A lot of people have been helped with their weight management journey by following the Keto diet. Although it’s a diet that’s been divided. One version of the diet starter ~100 years ago. The second is more modern and influenced by today’s eating patterns. The second version of the keto diet is “dirty keto” and the first is “clean keto”.
How do you figure out which keto diet is right for you?
The keto diet is useful for weight loss and weight control. Many studies show there is a wide variety of other health and wellness benefits. Clean keto helps to increase energy levels, improve brain function, and athletic performance. Dieters who are experiencing the clean keto benefits may wonder what the newer “dirty keto” has to offer compared to “clean keto”. So let’s spend some time comparing dirty keto and clean keto.
Most of your calories come from healthy fats, nuts, and seeds. Be mindful that some nuts and seeds are suited to the keto diet more than others. Nuts and seeds with the highest amount of fat and the lowest amount of carbs are the ones you want to include in your keto diet (i.e., almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, etc.). The keto diet allows for eating lots of leafy green vegetables and other low-carb vegetables. Additionally, eat moderate amounts of protein from meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Lastly, you curb your sweet tooth with a piece of 90% dark chocolate.
Some foods to avoid on the keto diet are those with high amounts of carbohydrates. Limit your consumption of fruit due to the high sugar content and avoid fruit juices entirely for the same reason. Avoid grains, legumes, and root vegetables because of their carb count.
Dirty keto
The dirty keto diet follows the same macronutrient guidelines as the clean keto diet. The difference is with dirty keto it doesn’t matter where those macronutrients come from. For example, dirty keto allows you to have a fast-food hamburger, pork rinds, and Cheese Whiz. Whereas clean keto encourages good fats, grass-fed meats and butter, wild-caught fish, and avocados.
Can you control your weight with a dirty keto diet?
It’s certainly possible, but most of the benefits stop there. There are notable deficiencies that you should be aware of. To begin, the dirty keto diet won’t provide you with the micronutrients you need such as vitamins and minerals needed for general health. Additionally, processed foods are loaded with sodium that can cause inflammation and bloating.
On top of that you’re more likely to put any weight you lose back on, have more cravings, and feel less satiated. Dirty keto foods may cause cravings, bloating, and a feeling of withdrawal. These are all symptoms associated with the so-called “keto flu”.
You are what you eat
When your digestive system is healthy the small and large intestines are built with a paper-thin lining. In normal healthy conditions, only water and digested food will enter your blood. When you’re experiencing inflammation of the intestines, or consume inappropriate food, the intestine’s lining becomes too porous.
Diets that include processed food with their added chemistry like those included in a dirty keto diet can damage the intestinal lining, making it more porous. This also affects the balance of both the good and bad bacteria found in our intestines. This condition of unbalanced bacteria can allow the bad bacteria to get out of control further increasing how porous the lining becomes. Resulting in a “leaky gut”, also called “intestinal hyperpermeability”, allowing toxins, bacteria, and particles of undigested food to get in your blood and move through the rest of the body including the brain.
Your gut affects your mental state and overall physical feeling. Likewise, your mental state affects your gut and its health, making the clean keto diet the better choice for your brain’s well-being.
Summary
Even though dirty keto seeks the same macronutrients as clean keto does, there are some stark differences between the two diets and how they influence your body and brain. A dirty keto meal is better than a standard American diet meal and can be eaten as a contingency meal, but a dirty keto diet shouldn’t be used as part of a continuing healthy eating program. Follow a clean keto diet instead and you’ll be successful at controlling your weight, increasing your energy level, as well as giving your brain a healthier, longer-lasting fuel.
The Keto diet is an effective and popular diet for losing weight and improving health. When you follow this high-fat, medium protein, low-carb diet correctly the ketone levels in your blood will increase. Those ketones will be your body’s new fuel source, causing most of the health benefits of the diet.
When you’re following a Keto diet your body goes through a number of biological adaptations. These include an increased breakdown of fat and lower insulin levels. After this happens the liver begins to produce large numbers of ketones. The ketones supply your brain the energy it needs.
It is difficult to know whether or not your body is in a state of ketosis. Following are 10 ways to know you are in ketosis to help you figure this out.
10 Ways To Know You Are In Ketosis
1 – Halitosis (foul breath)
After achieving full ketosis people frequently report having bad breath.
This is very common. A lot of people who follow the Keto diet, and similar diets like Atkins, say their breath starts to smell fruity. Specifically, this is caused by acetone, one of the ketones that are expelled in both your urine and by exhaling.
