So, Vegan is old news. Keto is also old news. But Vegan Keto might be new to you. You’re probably a vegan who has decided to start the Keto diet. And you’re wondering if this combination is even possible, if it’s safe to do, and whether you will be able to stick to it in the long run.
Let’s go through all of these questions, one at a time.
Is the Vegan Keto Diet Possible?
While Vegan Keto is possible, it’s also going to be difficult. Because you’re going to be following two strict methods of dieting. You will have a harder time knowing what to eat to remain in ketosis while also remaining vegan, without missing all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
What Is Vegan Keto?
Simply put, it’s when a vegan person decides to do the Keto diet.
Vegan person: a person who does not eat animals’ meat nor animal’s products. (I wrote it in bold because that’s what differentiate a vegan from a vegetarian, if you confuse the two)
Keto Dieter: This is a person who gets their body into a state where it starts to burn the body’s fat to create Ketone bodies as a source of fuel. You achieve that state when you are getting your daily calories as follows:
60-70% from Fat, 25% from Protein, and 5-10% from Carbohydrates.
It’s basically high fat, moderate protein, and very low carb.
So combining these two methods of eating will have you doing “Vegan Keto”.
What Can and Can’t I Eat on Vegan Keto?
As you can imagine from what we’ve said so far, being a Vegan Keto diet will allow you to eat only what can be permitted on both these diets together.
For example, cheese is Keto-friendly, but it’s not Vegan-friendly, so it’s not allowed.
Fruits are Vegan, but since they are high in sugar, they should be limited on a Keto diet, and therefore on a Vegan Keto Diet.
To make things simpler for you, I have compiled lists of foods you can eat and foods you can not eat if you decide to go with Vegan Keto. To keep it from becoming a super-long list, I tried to only include what is most important for you to note, and by reading through them, you will grow a sense of knowing which foods you can add and which you should limit or cut out completely.
Foods To Include On Vegan Keto
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds.
- Nut Butter and Seed Butter: Peanut butter, sunflower butter, almond butter, cashew butter.
- Tofu and tempeh.
- Low-carb vegetables: Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms.
- Leafy greens: spinach, kale.
- Mushrooms
- Coconut products: Full-fat coconut milk, coconut cream, unsweetened coconut.
- Oils: Olive oil, avocado oil, MCT oil, nut oil, coconut oil.
- Vegan full-fat dairy substitutes: Coconut yogurt, coconut butter, cashew cheese, vegan cream cheese.
- Berries: Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries; in moderation.
- Avocados
- Condiments: Nutritional yeast, fresh herbs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, spices.
- Artificial Sweeteners: stevia, erythritol.
Foods To Avoid On Vegan Keto
- All Sorts of Animal Meats: beef, pork, lamp, chicken, fish, shellfish.
- Animal-based Products: dairy, eggs, whey protein powder.
- Grains: wheat, corn, rice.
- Legumes: lentils, black beans, peas.
- Sugar-based products: honey, maple syrup, candy.
- Fruit: apples, bananas, oranges and other high-sugar fruits (remember, berries are allowed)
- Starchy Vegetables: potato, beetroots, corns, cassava and sweet potatos
Is Vegan Keto Diet Safe?
Unfortunately, there are currently no studies that specifically look at Vegan Keto. However, there are studies on each of them alone proving that each can provide several health benefits. And there are dozens of anecdotes reporting amazing results when following this diet the healthy way.
I have also looked through a study that proves the multiple benefits of a low-carb (not keto) vegan diet, including relatively rapid weight loss, reductions of LDL-C and triglycerides
What concerns some people though, is that since this diet restricts a big variation of foods, it can make you deficient in some key micro and macronutrients. And in the rest of this article, we will prove to you that it doesn’t have to.
Is Vegan Keto Sustainable?
Vegan Keto is only sustainable when you study all the macro and micronutrients you need on a daily basis and try to get enough of them. If you fail to do that, you might suffer from nutrient deficiencies that will force to discontinue the diet.
The most important nutrients that are harder to get on a Vegan Keto diet are fat, protein and omega-3.
Down below, we will be addressing these macro and micronutrients that you have to make the effort to make sure you’re getting while on a Vegan Keto diet.
Omega-3:
Common foods you would normally get Omega-3 from, but can’t on Vegan Keto:
Eggs, milk, yogurt, salmon, sardines, tuna, oatmeal.
Foods rich of it that you can and should include in your diet:
- Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans and peanuts.
- Seeds: Chia seeds, ground flaxseed, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds..etc.
- Soybeans
- Oils: canola oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil.
- Tahini.
- Avocados.
- Leafy green vegetables: kale, broccoli.
- Tofu
Protein
Common foods you would normally get it from but can’t on Vegan Keto:
Eggs, chicken, dairy, fish, red meat, oats, beans, lentils.
Foods rich of protein that you can and should include in your diet:
- Tempeh
- Tofu
- Seitan
- Nuts: especially Pecans and almonds
- Seeds: Especially Chia and Hemp.
Chia Seeds, for example, packs in every ounce:
138 Calories
5g of Protein
9g of Fat
12g of Total Carbs
10g of Fiber
2g of Net Carbs
- Leafy green vegetables: kale and broccoli.
- Protein Powder: especially pea protein powder. It’s crucial for you to invest in a pea protein. This one is my absolute favorite. Click to see its current price on Amazon.
