Vegan Ketogenic Diet: Everything you need to know

Tandem Fitness 11 min. of reading Diets Leave a comment

In this article we explain how to follow a Keto Vegan Diet: which foods are allowed and which are not, what supplements are recommended… We tell you everything!

Index

1 Keys for following a Ketogenic diet
2 What is the vegan keto diet?
3 How can you follow a vegan diet?
4 Benefits of the vegan keto diet
5 Does this type of keto diet have possible side effects?
6 Supplements for a keto-vegan diet
7 Vegan Keto Recipe
8 Recipe Tips: Courgette Spaghetti with Tofu and Guacamole
9 Ingredients
10 How to make: Courgette Spaghetti with Tofu and Guacamole

Keys for following a Ketogenic diet

At the outset I would like to say that any diet that systematically excludes a macronutrient requires a greater commitment than one that is more permissive, especially in this case where carbohydrates are very limited.

By this I do not mean that it is a poorly planned or unhealthy diet, I simply mean that excluding many foods often leads to problems with adherence, especially in the long term.

Personally, whenever I have been on a ketogenic diet, I have always thought of it as something temporary, as part of a broader process, usually in stages of definition and always understanding very well what I was doing.

In my case I’m a big fan of bread and although at the beginning it was quite difficult, with time you get used to it and as the sensations were quite good I used to endure without much problem.

In this type of diet it is essential to be very clear what goes in and what doesn’t, and to play with the food you have available.

In the case of the keto-vegan diet the possibilities are much reduced as a “normal” ketogenic diet usually works very well on meat, fatty fish, whole milk, eggs…

But we can still opt for other types of food that give us the same consistency and allow us to enter ketosis such as avocado, nuts, coconut, olive oil … is obviously more complicated and restrictive but can also be very interesting.

What is the vegan keto diet?

A keto-vegan diet is a ketogenic diet in which food selection is followed on a vegan basis, i.e. it does not use foods of animal origin.

In this case, and as I mentioned earlier, it would be without meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, etc.

A keto-vegan diet is a diet where the major source of energy comes from fat, using ketone bodies as an energy currency, and which keeps carbohydrates at a very low level.

Avocado will be a “star” food in the keto-vegan diet.

One of the main objectives is to improve what is known as “metabolic flexibility” and if you are in a process of losing fat improve satiety with a similar or greater deficit than other low-calorie diets.

It is important to say in this regard that although the ketogenic diet has been shown to be very useful in certain situations, such as for the treatment of people with epileptic seizures, in terms of performance it has been shown to be inferior to “high carbs” and many studies still need to be carried out to understand its application and benefits.

How can you follow a vegan diet?

What foods I can eat and which ones to avoid

The foods that can be eaten are: rich in fats; coconut, olive or linseed oils, avocado, nuts, coconut, seeds…

Almond flour is an excellent food for the Keto Vegan diet. If you want to go deeper, visit this link.

As for carbohydrates

Vegetables preferably less rich in carbohydrates such as: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, courgette, mushrooms, pepper, green beans…

Do not abuse: onion, carrot, beet and avoid foods such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and of course cereals in general.

As far as fruits are concerned, we would choose avocado, olives, coconut, which provide fat, and other fruits that, at the micronutrient level, will help us ensure that our diet is not deficient, such as strawberries (red fruits in general) or tomatoes, etc.

Some should be moderated such as: plums, watermelon, oranges…
We should avoid: apples, pears, kiwis, pineapples, bananas and of course juices or dried fruits.

Courgettes are also widely consumed in the keto-vegan diet.

In this section it is important to differentiate between net and total carbohydrates: we are interested in counting the carbohydrates without the fibre as it hardly provides any calories and is necessary for the correct functioning of the organism.

About proteins

In this case it is complicated for a vegan to eliminate the legumes since they usually form part of the base of his diet, but by providing some ⅔ parts of hydrates we are not interested, ignoring the products derived from soya.

Here we would add tofu, tempeh, seitan to raise the protein and also add some protein isolate supplement to ensure that minimum contribution necessary not to lose muscle mass.

If you want to buy HSN’s Isolated Soy Protein click aquí.

In the case of vegans, textured soya should be avoided, for example, which has an average carbohydrate content and most legumes.

Other advice for keto vegans

Among the most important tips:

It is necessary to complete the correct transition stages, especially when changing from a ketogenic diet to one with a moderate or high intake of carbohydrates, as otherwise we can gain the weight lost and spoil part of the previous process.
They should not neglect hydration and the supply of electrolytes, as these can be excreted at a higher level, simply by supplying them through the diet, but if this is not the case they can be supplemented.
Use intermittent fasting to maximise satiety and, if you are well disposed, progressively increase it as the calorie deficit increases to improve fat loss.
Do not become obsessed with good or bad foods, but simply understand that in this process there are more suitable foods and others that are less suitable but that in a “normal” diet would have a perfect place.