Although breath like this may not be ideal in a social setting, it is a positive sign that you’re following the diet correctly and you are in ketosis. One way to deal with this is to brush your teeth many times a day. Another way is to chew sugar-free gum or sip on sugar-free drinks throughout the day.
If you choose to chew gum, or sip on drinks, read the nutrition labels for carbs to avoid elevating your blood sugar and coming out of ketosis.
2 – Losing weight
Both a Keto diet and a more traditional low-carb diet are good for weight loss
There are many studies showing you probably will lose weight in the short term as well as the long term from switching to a Keto diet. Weight loss can happen very quickly in the first week of the Keto diet. This initial weight loss is mostly from stored up carbohydrates and the release of water, though many dieters wrongly think it’s fat loss.
After the first week or so of rapid weight loss, you will continue to burn your stored fat as long as you follow the Keto diet correctly and remain in a caloric deficit.
3 – Increased ketones
An indication of being in ketosis is reduced sugar and increased ketones in the blood. As you continue with the Keto diet, your body will start burning fat and ketones for fuel.
Using a specialized meter is the most accurate way to measure the ketone levels in your blood. They measure how much beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is in your bloodstream.
There is a consensus that ketosis, as it relates to the Keto diet, is defined as having 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L of ketones in your blood. Measuring from a blood sample is the most accurate way to measure ketones. But that requires pin pricking similar to the way a diabetic person measures their blood sugar.
Should you be interested in testing your ketone levels, there is a good selection of meters offered by Amazon starting at about $30.
4 – Ketones in your breath and urine
An alternative to blood testing kits is breathalyzers, though not as accurate as blood analysis.
Breathalyzers monitor the level of acetone. Acetone is one of three major ketones produced while in ketosis. The amount of acetone is an indicator of your ketone level because more of it leaves your body during ketosis. Breathalyzers are fairly accurate but not like their blood testing counterpart.
Another method is to measure your urine daily with urinalysis test strips. This measures the level of ketones being expelled through your urine. This is the least expensive way to measure ketones, but it’s also the least accurate.
A lot of Keto dieters say they have less of an appetite following the Keto diet.
The reasons are still being investigated. But the current thinking is the reduced appetites may be due to the increase in protein and vegetable consumption, as well as changes in your body’s hunger hormones.
Possibly the ketones have an effect on the brain reducing the appetite.
6 – More energy and focus
Oftentimes a person will experience fatigue, brain fog, and feeling a little sick when they first start the Keto diet. This has been coined “Keto Flu”. But once they get past that hump, long-term dieters feel an increase in energy and focus.
Your body has to adapt to burning fat in place of carbohydrates when you start the low-carb Keto diet. Then as you move into ketosis your brain has to adjust to using ketones instead of sugar for its energy. It can take a little while for your body and brain to adjust.
Ketones are very powerful fuel for your brain. Ketones have been tested clinically for treating brain diseases, concussions, and memory loss. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that people frequently feel improved brain function and focus when they’re on a Keto diet.
Drastically reducing your carb intake will stabilize your blood sugar, further increasing brain functioning and focus.
7 – Fatigue
One of the biggest problems people have when starting the Keto diet is fatigue. This frequently makes the would-be dieter quit before they achieve full ketosis and see the benefits of the Keto diet.
Fatigue is a natural side effect of starting a ketogenic diet. It’s caused by making our body shift from a long-term carbohydrate-heavy diet to a low-carb diet very quickly. This shift in your won’t happen overnight. It will take from 5 to 30 days to get into full ketosis.
Since electrolytes are lost due to the quick reduction in your body’s water content and the reduction of salt in the diet, consuming extra electrolytes can help reduce fatigue.
8 – Performance decrease
Along with feeling tired from fatigue the Keto dieter may feel a decrease in physical performance. This is mostly due to there being less glycogen stored in the muscles that provide the primary and most efficient energy for any high-intensity activities. After a short while, many Keto dieters will see their performance become normal. In some endurance sports performance may even improve with the Keto diet. Additionally, you will increase your ability to burn more fat while exercising.
There’s one study that showed athletes on a Keto diet burned up to 230% more fat while exercising versus those who weren’t following Keto. It’s unclear if a Keto diet will maximize performance for an elite athlete, but once you are fat-adapted you shouldn’t have any trouble with general exercise and recreational activities.
