, vegan ketoers may find that 30g of net carbs is a little closer to an achievable goal. It really boils down to this – plant foods tend to all have a little carbohydrate in them, whereas animal products do not.

Yes, you can just pour oil into your mouth all day, every day. But…that’s really, really boring. It’s also not sustainable for most people in the long term. So, increasing the target number of carbs just a little bit can be pretty beneficial to your tastebuds, and your sanity. I’ve worked with clients who can maintain ketosis while eating up to 50g of net carbs some days and a daily average of 30-40g. So, there’s certainly wiggle room.

Of course, it’s still possible to eat 20g of net carbohydrates per day (back to drinking oil), so if you really want to limit carbohydrates, you have an option there.

Don’t Count Too Much in the Beginning

This is counterintuitive, as carb counting seems integral to the whole process. But counting is really not necessary, especially when you’re first starting out and getting the hang of things. You’ll want to make sure you’re used to eating a good variety of foods, and that this is a sustainable and satisfying way of eating for you. So many people start a keto diet by jumping in head first, end up feeling terrible and craving all their favorite foods, and quitting before any real results can happen.

You might want to spend the first few days eating until you’re satisfied without counting carbs or calories too closely. Then, once you’ve settled into a meal rhythm, start counting (or not, if being fancy free is working!).

Oils and Fats

This is a vegan keto freebie. All oils are low in carbs and super fatty. You’ll definitely want to have a good quality bottle of olive oil on hand, and a jar of good quality coconut oil. Why the emphasis on quality? Lesser quality oils will have likely gone rancid on store shelves, and can be damaging to your body. Be sure to purchase olive oil in a dark glass bottle, or even a metal container. Coconut oil is more stable, but both should be extra virgin and cold pressed for the highest quality, and most nutrients.

And yes, oils contain vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals when they’re not processed to high heaven.

To go right to the source, and get more nutritional value, eating foods like coconut, avocado and olives is also great!

Get to Know Nuts & Seeds

If you’ve decided to embark on a vegan ketogenic diet, you’ll really want to familiarize yourself with nuts. Containing both fat and protein, nuts are filling and delicious. Plus, nuts are lower in carbs than many other plant based foods.

Net carbs in nuts & seeds (g/oz)

• Flax seeds: .5g
• Pecans: 1.1g
• Brazil nuts: 1.3g
• Macadamia nuts: 1.5g
• Chia seeds: 1.7g
• Walnuts: 1.9g
• Coconut (dried): 2g
• Pumpkin seeds: 2.2g
• Hazelnuts: 2.3g
• Sesame seeds: 2.6g
• Almonds: 2.9g
• Sunflower seeds: 3.7g
• Peanuts: 3.8g
• Pistachios: 5.8g
• Cashews: 8.5g

And yes, I know peanuts are technically a legume, but they work here. Pistachios and cashews are pretty high in carbs for nuts, but I still included them because it’s good to know. Also, they’re both so tasty… Odds are, you’re going to want them sometime.

Low Carb Veggies – Get Your Greens!

While low carb dieters often go a bit lighter on the veggies, for fear of going over too much on carbs, there’s really no need! Greens are actually incredibly low in carbs, and their nutrients actually become more bioavailable when cooked, and consumed with fat. So, you basically have to sauté those collard greens in garlic and olive oil. For science.

Most greens will be between .2-.5g/cup when raw, so about 2-4g net carbs per cup when cooked. Not bad at all! Feel free to check out a more complete list of low carb veggies (and reasons to eat veggies), but here is a small sampling to get you started:

Carbs of Various Greens (grams of net carbs per cup):

• Mustard greens: .2g
• Raw Spinach: .2g
• Bok Choi: .4g
• Endive: .4g
• Lettuce: .4g
• Broccoli florets: 1.6g
• Cauliflower: 1.8g
• Cucumber: 2g
• Green cabbage: 2.2g

Can You Eat Fruit on Keto?

Of course you can! I mean, technically, you can eat anything that isn’t an animal product on a vegan ketogenic diet, but I know that’s not what you’re asking! Basically, fruits are pretty sugary, so you’ll want to steer clear of most and eat mainly berries. This is great anyway, as berries tend to be more nutrient dense. So, win-win.

There is plenty more information about eating fruit on keto, but hopefully this short list provides a good start.

Carb Count of Selected Fruits and Berries (grams net carbs per 1/4 cup):

• Raspberries: 1.5g
• Strawberries: 1.8g
• Blackberries: 2.1g
• Watermelon: 2.6g
• Pineapple: 3.8g
• Blueberries: 4.1g
• Cherries: 4.2g

Low Carb Protein Sources for a Vegan Ketogenic Diet

“But, where do you get your pro–” I’m going to stop you right there. If you’ve been vegetarian or vegan for any reasonable amount of time, you’ve probably realized that there’s protein in basically everything. So, getting enough protein on a vegan ketogenic diet isn’t really a big deal.

If you’re looking to consume a little bit more protein than the average vegan keto bear, there are plenty of low carb vegan protein powders on the market (I’m obsessed with Vega). You can also find a variety of low carb meat substitutes (article coming soon!).

For now, we’ll talk about whole food low carb plant sources of some extra protein. Aside from nuts and seeds (which tend to have between 2-7g per serving), your choices are a little more limited than with other food categories. Protein tends to come packaged with carbs in nature.

Low Carb Plant-Based Protein Sources (g protein | g net carbs | serving size):

• Tofu: 10g | 1.9g | 1/2 cup cubes
• Soybeans (mature, yellow): 14g | 3.5g | 1/2 cup
• Soybeans (edamame, green): 11g | 6g | 1/2 cup
• Peas: 5g | 9g | 2/3 cup
• Soybeans (dry roasted): 17g | 10.5g | 1/2 cup
• Spinach (frozen): 4g | 1g | 1 cup

Pretty much all greens and mushrooms contain large proportions of protein, and are relatively low in carbs. So, this is another great place to look for some extra protein on a vegan ketogenic diet.

Low Carb Vegan Desserts

This is the site for you! Basically, take a look at the low carb vegan recipe archives here, to find keto friendly recipes without eggs, dairy, honey or any other animal products. Win!

For more information on vegan keto diets, as well as meal plans and recipes, check out my ebook!