The vegan diet and the keto diet are among the most practiced diets today because both of them are beneficial to our health. While the vegan diet is based on eating plant-based products, the keto diet involves eating products that are high in fat, low in carbs, and moderate in proteins.

But, what happens when vegans want to start practicing the keto diet? At first, it’s hard to imagine that this vegan-keto combination is possible because they contradict each other in terms of the food consumed. For example, when on a keto diet, you can eat eggs, cheese, a keto shake, sausages, and other products which vegans don’t eat. Vegans, on the other hand, eat vegetables and fruits which are low in fat and high in proteins. But it actually is possible. However, there are quite a few big food restrictions which might be hard to follow.

The key to a successful vegan keto diet is to adapt the traditional keto diet to the foods that vegans can eat.

Vegan Keto Diet Foods

If you are a vegan and you want to start practicing the keto diet, you should consult with a doctor or a nutritionist and plan your diet carefully. Hence, you need to know which foods you can eat and how much to eat. The key to a successful vegan keto diet is to adapt the traditional keto diet to the foods that vegans can eat. Hence, you need to know exactly which products contain the keto-suggested amount of fat, carbs, and proteins.

Fats

One of the things to need to think about is finding products that are high in fat. Since, as a vegan, you don’t eat meat, you would have to eat other products that are high in fat. However, you should keep in mind that some of the vegan meats contain carbs, so you’ll have to be careful of the amount consumed. That means you’re your major sources of fat would be foods like seeds, nuts, and oils.

Carbs

The keto diet is very strict regarding the number of carbs, allowing a maximum of 50g per day. Therefore, you need to find products that either don’t contain carbs (if possible) or contain them in a very low amount. According to this, you could eat apples, blueberries, avocados, soy, tomatoes, and leafy greens.

Proteins

The keto diet allows a medium amount of proteins. Therefore, you need to find the products which contain proteins. According to that, your sources of proteins would be seeds, nuts, and soy, and leafy greens.

The vegan keto diet is mostly based on plants, plant-derived products and unprocessed vegan foods. Focus on whole foods and avoid processed foods.

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What To Eat On A Vegan Keto Diet?

Now that we have talked about the sources of fat, carbs, and proteins, we can proceed to the next part. Having in mind that the vegan keto diet can be really confusing, we have put the foods into three categories. So, here you can find some of the foods you should avoid, the foods you should reduce, and the foods you should eat when on a vegan keto diet.

Foods you shouldn’t eat:

Dairy products: yogurt, milk, butter.
Eggs
Meat: chicken, pork, turkey.
Seafood: fish, mussels, shrimps.
Products derived from animals: honey, whey protein, egg white protein.

Foods you should reduce:

Fruits: The consumption of all fruits should be limited. You can only eat small portions of fruits like berries.
Sugary drinks: soda, juice, sports drinks, sweet tea.
Beans and legumes: chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans.
Starchy vegetables: peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets.
Grains and starches: bread, pasta, grains, rice, cereals, baked goods.
High-carb alcoholic drinks: wine, beer, sweetened cocktails.
High-carb sauces: barbeque sauce, marinades, sweetened salad dressings.
Sweeteners: white and brown sugar, maple syrup, including low-fat diet foods with added sugar.

Foods you can eat:

Berries (moderate consumption): raspberries, strawberries, blueberries.
Avocados: guacamole, whole avocados.
Nuts and seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts.
Non-starchy vegetables: leafy greens, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower.
Vegan butter: peanut butter, sunflower butter, vegan butter.
Coconut products: coconut milk and yogurt, unsweetened coconut, coconut cream.
Vegan dairy products: vegan cream cheese, cashew cheese.
Condiments: salt, pepper, fresh herbs, lemon juice, spices.
Oils: coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil.
Vegan protein sources: tempeh, full-fat tofu.

Being vegan on a keto diet is hard, but not impossible. You just need determination and time to carefully plan your diet and find the products you can eat. The vegan keto diet is mostly based on plants and plant-derived products and unprocessed vegan foods. Thus, you should focus on whole foods and avoid eating processed foods. It’s because whole foods contain all the nutrients you need to consume, are rich in slow-digesting carbs, and help you maintain your energy longer.

Have you tried the Vegan Keto Diet?

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