For most of us, a Keto diet brings with it a major change in the kind of food we eat. Digestion problems like constipation or diarrhea are common at first. Most of these problems will cease after a transition period. But it’s important that you be aware of which foods cause you problems, and avoid them or minimize their consumption. Additionally, be certain to include lots of low-carb vegetables that have plenty of fiber, and consume a diverse range of foods. The lack of variety, in any diet, can lead to an increased risk of digestion and nutritional problems.
Even though many Keto dieters say they sleep better than before they started the diet, it’s common for some people to have trouble sleeping when they first start dieting. The sleeping issues usually go away in a couple of weeks.
This was a list of 10 ways to know you are in ketosis. Sooner than later, by following the Keto diet correctly you will enter a state of ketosis.
If you’re interested in the science and want to know exactly what your ketones are, use one of the measuring methods we talked about here (analyzing your blood, using a breathalyzer, or urinalysis strips)
But in the end, if you’re following the diet, feeling healthy, and losing weight, there really isn’t a need to be preoccupied with your ketone levels.
The first thing you might think about when you first heard of the ketogenic diet is how can it be as good as people say it is? The short answer is that there are enough benefits to change your life!
What is a Keto diet?
The Keto, or ketogenic, diet is a diet of moderate amounts of protein, high in fat, and low in carbohydrates (carbs). The goal is to dial in your nutritional intake in a way that your body enters a metabolic state known as ketosis.
Ketosis happens when your body has depleted its stores of glycogen sugar used for fueling your energy needs. After the available sugar is consumed your body has to use its stored fats for energy. Our body’s fat is converted into ketones by the liver as a source of energy. This is the reason the Keto diet is such an efficient way to lose body fat.
Top 7 Benefits Of The Keto Diet
Unlike other diets, where the only benefit is weight loss, the Keto diet offers several additional benefits.
1 – Weight loss
There’s no doubt that weight loss is the main goal of a Keto diet. The diet works because it causes your body to use its fat reserves to fuel its metabolism. Let’s go a little deeper into the process.
When a person is deprived of carbohydrates they enter a condition known as ketosis. In ketosis, blood sugar and insulin levels decrease. When our bodies convert fat cells to energy the fat cells release quite a bit of water. The combination of using fat for energy and the accompanying water loss makes for some great weight loss.
The fat is then free to enter the bloodstream and then the liver turns it into ketones to energize the body. So long as you can stay in a caloric deficit you will reap the weight loss benefit of the Keto diet.
2 – Keto curbs your appetite
When your diet isn’t loaded with carbs you won’t have the craving for as much food as you did before. A lot of people who use the Keto diet often fast for much of the day, only eating at mealtimes. They just don’t feel as hungry as they used to.
3 – Greater ability to focus
The Standard American Diet loads you up with a lot of carbs. Our brains have to deal with the resulting rise and fall of blood sugar caused by all those carbs. It’s hard for our brains to focus when we have fluctuating energy levels. But on a Keto diet, our energy levels are more constant and consistent. That makes it easier for the brain to focus and to stay focused longer.
4 – Feeling more energetic
Your body is always on the verge of running out of energy on a regular diet. You have to eat continuously to refuel it. On a Keto diet, your body is tapping into its fat reserve which is nearly an unending source of energy. Then the body can keep its energy level constant all day long. Resulting in you feeling much more energetic!
5 – It can help diabetes
A person who has Type II Diabetes experiences high levels of insulin. Because the Keto diet removes excess sugar from your diet it can help to stabilize their HbA1c counts and may even reverse Type II diabetes.
6 – Keto improves your levels of good cholesterol
HDL cholesterol helps your body get rid of bad cholesterol. After you start a Keto diet your triglyceride level decreases and the levels of HDL cholesterol increase.
7 – Improves your blood pressure
Being on a Keto diet can lower your blood pressure. Many people on a Keto diet are able to decrease their high blood pressure medicine or stop taking it entirely.
A person’s life can change dramatically, and in a positive way, on a ketogenic diet. The Keto diet isn’t hard to start either. There are plenty of Keto recipe books. All you need is a willingness to give it a shot.
The question comes down to this, can you stay in ketosis and still enjoy an adult beverage or two? This article will tell you everything you need to know.
A lot of “ketoers” (keto dieters) feel like alcohol is taboo in their diet. There are some good reasons for thinking this way. Besides just being generally unhealthy alcohol can be counterproductive for ketoers.
