An Introduction to the Vegan Keto Diet
Combining two seemingly opposite nutrition protocols
Can you successfully follow a vegan keto diet?
This is the question I was asking myself after I decided to switch back to keto.
I have already followed a vegan diet in my 20’s from 2006 — to 2010. It was a high-carb, whole foods diet, and I adopted it mainly for environmental reasons. In an attempt to heal my at times severe IBS symptoms, I started to eat meat again in 2010 and went down the keto rabbit hole pretty quickly. I even adopted a carnivore diet in 2013 and stayed on it for around 2 years.
For the past 5 years, I had periods of eating a mixed diet, vegan, low-carb, and carnivore, and made the following observations:
- A lot of physical symptoms resolve on keto or low carb. I have less joint pain, IBS symptoms reduce drastically, and I am free of hypoglycemic episodes.
- Emotionally I feel best on a vegan diet. I can not pinpoint why, though. I don’t think eating meat is “bad” or that I am a “bad” human for eating animal products. I grew up on a farm, and slaughter festivals were a common occurrence in my childhood.
So I decided to start an experiment and try to implement a vegan keto diet.
I would simply combine my knowledge of vegan eating with my knowledge of keto eating and create a guide for myself and others who want to give it a go.
Today, I am sharing a short version of this guide in the form of this article. Enjoy 😉
The basics of a vegan keto diet
Definition of a vegan diet
Before we go any further, let me clarify the word vegan. I use the term as it was initially defined by The Vegan Society in 1944.
And that means a diet completely devoid of animal products. No meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and no honey.
Sometimes I hear people say, “I eat vegan, but I will have [insert any animal product here] every now and then.” Sorry but you are not eating vegan then.
Usually, a vegan diet is high in carbohydrates due to various factors.
I believe that one aspect is that high-carb diets have been pushed as the optimal diet for the past decades. The second factor is that all whole food plant foods contain some carbohydrates.
While vegan junk foods were non-existent when I started this diet in South Africa in 2006, plenty of vegan processed food options are available today.
You will find mock meats, cheeses, ice cream, and complete vegan ready-to-eat meals in your grocery store. This makes it easier for many people to transition to a vegan diet.
However, most of these products are not healthy, and I have always avoided them.
Like any dietary protocol you follow, you can decide to pay attention to food quality or simply follow a few basic guidelines without considering how your choices may influence your health.
People choose to follow a vegan diet mainly for two reasons:
- They believe that animal fat and protein are harmful to humans and a plant-based diet is the healthiest diet to follow.
- They have ethical or environmental concerns. This was my primary catalyst for adopting a vegan diet many years ago. I read the UN’s report “livestock’s long shadow.” I concluded that eating vegan is the only logical choice for me if I wanted to reduce my ecological footprint as much as possible.
Definition of a keto diet
The word keto gets thrown around a lot without regard for what the term actually means. Sometimes people say “keto” when they, in fact, mean “low-carb.”
What’s the difference? Simple. A proper ketogenic diet reduces the amount of carbohydrates you eat so much that it puts your body in a state of nutritional ketosis.
Achieving ketosis is the primary goal of the ketogenic diet.
Low-carb diets, in the general sense, don’t have this primary goal. Many approaches keep carbohydrates in a range that is still low compared to the standard western diet. However, they don’t keep carbohydrates low enough to switch your body from being primarily a sugar burner to being mainly a fat burner.
On a ketogenic diet, you generally stay below 50 g of total carbs per day. More liberal low-carb diets allow for 50–150g of carbs per day.
However, these are just guidelines. How many carbs you can consume and stay in nutritional ketosis depends on your health history and activity levels.
The general macronutrient breakdown of a ketogenic diet is as follows:
- 20–30% protein
- 70–80% of fat
- 5% or less of carbs
Compared to that, a low-carb diet puts less emphasis on fat and often includes more protein. Low-carb diets are less restrictive than true ketogenic diets.
Many people, myself included, experience the health benefits of a ketogenic diet. However, many health benefits can already be obtained by following a moderately low-carb diet that doesn’t put your body in nutritional ketosis.
An interesting aside is that in the “Vegan-Atkins” study, participants in the low-carb group ate around 26% of their calories as carbohydrates. Hence we can consider it a low-carb diet, not a ketogenic diet.
