Following a Plant-Based Ketogenic Diet?
The question that is often asked of us is how do you follow a keto diet without all the butter and bacon? And how do you make sure that your daily nutritional values are still being fulfilled while trying to follow a plant-based ketogenic diet?
Most nutritionists recommend switching out your high-starch vegetables for lower carb options while loading up on plant-based fats and proteins. This will help you stay within your carbohydrate goal and flood your body with the essential vitamins and minerals that is required to stay healthy.
High-carb foods that should be significantly reduced or eliminated in your diet include:
- Sugar (including honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, etc.)
- Starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, peas, corn, etc.)
- Legumes (beans, lentils, peas, etc.)
- High-Sugar Fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, etc.)
- Grains (wheat products, rice, quinoa, cereal, etc.)
Include lots of nutrient-rich, low-carb plant-based foods in your diet, such as:
- Healthy fats (MCT oil, coconut oil, olive oil)
- Leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, collard greens, etc.)
- Healthy nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, etc.)
- Low-sugar fruits (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.)
- Non-starchy vegetables (asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc.)
- Seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
- Fermented foods (natto, tempeh, etc.)
Often times, having enough protein in your diet can be difficult on any plant-based diet, and even more so on a plant-based ketogenic diet. Luckily, there are many healthy options that can provide the protein you need to keep you going.
A few examples of low-carb, plant-based proteins include:
- High-quality, no-sugar plant-based protein powders
- Spirulina
- Nuts
- Tempeh
- Natto
- Nutritional Yeast
- Seeds
Also, eliminating all dairy products from your diet can make it tricky to get in enough fat, but there are plenty of plant-based sources of fat available that can help you easily meet your needs.
Some of the healthiest plant-based fats include:
- MCT Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Olive Oil
- Avocado
- Nuts
- Seeds
You can include these nutritious foods into your own recipes to make them completely plant-based and keto-friendly. For example, cheese can be substituted for nutritional yeast. People often use fermented foods like tempeh which can be crumbled and cooked like ground beef to make vegetable tacos or lettuce wraps.
Sample Meal Plan:
Some of you may still be asking what a plant-based keto diet looks like. Here’s a sampling
Breakfast:
Keto smoothie with avocado & cacao (6.5 grams net carbs)
Gluten-free oatmeal (2 grams net carbs per serving)
Lunch:
Baked tempeh (3 grams net carbs per serving)
Cauliflower tabbouleh salad (6 grams net carbs per serving)
Olive oil vinaigrette (0 grams net carbs per serving)
Dinner:
Raw walnut tacos (4 grams net carbs per serving)
Super cilantro guacamole (5 grams net carbs per serving)
Snacks:
Keto Bar (6 grams net carbs per serving)
Almonds (2.5 grams net carbs per 1-oz serving)
Roasted pumpkin seeds (10 grams carbs per 1-oz serving)
Daily Total: 39 grams net carbs
For a limited time, use KETO30 to receive 30% off our Ketogenic System which will kickstart your fat burning goals.