Here we’re going to discuss whether you can, or should, have alcohol while on a Keto diet as well as provide a shortlist of keto-friendly alcohol and some that are not so keto-friendly.
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Does keto and alcohol mix?
The way keto works
Before we get into what the effect of alcohol is on a keto diet we need to understand what a keto diet is. It’s a strict diet of high-fat, medium protein, and low-carbs that puts your body into a state of ketosis.
Normally your body runs on glucose as its primary source of energy. Regardless of your body’s state of activity, it’s using energy to keep everything functioning well. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates you will have a deficit of glucose to fuel your body.
Luckily, your body is able to burn fat for energy when your stored glucose is depleted. It’s our body’s ability to do this that makes the Keto diet so effective for weight loss. When your body is using fat as its primary fuel source you are in the state of ketosis.
The medical profession’s consensus is that alcohol is generally unhealthy and it’s not too good for that keto diet either. There are plenty of reasons for this and we’ll look at 6 of them here:
1 – A lot of alcohol is loaded with carbs
The reason alcohol is bad for the keto diet is that many types of alcohol are loaded with carbs. Since too many carbs will knock you out of ketosis, any high-carb beverage is bad for keto. Even one dose of glucose will impact your weight loss effort by reducing your body’s glucose tolerance, which in turn makes you more sensitive to carbs. Then the consumption of carbohydrates leads to blood sugar spikes taking you out of ketosis.
Additionally, there are studies showing that low-carb dieters can suffer physical damage by reintroducing high levels of carbohydrates to their diet suddenly. The study’s subjects had elevated biomarkers in their blood that indicates blood vessel damage.
Just how bad are the different alcohols?
Keto and wine
In reality, wine is comparably low in carbohydrates with +/- 2g in a small glass. Even the strictest ketoer could nurse a couple of glasses (about 9 fl.oz.) and keep their total carbs under the 20g daily keto limit!
Dryer wines are preferred on the keto diet because they have less sugar than the sweeter varieties. Also beware of the sweet dessert wines which are loaded with sugar, which is obvious since they’re so sweet. Five ounces of a Muscat or Sherry will add over 200 calories and 20g of carbs.
Keto and beer
Beer is especially high in carbohydrates, having 13g or more of carbohydrates. Beer is made with wheat, barley, and corn for the most part. Its ingredients give the beer a lot of bioavailable carbs the will move you out of ketosis very quickly.
Drinking large amounts of beer regularly is an obstacle to lose weight, or trying to keep it off. There’s a reason we say “beer belly”
Overall, avoiding beer and choosing lower-carb beverages is necessary to stay in ketosis. Fortunately, there are low-carb options if you really want a cold one, we call them lite beers.
Liquors and spirits
Pure spirits are practically a zero-carb beverage (gin, vodka, whiskey, etc.). So they won’t likely take you out of ketosis, however, we’re talking about 80 proof alcohol; moderation is key.
The issue with drinking spirits and liquors is the addition of the mixer to make them a little more drinkable like a “Tequila Sunrise” versus a shot of tequila.
Mixers are typically loaded with sugar and made from sodas and fruit juices, that are full of carbs, to balance the alcohol. So be mindful when choosing mixers and pick those that are low in sugar carbs (i.e., sugar-free tonic and seltzer, diet sodas, etc.).
Even though liquors have virtually zero carbs, they have calories. Calories won’t take you out of ketosis, but they will add weight to your body or make it harder to lose weight.
2 – Alcohol and metabolism
On the keto diet, your metabolism works very specifically to keep you in ketosis. Sadly, alcohol can interfere with your metabolism and your ability to stay in ketosis. Some of that interference is caused by byproducts produced by alcohol. Those by-products can cause a sudden burst of energy, but this may also stop ketosis.
Some alcohol byproducts are phosphatidyl ethanol, acetate, and acetaldehyde. All of these byproducts are quite toxic and your body tries to metabolize them like any other poison, prioritizing the toxins over burning sugars or lipids. Meaning, drinking alcohol often enough you will spend more time metabolizing its byproducts which can result in fat storage.
3 – Alcohol is calorie-dense
Alcohol can be low-carb, but all alcohol is pretty high in calories. Calories aren’t as troublesome as carbs on a keto diet, you should still be aware of how the additional calories will impact your weight goals. If you’ve gone keto to lose weight then you are most likely watching your calories since you won’t lose weight without being calorie deficient.
