Keto diet menu for vegans:
Have you ever heard of the ketogenic diet? Most likely, yes. Sometimes it uses its English name “ketogenic diet” (ketogenic diet), the expression “ketogenic diet” or “ketogenic diet”. But what exactly is the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate diet, consisting mainly of high-fat foods. In other words: you eat a lot of fat and reduce your carbohydrate intake as much as possible.
The keto diet is similar to low-carb diets (the Atkins diet, for example) in many ways.
However, there is a difference between ketogenic and low-carb diets:
The low-carb diet, as the name suggests, is primarily about avoiding carbohydrates.
The ketogenic diet advocates a diet rich in lipids to stimulate fat burning. Significantly reduces carbohydrate intake and replaces it with large amounts of fat
we tell you the foods that you can include in your usual table and 27 recipes to consume them.
Although it has sometimes been associated with foods of animal origin, this way of eating can also be adapted to plant-based meal plans – including vegan diets.
Vegan diets exclude all animal products, making it difficult to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates.
However, by planning carefully, vegans can reap the potential benefits of the ketogenic diet.
This article explains what to eat and what to avoid on a vegan ketogenic diet and provides you with a week-long vegan keto menu.
What is the vegan ketogenic diet?
Currently almost everyone, eating a more or less healthy diet, eats carbohydrates. And even more so if we eat a vegan diet, where the% of carbohydrates is usually even higher.
The healthy carbohydrates would be fruits, vegetables, natural sweeteners, legumes, whole grains … Unhealthy or refined carbohydrates would be refined sugars, white flour present in bread, buns, pasta, cookies and other sweets and processed foods. In other words, we could say that most of us have always obtained energy from carbohydrates.
In order to understand the ketogenic diet, let’s see how this fuel works at the energy level in our body . Carbohydrates are stored for a maximum of two days since they take up a lot of space and need water to retain them.
They give us energy very quickly, but they are not energy efficient, since each gram of carbohydrates has 4 kCal and needs 3 g of water to stabilize it. (1125 g between water and carbohydrates for a 1,500 kCal diet) If we compare it with fat, this would be more efficient when it comes to saving energy (9 kCal / gram), that is to say only 167 g.
As in our life, we have always had an abundance of food and carbohydrates, we have NEVER had to use this fat as fuel, so we store fat that later our body does not know how to use, because it has lost that capacity and we gain weight.
Vegan foods suitable for a keto diet
The carbohydrates should be reduced to the maximum in a keto or ketogenic diet in order to use as fuel for the day, stored fats. Thus, the daily diet is mainly based on proteins and fats.
For this reason, it is a very common diet among omnivores and possible also among vegetarians who consume eggs and dairy. And although its implementation is less frequent in vegans, we must know that there are many 100% plant-based foods allowed on the keto diet.
As sources of protein, we can use, for example, tofu, seitan, dried algae and peanuts or peanut butter, while to obtain good fats we can use nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and peanuts as well as derivatives of these.
You can also include in a keto diet minimal amounts of some vegetables, fruits or vegetables that are rich in protein and have fewer carbohydrates, such as cabbages, spinach, cucumber or others.
The pulses are not generally admitted in the keto diet because they provide carbohydrates to be reduced to the maximum, therefore, soy and its derivatives such as TVP are not supported in the keto diet, because although offers many proteins, it also provides hydrates.
Thus, the keto diet in vegans becomes more limited than in vegetarians, but we must know that it is not impossible to do.
Read also: The best keto foods list pdf
The best vegan dishes, ideal for a keto diet
Taking into account the aforementioned, we show you some ideal vegan dishes to follow a keto diet and lose weight:
- Quick stir fry of tofu and kale with sesame in which we recommend reducing the amount of kale per serving to ensure fewer carbohydrates that allow us to preserve the state of ketosis.
- Seitan in pepper sauce which is the main dish very protein. We advise eliminating the wine from the recipe.
- Crispy seed crackers that offer a minimum amount of carbohydrates that we can reduce even more (if we wish) by eliminating the oats from the challenge. It is an ideal option for breakfast or snacks.
- Toasted pumpkin seeds or seeds that we can savor between meals or, add to an avocado-based salad for example.
- Vegan tofu scramble in which we advise avoiding white wine and tomato concentrate to reduce the possibility of interrupting the ketosis that the keto diet seeks.