Since protein is arguably the most important nutrient on vegan keto, I have created some tables that demonstrate the protein amount of the most important vegan foods, to help you out the next time you’re doing some shopping.
| Food | Serving Size | Protein |
| Almond Milk | 1 cup (240 ml.) | 1g |
| Edamame | 100g | 17g |
| Lentils | 100g | 9g |
| Black Beans | Half cup, cooked (85g) | 7.5g |
| Chickpeas | 100g | 9g |
| Seitan | 100g | 25g |
| Tempeh/Tofu | 100g | 15g |
Some keto-friendly nuts:
| Food | Serving Size | Protein |
| Almonds | 1 ounce (28g) | 6g |
| Almond flour | 1/4 cup (25g) | 6g |
| Brazil nuts | 1 ounce (28g) | 5g |
| Cashews | 1 ounce (28g) | 4g |
| Macadamias | 1 ounce (28g) | 2g |
| Hazelnuts | 1 ounce (28g) | 6g |
| Pecans | 1 ounce (28g) | 2.7g |
| Pistachios | 1 ounce (28g) | 7.5g |
| Walnuts | 1 ounce (28g) | 4g |
Some seeds:
| Food | Serving Size | Protein |
| Chia seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 5g |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 9g |
| Sesame seeds | 2 tablespoons (18g) | 3.2g |
| Sunflower seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 6g |
| Hemp seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 9g |
Some nut & seed butters
| Food | Serving Size | Protein |
| Coconut butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 1g |
| Almond butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 3.5g |
| Cashew butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 3g |
| Macadamia butter | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 2g |
| Sunflower seed butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 2.8g |
| Tahini | 1 tablespoon (15g) | 2.6g |
Fat
Common foods you would normally get it from but can’t on Vegan Keto:
Butter, ghee, red meat, and eggs.
Foods rich of fat that you can and should include in your diet:
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut butter
- Flaxseed oil
- Olive oil
- Sesame seed oil
- MCT oil
- Walnut oil
- Almonds
- Almond butter
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Cashew butter
- Macadamias
- Macadamia butter
- Hazelnuts
- Pecans
Pecans, for example, pack in every ounce:
196 Calories
20g of Fat
3g of Protein
4g of Total Carbs
3g of Fiber
1g of Net Carbs
- Pistachios
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Sunflower seed butter
- Tahini
- Walnuts
- Avocado
And since has to be the biggest part of your plate at each meal, it can also be hard to know how to get enough of it. That’s why I have also compiled some lists to help you make the best choices next time you’re meal-prepping.
Note: I have also here added both the calorie and carbs contents.
Oils:
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | Fat | Total Carbs | Fiber | Net Carbs |
| Coconut Oil | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 120 | 13.9g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Olive oil | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 120 | 14g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Flaxseed oil | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 120 | 14g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Sesame seed oil | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 120 | 14g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| MCT oil | 1 tablespoon (15g) | 130 | 14g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
Some nuts:
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | Fat | Total Carbs | Fiber | Net Carbs |
| Almonds | 1 ounce (28g) | 165 | 14g | 6g | 3.5g | 2.5g |
| Almond flour | 1/4 cup (25g) | 150 | 11g | 6g | 3g | 3g |
| Brazil nuts | 1 ounce (28g) | 185 | 18g | 3g | 2g | 1g |
| Cashews | 1 ounce (28g) | 150 | 12g | 10g | 1g | 9g |
| Macadamias | 1 ounce (28g) | 207 | 23g | 4g | 0.5g | 1.5g |
| Hazelnuts | 1 ounce (28g) | 220 | 22g | 8g | 4g | 4g |
| Pecans | 1 ounce (28g) | 201 | 20g | 4g | 3g | 1g |
| Pistachios | 1 ounce (28g) | 150 | 12g | 7.5g | 3g | 4.5g |
| Walnuts | 1 ounce (28g) | 190 | 18g | 4g | 2g | 2g |
Some seeds:
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | Fat | Total Carbs | Fiber | Net Carbs |
| Chia seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 145 | 10g | 12g | 10g | 2g |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 180 | 14g | 4g | 3g | 1g |
| Sesame seeds | 2 tablespoons (18g) | 103 | 9g | 4g | 2g | 2g |
| Sunflower seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 160 | 15g | 6g | 3g | 3g |
| Hemp seeds | 1/4 cup (30g) | 155 | 14g | 2g | 1g | 1g |
Some nut and seed butter:
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | Fat | Total Carbs | Fiber | Net Carbs |
| Coconut butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 105 | 10.5g | 4g | 2.5g | 1.5g |
| Almond butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 98 | 9g | 3g | 1.5 | 1.5g |
| Cashew butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 94 | 8g | 4.5g | 0.5g | 4g |
| Macadamia butter | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 97 | 10g | 2g | 1g | 1g |
| Sunflower seed butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 99 | 9g | 4g | 1g | 3g |
| Tahini | 1 tablespoon (15g) | 89 | 8g | 3g | 1g | 2g |
Some coconut products:
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | Fat | Total Carbs | Fiber | Net Carbs |
| Coconut Oil | 1 tablespoon (14g) | 120 | 13.9g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Coconut butter | 1 tablespoon (16g) | 105 | 10.5g | 4g | 2.5g | 1.5g |
| Shredded Coconut | 1/4 cup (20g) | 71 | 7g | 3g | 2g | 1g |
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