Alcohol is calorie-dense. For example, wine, gin, and beer have 123, 73, and 154 calories respectively. That may not sound too bad, but you can see how easily the calories can add up with just 3 or 4 drinks.
Other than causing you to make poor decisions it leads people to make poor food choices. If you go for drinks with your friends it’s wise to evaluate yourself and your willpower. Will you really hold to a keto diet after downing a few cold ones before your friends start ordering non-keto appetizers?
What about the day after? Will you have the self-control to avoid the “hangover munchies”?
5 – Your alcohol tolerance on keto
It’s likely you’re drinking less alcohol while you’re on the keto diet, so your tolerance will be much lower than before. On top of that, your glucose tolerance also drops when you’re in ketosis making your body more sensitive to any carbs or sugars you eat. This also means you will feel carb crashes more as well.
Because most alcoholic drinks are full of both carbs and sugars you may find your emotions and energy level will be on a rollercoaster too.
6 – Alcohol is generally unhealthy
The number one reason alcohol is thought to be unhealthy for ketoers is that it’s simply unhealthy. It’s not nutritional. It’s kind of the opposite of being nutritional, taking away nutrients your body has when you began drinking, interfering with digestion, and absorbing nutrients.
Not all alcohol is without nutrition. Red wine and beer are known to have antioxidants and B vitamins, respectively. But for the chronic drinker, the negatives outweigh the positives of alcohol.
Which alcohols are best for keto?
As stated early alcohol isn’t ideal for dieters wanting to stay in ketosis. Alcohol might lead to more fat storage due to our metabolism. But having an occasional drink isn’t the end of the world. It’s possible to have a drink or two if you pick some low-carb drinks that won’t derail metabolism.
Alcohol with low-carbs
If you’re on a keto diet, be sure to drink only low-carb drinks. If you like your drinks neat, you’re in luck because most hard drinks are carb-free, meaning them without worrying about exceeding your carb limit!
Still, remember alcohol can negatively affect your state of ketosis even if it’s not a high-carb drink. Here’s a shortlist of low-carb drinks for you to enjoy without too much guilt.**
Gin, tequila, rum, vodka, or whiskey neat for zero carbs.
Wine (red or white) has 3-4g of carbs
Light beer averages 3g per can
Low-carb mixes
The next point of cation is your choice of mixer for your cocktail. The popular cocktails are typically made with high-carb juice, soda, or an energy drink. To make a tasty low-carb drink use a carb-free mixer like these:
Whether you’re on a keto diet or not it’s imperative you know your limit regarding alcohol. But if you’re on the keto diet you need to set a limit much lower than usual. There are many reasons to keep your drinking to a minimum:
Drinks are loaded with empty calories, meaning calories without nutrients
Drinks may increase your chances to gain weight and take you out of ketosis
Drinks have a tendency to drain you or nutrients, leading to nutritional deficiencies
Excessive drinking can lead to physical and mental health issues
A lot of keto dieters believe alcohol is a no-no for anybody on a keto diet. But it’s not that simple. Choosing to include alcohol with a keto diet hinges on a number of factors. There are some things to consider before heading out:
There are a lot of varieties of alcohol and some are low-carb. Hard liquor is all but carb-free and wine has 3g of carbs or less per glass
Despite some alcohol being carb-free, all alcohol generates toxic byproducts that your body has to metabolize. Unfortunately, your body makes it a priority to burn the toxins first which can take you out of ketosis
Regular, or frequent, consumption of alcohol can cause your body to store fat
Be sure to use low-carb alcohol and mixers for your drinks
Keep all this information in mind and you should have no trouble including alcohol (in moderation) in your keto diet.
Are you ready to start your Keto Diet? One way to get started with a Keto Diet is to have an 8-week “Custom Keto Diet Plan” created for you based on your height, weight, age, level of physical activity, and personal weight goals. Click the banner to learn more about your customized keto diet plan, or click here to go straight to your custom keto diet meal planner.
Over the years many diets have come and gone promising miraculous weight loss and an overall improvement in body composition and wellness. But at what cost and how many have actually worked?
Most diets are designed to keep its practitioner in a caloric deficit. Meaning to consume fewer calories than their body needs to work normally and maintain its weight.
Generally speaking, the average person needs about 2,000 calories a day to function normally and maintain weight. The usual diet is designed to restrict our calorie intake to about 80% of normal, or 1,600 calories per day. These diets concentrate just on calories instead of considering the macronutrients that different food provides.
