30 Jul 2019

If you are a vegetarian and are curious about the keto diet, you can experience this lifestyle too! It is entirely possible to not eat meat and still follow a keto lifestyle. So if you’re already on the keto diet and are thinking about giving up meat, you can do that too! However, you need to be aware of how to do it properly to avoid potential health issues. The vegetarian keto diet will help you feel like you have more energy and feel better overall.
 

 
Photo by Thomas Rehehäuser on Unsplash
 

Regular Vegetarian Diets

 
Diets typically followed by vegetarians are high in carbs, even though some people begin this lifestyle because they believe it is healthier. Many foods like starches, legumes, and grains are incorporated into a vegetarian life, so it is not necessarily more healthy. People can find themselves feeling more hungry when they are following this low fat, high carb way of eating. A keto diet may be appealing to those who want to have more energy than they do on a typical vegetarian diet.
 

What vegetarian diets does keto work best with?

The keto diet can be incorporated into the more liberal types of vegetarian lifestyles. It is hard to do the keto diet if you are a vegan because the more you restrict your body on foods you are eating, the more you put yourself at risk to develop deficiencies. Diet Doctor explains that vegetarians have come to get the essential proteins they need through a combination of legumes, grains, and seeds. Vegans can follow a diet that is similar to the keto diet but not exactly the same because they would need to incorporate grains into their diet to get the amino acids humans need to be healthy.
 




 

How should I transition to the keto diet?

A great place to start is by restricting your net carb intake to 20 grams a day. This means avoiding popular vegetarian sources of protein, such as legumes and buckwheat. They are too high in carbs to be included in the keto diet. You will also need to avoid starchy vegetables, fruits except berries, milk, and low-fat dairy products.
 
You will also need to include a combination of high quality protein sources at every meal to make sure you are getting between 60-100 grams of protein per day. These could include, eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cheese, and peanut butter.
 
Healthy oils and fats for cooking is also essential to make sure you are getting enough fat in your diet without the carbs. It will help you feel full for longer and improve the way your food tastes. You should also season your food to improve the taste and encourage you to stick to the keto diet.
 
Having a serving of very low carb vegetables twice a day will also be beneficial to keeping your body healthy during the diet. Avocado, spinach, and cauliflower can provide the fiber and other nutrients you need on a daily basis.
 
You may also want to consider including diet keto shakes into your lifestyle. Konscious Keto’s shakes have 10 grams of protein so this could be a great addition to your diet.
 

 
Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash
 

Take care to avoid deficiencies while doing keto

Legumes, grains, and starchy vegetables are often the main source of proteins and nutrients for vegetarians. A combination of these replace the meat they have chosen not to eat anymore. Shape explains that since vegetarians are restricted to not eating meat, and the keto diet further restricts the foods they eat, vegetarians should be making sure they are consuming the correct amount of nutrients the body needs to function at a healthy level. Vegetarians are more than able to live healthy lifestyles on the keto diet, and feel the benefits associated with it, like more energy and feeling less hungry throughout the day. Vegetarians just have to pay more attention to the actual nutrients they are getting so they don’t have any issues.

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