The premise for not getting out would be protein with vegetables and fat and throwing a lot of imagination or rather resignation 😉

And finally, if you are a vegan and you are on a keto diet eating out becomes a problem, because if eating out at a non-vegan restaurant becomes complicated, doing so on this type of diet becomes almost mission impossible

Benefits of the vegan keto diet

There are many supposed benefits of ketogenic diets and if we let ourselves be led by some internet “gurus” it can be the solution to all the ills of humanity…

But without going that far, certain benefits can be guaranteed with a lot of studies to back them up:

Reduction of hunger

As the keto diet is higher in fat, satiety is usually one of the first things we notice when we do it.

With the same number of calories as on a conventional diet the feeling of hunger is much less.

Hence, the calorie deficit may be more pronounced and fat loss greater.

Not because the keto diet is magic and more fat is lost for the sake of it, although there are studies that claim this, there are others that find no significant differences when calories are equalized.

Mental clarity

Some people apply this strategy at exam time, after adaptation of course, and a more stable energy throughout the day, without noticing “downturns” or increases depending on the time or previous food intake.

This is mainly due to having a more stable insulin level than when ingesting carbohydrates.

Going further at the physiological level, the improvement of insulin resistance, the reduction of generalised inflammation, the reduction of oxidative stress and an improvement in mitochondrial biogenesis are often highlighted.

Does this type of keto diet have possible side effects?

Can I suffer from any health problems?

The side effects of a keto diet, in healthy people, usually don’t go beyond bad breath for a while, usually the first few days, or stronger sweating.

But if there are people for whom this type of diet is contraindicated, or if it is taken, it should be controlled.

In this section we find children or teenagers in the growth stage or for pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding.
There are also people who are simply not good responders to this type of diet, either because of some polymorphism or basic problem
If you suffer from a disease such as diabetes, it is not that you can’t do it, but that a medical check-up is recommended to avoid problems.

Keto Fever or Keto Flu

If you start a keto diet and you feel like you have the flu (fatigue or lethargy, dizziness, lack of concentration, irritability…) it is probably because you are still at that stage of adaptation.

Normally this can last for a few days but should go away soon, if you notice that it stays longer it can be a problem of dehydration or lack of electrolytes and adding a pinch of salt usually improves it.

Worse ability to rest or recover

You can also notice that the rest is worse the first days and that the deficit and the not being adapted makes the cortisol rise, some time and patience.

In addition to controlling electrolytes, our intake of magnesium in particular, and not going over the initial restriction, is usually the solution.

Lack of Fibre

Another relatively common problem is constipation and that reducing carbohydrates does not mean eliminating them altogether, especially when it comes to fibre.

Vegetables and fruit are essential, so we should simply choose the ones we are most interested in, never eliminate them.

Supplements for a keto-vegan diet

The only essential supplement in this type of diet is Vitamin B12.

As with any vegan or vegetarian diet, we have a number of interesting options that can help us supplement our diet according to our goal.

Protein

I mentioned earlier that it could be very interesting in order to keep the amount of protein adequate to add some supplement as a protein isolate, be it soya, pea or hemp. You can find them here.

But we must also be careful not to overdo it, as protein is insulinotropic and can generate insulin peaks which, although brief and insignificant, could hinder ketosis.

Creatine

Creatine would be another option to consider.

Apart from its many virtues, which I will not detail here, because it could cause us to divert from the point, especially in the first weeks, that lack of muscle glycogen in order to maintain performance.

HSN received the Certified Best Seller Creapure. Here are all of the details.

Energy

Another very interesting option while in ketosis is the medium chain fatty acids, a fast source of energy that would allow us to improve performance.

In this sense we would also find caffeine, together with creatine one of the most studied supplements and with more evidence.

Recently it has also become fashionable to supplement them with ketones or ketone bodies as their results look promising in terms of improving performance, although studies are still lacking, as with fat burning. You have more information in this article.

Vegan Keto Recipe

A recipe that I found very interesting, satiating and at the same time eye-catching, yes, sight also influences us at lunch time, is courgette spaghetti with tofu and guacamole.

Recipe Tips: Courgette Spaghetti with Tofu and Guacamole

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Portion size: 1 Plate
Number of servings: 1
Cooking style: American

Ingredients

2 courgettes
1 avocado
200g Tofu Olive oil
1 onion
1 tomato
1 lemon
Salt

Nutritional Information per serving
Calories:	615kcal
Fat:	47,4g
of which saturates:	6,3g
Carbohydrates:	20,8g
of which sugars:	4,7g
Fiber:	10,7g
Proteins:	26,4g
Salt:	4,2g

How to make: Courgette Spaghetti with Tofu and Guacamole

The first step is to wash the courgettes well and cut the tips off.
With the spiralizer we take out the strips, in case we don't have spiralizer we can use a peeler.
Then cut the firm tofu into small cubes and sautee; it in the frying pan with the chosen spices. Personally I used for this recipe the same spices as for pizza (oregano, basil...)
Then I would add some pepper and salt and a dash of oil.
For the guacamole: dice the avocado, onion and tomato; add a dash of lemon and salt. Crush well until you get an even and creamy texture.

It’s already more than tasty, but when I wanted something splendid I used to add homemade guacamole to give me the feeling of eating a good plate of pasta with its sauce and everything.

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Review Vegan Keto Diet

Main Keto Foods - 100%

Allowed and Not Allowed - 100%

Supplements - 100%

Recipe - 100%

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HSN Evaluation: 5 /5