Obviously, this method of dieting works for many people. The challenge is when we run up against plateaus in our weight loss journey. People have been experimenting, for a number of years now, with high-fat diets and their possible benefits regarding weight and fat loss.
How can a diet high in fat help you lose weight?
It’s not very intuitive, but a high-fat diet can help you lose weight by putting your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is very effective at burning body fat.
What is ketosis?
Under everyday circumstances, our bodies can draw upon various sources of energy as needed. The primary energy source is glucose which comes from the carbohydrates that we consume. But when glucose isn’t available our bodies look for other forms of energy, these are called ketones.
So ketosis is our body’s metabolic state when there isn’t enough glucose and we’re using ketones as our energy source.
Eating a high-fat, low-carb diet can put us into the state of ketosis. While we are in ketosis our bodies convert our fat stores into ketones for energy.
Achieving ketosis
Whenever we fast for a prolonged time our bodies will enter a state of ketosis. A lot of the experts think that runners will enter ketosis during a long run, especially so when carb cycling.
Other than fasting or exercising, we can enter ketosis by consuming very few calories. By limiting the number of calories we get from carbohydrate consumption to less than 15% of our caloric intake, our bodies will start taking energy for its stored fat instead of the restricted carbohydrates.
Can ketosis help with fat loss?
There are always instances when any diet won’t work. However, the Keto diet is known for effectively stimulating fat loss and consequently weight loss.
Some recent research has shown the keto diet improves the levels of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol), blood sugar, and HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol). These effects are all beneficial to your overall health and well-being.
What are the downsides?
Nothing is perfect and diets aren’t any different. Even though we know low carb, high-fat diets are quite effective at getting rid of unwanted fat and weight they might be dangerous for people who have diabetes or a pre-existing heart condition. For that reason, you should talk to your primary health care provider before starting any diet that is a dramatic change from your normal diet.
Converting stored fat to usable energy for our bodies is much slower than readily convertible carbohydrates. So anyone on a Keto diet may find themselves lagging in high-energy activities like sports, cross fit, powerlifting, etc.
A balanced lifestyle is important
Long-term research hasn’t found any major negative health issues brought on from following a Keto diet. In fact, the opposite has been noted citing weight loss and weight control as well as internal health benefits.
Just remember, a balanced lifestyle is important no matter your diet. Don’t think just because you’re on a high fat diet you eat nothing but double bacon cheeseburgers without consequences. The Keto diet is intended to put your body in a state of ketosis by consuming whole foods, healthy oils, lean proteins, seeds, nuts, and plenty of dark leafy greens.
Undoubtedly, a healthy diet will lead to a healthy lifestyle including a healthy weight, more vitality, and deeper satisfaction with your life!
Are you a vegetarian or vegan wondering if a Keto diet (low carb, high fat, and moderate protein) could work for you?
Vegetarian Buffet
The mainstream thinking is a Keto diet is chock full of animal protein. At first glance it doesn’t look like a vegetarian or vegan-friendly diet, does it?
But having said that, a plant-based Keto diet can be accomplished with some adjusting.
If you mindfully design your plant-based Keto diet you will find plenty of protein, micro and macronutrients in eggs, herbal supplements, and some other places.
Typically vegetarians consume a lot of legumes. However, legumes aren’t part of the Keto diet due to their large number of carbohydrates in them. Eating legumes will take you out of the fat-burning state of “ketosis”, the diet’s namesake.
The trick for the would-be Keto vegetarian/vegan is to find foods that are low in carbohydrates and nutrient-dense. How easy this is to do depends on what type of vegetarianism you follow.
In this article we’ll also take a look at some potential benefits, some of the top foods to include in your diet, and how to meet some of the common challenges of eating a Keto diet as a vegetarian or vegan.
Vegetarian types
In general, a vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat and perhaps won’t’ eat other animal products like cheese or honey. There are a few different types of vegetarians. Here’s a short, probably not complete, list of vegetarian types:
Pescatarians include fish and seafood, dairy, and eggs, avoiding meat and poultry.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians include dairy and eggs, avoiding fish, poultry, and meat. This is the primary vegetarian diet for most of the western world.
Lacto vegetarians will include dairy and avoid meat, fish, poultry, and eggs.
Vegans diets are completely plant-based avoiding all animal products, including honey.