This, however, is the only study that I know of that looked at a vegan, low-carb approach. Please let me know in the comments or send me a message if you know any others 😃
What to eat and not to eat on a vegan keto diet
Aside from the general macronutrient guidelines, you need to consider a few things before starting a keto-vegan diet.
First of all, focus on whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible. Stay clear of fake meats or fake cheeses where the ingredient list reads like an essay.
That is not to say you should not include any processed foods. I personally have protein powders and soy yogurt. Sometimes I even indulge in some Tofu sausages of high quality and have a short ingredient list made up of “real” food.
Now let’s look at the 3 macronutrients and how to design a vegan menu that fits within the ketogenic guidelines.
Carbohydrates
Restricting carbohydrates might be the most difficult challenge on a vegan ketogenic diet. Almost all plant foods contain at least some carbohydrates. Limiting them on a vegan diet is more complicated than on a ketogenic diet that includes animal products.
However, that is not to say that it’s impossible to limit your carbohydrate on a vegan diet enough to achieve ketosis.
Focus on green leafy vegetables, above-ground vegetables, and mushrooms. When eating nuts and seeds, check their carb count. Some are high in carbs, like pistachios and cashews.
In contrast, others are pretty low in carbs, such as macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, or sesame seeds. I recommend sticking to low-carb fruit, such as avocado, olives, and tomatoes when it comes to fruit. A few berries here and there might work as well.
Protein
“But where do you get your protein?” This is a common question asked by nutritionally non-savvy non-vegans when they find out you’re eating a vegan diet.
Contrary to popular belief, getting enough protein on a vegan diet is possible and not overly complicated.
However, when you decide to eat a high-fat, low-carb vegan diet, you’re taking out the primary protein sources of a more mainstream vegan diet. Those protein sources are legumes and whole grains.
Vegetables and fruit have so little protein that it’s not enough to fulfill your daily protein needs without overshooting your carbohydrate target count.
Nuts and seeds have more protein, but they also have a comparatively high carb count. For example, 100g of cashews have 15 g of protein and 25 g of carbohydrate. Macadamia nuts are often touted as the best nuts for a ketogenic diet due to their low carb count and fatty acid composition. They have 8g of protein and 13 g of carbs per 100 g.
But don’t despair. You have options.
The most obvious choice for increasing your protein intake without eating too many carbs is Tofu. I love Tofu because it’s versatile, and you can use it in savory and sweet recipes. Your best bet is to buy plain Tofu and leave the mock meats for special occasions.
Another great option is vegan protein powder. You can find a variety of blends and flavors. I like to mix it with coconut milk, make vegan protein fluff or use it for pancakes and keto energy bars.
I prefer to have a protein blend without soy to get a mix of various protein sources and don’t rely on soy for my protein needs.
Fats
Recently, plant fats have gotten a bad rap in some keto circles, especially in the carnivore world.
As always, it’s best to keep an open mind, avoid dogma, and think critically.
While I agree that processed seed oils are probably not something you want in your diet, you can enjoy a variety of plant fats without putting your health at risk.
The best fats on a keto vegan diet are coconut, avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, and cocoa butter. I especially love coconut and use various products, from coconut oil to coconut butter and coconut milk. Y
ou can also include MCT oil or MCT oil powder in your diet. I like it because it has no taste and is perfect for dishes where you want to add some fat without carbs and protein. It is an excellent alternative to olive or coconut oil since it doesn’t influence the taste of a meal.
Final considerations and remarks
A vegan keto diet is maybe one of the most restrictive diets you could follow. If you decide to try it, I recommend tracking your food for the first days or even weeks to get your macronutrient ratios right.
Of course, this article is a superficial overview.
I left many topics out, such as the adaptation to a ketogenic diet, possibly increased protein needs for vegan eaters and athletes, whether soy is safe, or the risks of micronutrient deficiencies on a vegan diet.
Future articles will deal with these topics in depth.
I will also detail the results, challenges, and lessons learned from my keto vegan self-experiment, so stay tuned 😉
Disclaimer: None of this is medical advice. I’m not a doctor. This article is based on my knowledge acquired through various certifications and self-experiments. Consult with your health professional before making any diet changes.