- Cajun-spiced grilled tofu that can be served with avocado, olives, or a small amount of fresh kale.
- Vegan sugar-free chocolate pudding, made from tofu and in which we recommend replacing the date with sweeteners, as well as making sure that all the ingredients are without added sugar.
- Keto chocolate avocado cupcakes, super easy and quick because they are made in the microwave.
- Olive oil spreadable cream, ideal to add to breakfasts or snacks with a keto cookie such as the crackers shown above.
- Sauteed firm tofu that is a basic recipe that we can add to any preparation.
- Microwave fried almonds, full of healthy and satisfying fats, recommended for an aperitif.
- Creamy chocolate and avocado, advisable for dessert but we must avoid syrup or honey and instead we can use sweeteners.
- Roasted nuts with curry, recommended for the aperitif and in which we must avoid the brown sugar in the recipe.
- Peanut or dried fruit cream, with which we can dress or spread some preparation.
- Black olive tapenade, which is a vegan option if we eliminate the anchovies and obtain with it many quality fats.
- Seaweed and Chinese mushroom soup, very light and in which we must eliminate the sugar to make it suitable for a keto diet.
- Seitan with almond sauce recommended for the main dish with proteins and healthy fats.
Preparations based on nuts and seeds
- Roasted pumpkin seeds or seeds: a perfect snack to have on hand or to add a crunchy texture to a salad while obtaining fiber, healthy fats and vegetable proteins.
- Vegan chocolate and chia mousse: bypassing the maple syrup and cocoa nibs, and using sweeteners instead, we can achieve a recipe based on coconut milk and chia seed ideal for a dessert or breakfast.
- Crispy seed and oat crackers: for breakfast or a snack, these seed-based crackers are especially an excellent option and in which we can reduce the oats if we wish.
- Almond and peanut butter: ideal to combine with the previous recipe for breakfast or a snack.
- Curried toasted nuts: without adding the sugar in the recipe, these nuts are rich in antioxidants and fiber, they are easily filling and can be eaten as an aperitif or as a healthy snack between meals.
Don’t miss: vegetarian low carb recipes
Recipes with tofu and seitan
- Tofu with cauliflower in curry sauce: we recommend reducing the proportion of vegetables used in this recipe, although cauliflower is one of the options with more protein and we could consume the indicated amount if we are athletes.
- Grilled Tofu with Cajun Spices: By avoiding the honey in the recipe, this dish can offer many vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants derived from the spices.
- Seitan with Almond Sauce: Protein and healthy fats in this perfect recipe for our keto diet lunch and dinner.
- Vegan tofu scramble: ideal for a light dinner, in this dish we can reduce the vegetables if we want more security to maintain ketosis. And we recommend avoiding wine.
- Tofu and kale stir fry with sesame: with fiber and proteins as well as unsaturated fats, we can create this stir fry in which if we wish we can reduce the amount of kale used.
Benefits of the vegan ketogenic diet
There are several benefits associated with the vegan and ketogenic diet. However, there are no studies that specifically focus on vegan keto diets.
Eating a vegan diet has been shown to decrease chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
For example, studies have observed that vegans have a 75% lower risk of developing hypertension and up to a 78% reduction in type 2 diabetes ( Study 2014 ).
Furthermore, vegans tend to weigh less than non-vegans and those who adopt a vegan diet are more successful with their weight loss goals than people who eat animal products ( Study 2015 ).
A review of 12 studies found that over 18 weeks people on vegan diets lost an average of 2.52 kg more than participants on non-vegetarian diets ( Study 2016 ).
A study of 58 obese children and adolescents showed that participants who followed a ketogenic diet lost weight and fat tissue much more significantly than those on a low-calorie diet.
Additionally, the ketogenic diet significantly elevated levels of adiponectin, a protein involved in regulating blood sugar and fat metabolism ( Study 2012 ).
High levels of adiponectin are associated with better blood sugar control, reduced inflammation, and a lower risk of obesity-related diseases, including heart disease ( Study 2014, Study 2017 ).
Ketogenic diets have also been shown to reduce risk factors for heart disease, including high triglycerides, hypertension, and “bad” LDL cholesterol ( 2012 Study ).
With the vegan and ketogenic diets each having a positive impact on your health, it is likely that combining the two, following a vegan keto diet, would have an equally positive impact as well.
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Keto diet menu for vegans