The more restrictive the plant-based diet, the greater the challenge to build a healthy Keto diet. For example, a pescatarian wouldn’t have much trouble consuming enough protein, B12, or omega-3 fatty acids from fish. But a vegan would most likely have to take an omega-3 supplement derived from a plant source like algae. This article will focus primarily on how to build a ketogenic diet from the Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, the primary vegetarian diet for most of the western world.
What is a vegetable-based Keto diet?
There are a variety of reasons for choosing to eat a plant-based diet. They could be ethical or religious reasons or a conscious decision to reduce your own carbon footprint. Arguably the most common reason is to eat a plant-based diet for health and wellness.
Whatever your reason there are a number of ways you can adjust the Keto diet to be more in line with a plant-based diet.
A vegetarian Keto diet is nothing more than a Keto diet without animal protein sources. The objective still is to consume a primarily high-fat, low-carb diet with the goal of keeping your body in the ketosis state.
A vegan Keto diet has the same goal without consuming any animal products (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, honey, etc.). Eating Keto as a vegan is the most challenging way to go because a lot of the vegan protein sources are full of carbohydrates. But it’s not impossible given sufficient planning and you have resolved to make it work.
Considerations for vegetarians and vegans on the Keto diet
Some considerations for being on a low carbohydrate plant-based diet fall into three general areas regarding protein, fatty acids, and micronutrients.
Protein
Without eating meat and fish, a Keto vegetarian has to be especially diligent to get enough protein in their diet. What’s the deal with protein? Although all macronutrients are essential for good health, you can argue that protein is the most essential one.
Carbohydrates may be the least essential of the macronutrients. Our bodies will synthesize glucose with a process called gluconeogenesis.
Fats are essential. Not as essential as protein, but more so than carbohydrates. Our bodies carry a lot of fat stores to be used as backup energy. Even though fat is a great source of energy, carbohydrates provide energy as well.
More to do with protein. Proteins make up the structure of our body’s tissues. Protein provides us with amino acids that are used for muscle growth, the formation of hormones, and the healing of wounds. None of the other macronutrients can do what protein does.
Complete proteins (proteins containing the full range of amino acids) are provided in meat and fish. It’s possible, though difficult, to get the full range of proteins from plants, especially on the Keto diet devoid of grains and legumes.
The essential fatty acids
Meat and fish have large amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids. One of the essential omega-6 fatty acids, arachidonic acid, regulates immunity, helps to structure cell membranes, and helps in the brain’s reward signaling.
Omega-3 fatty acids are important too. Both EPA and DHA found in seafood have wide-ranging functions. Some of the areas they have been found to influence are maintaining healthy inflammation levels, brain functions, and even mood control.
The micronutrients
Some micronutrients such as carnosine, taurine, and creatine are only found in meat. Iron is another micronutrient primarily found in meat. Iron is found in plant foods also, but it’s not as bioavailable as the form of iron found in meat (heme iron).
It’s quite challenging to get enough of the B-vitamins with a plant-based Keto diet. B12 is most readily available in meat, and B1 and B3 are most abundant in starchy foods.
So how does a vegetarian eat a Keto diet?
Follow these four tips to get the most from your vegetarian Keto diet. Keep in mind the focus of this article is directed at the Lacto-ovo vegetarians, the primary vegetarians across most of the western world.
1 – Eggs (if you choose)
Eating eggs will take care of most of the protein concerns of a vegetarian Keto diet. The protein in eggs is one of the most bioavailable proteins out there.
Eggs also check off the concerns about not getting enough fatty acids. They are rich in arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. Pasture-raised chickens, versus those from a factory farm, provide omega-3 acids too.
Eggs also take care of a lot of micronutrient worries. They contain vitamins A and B12, iron, and choline. You can see, eggs are nearly the perfect food for a Lacto-ovo vegetarian Keto diet!
2 – Dairy (if you can tolerate it)
Consider yourself a lucky Keto vegetarian if you’re not intolerant to dairy products. Dairy is rich in protein and several essential fatty acids.
There’s something to be said about whey protein. Whey protein digests much easier than casein, a different dairy protein. Whey is also more bioavailable.
If you have an intolerance to whey, you can try protein from soy, peas, hemp, or another plant-based product. Just remember that plant-based proteins have a lower value biologically than meat, eggs, or whey.
3 – Supplements
No matter how hard you try to design the perfect vegetarian Keto diet it’s likely you’ll miss some of the key nutrients. So consider taking some supplements:
The B vitamin complex aids with energy production
Carnosine to support antioxidants and muscle endurance
Creatine to support cognitive ability and strength training
Eggs as a supplemental food, 3-4 per day
Omega-3 fatty acids help control inflammation and brain health. If you don’t want to take fish oil supplements there are algae supplements providing omega-3s and
Taurine for cardiovascular health
Iron. As a Keto vegetarian you can get iron by eating dark chocolate, eggs, or seeds. If you can’t get enough iron with these foods, talk to a medical professional to find the right supplement(s) to keep your iron within a healthy range.
4 – Include low carb vegetables and plenty of healthy fat
This applies to all Keto dieters. But a vegetarian Keto dieter has to live by it! Your basic meal will be a bed of greens with nuts or eggs for their healthy fats and protein. Another, faster, meal would be Keto green smoothie.
Your low-carb vegetables include asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chard, kale, lettuces, spinach, and every other kind of leafy green vegetable. Your healthy fats can include avocado oil, butter, coconut oil, ghee, olive oil, etc. Use these oils as you wish to suit your tastes.
Vegan Keto diet
It’s pretty easy to achieve a vegetarian diet by replacing traditional protein (meat, fish, poultry) with eggs, nuts, seeds, tofu, and dairy products. But going full vegan Keto is another thing.
Dr. Will Cole, a functional medicine practitioner, established the Ketotarian Diet which is a plant-based Keto diet offering completely vegan options. Meaning, you have to rely on plant-based protein such as seeds, nuts, tofu, and moderate amounts of tempeh.
Eating a totally vegan Keto diet is challenging, but it can be done. Here are four tips to help you can stay on top of it.
1 – Be sure to eat a variety of whole foods
Having gone low carb or plant-based you have greatly restricted your choices of food. By being low carb and plant-based (i.e., vegan) is even more restrictive. A highly restrictive diet may be even harder to stay on in the long term. Be sure you have a wide range of tasty recipes to experiment with. Dr. Will Cole’s book, “Ketoterian” will help you with this.
Another resource is this customized 8-week Keto diet planner. The planner is a brand new product that allows someone to create their very own keto diet plan based on their food preferences, daily activity levels, height, weight, and target weight goals. This means if you want a totally plant-based meal plan, you simply deselect the meat, fish, and poultry protein options and the planner will create your custom 8-week menu.
2 – Watch out for nutrient deficiencies
Even though you can be healthy eating a vegan Keto diet, you’re going to have to keep an eye out for some nutrient deficiencies that can occur. The nutrients to be mindful of are vitamins B12 and D, the omega-3s, iron, zinc, iodine, and calcium.
The best way to stay on top of your nutrient levels is to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods of every color, eat the rainbow. You also will want to know your blood work and take supplements as needed according to your healthcare professional.
3 – Plant-based protein is a priority
It’s well known that proteins are important for many, many, processes in our bodies including feeling satiated, growth, and repair or tissues. It can be hard to stay on a vegan Keto diet since plant-based foods are high in carbs but we still have to take in a sufficient amount of protein.
Here are a few things you can eat to ensure you take in enough protein without eating too many carbs:
Hemp seeds have plenty of omega-3s and a complete profile of amino acids.
Tofu and tempeh are soybean products that have carbs, but they’re ok to eat in moderation. Choose an organic brand whenever you can.
Faux meats, or meal replacements, will help you consume enough protein. Common products like seitan and Beyond Meat are available in most grocery stores.
4 – Intermittent fasting
You can give your body a nudge toward ketosis with intermittent fasting while on a vegan Keto diet.
You can try intermittent fasting if it’s suitable for you. Do this by shortening eating windows and extending your fasting periods. Done right, this will give your body a quick start into the state of ketosis. Conceivable making it easier to stay in ketosis.
We have a short video on our YouTube channel discussing intermittent fasting.
You can get started today with your plant-based Keto diet
With your Custom Keto Plan, you have the ability to create a plant-based meal plan TODAY, making it easy for you to get started with your own Keto vegetarian diet!
The basis of clean keto is to eat a fixed number of macronutrients composed of high-fat, moderate protein, and a very low amount of carbohydrates. These macronutrients will give you the energy your body needs while you lose body fat without feeling hungry, weak, or fatigued. By reducing your consumption of carbohydrates your body enters a state of ketosis. When you’re in ketosis your body’s primary source of energy is ketones, not sugar. Ketones are made in your liver by converting fat. They are a fantastic energy source for both body and brain and increase the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). From Wikipedia, “BDNF acts on certain neurons of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system, helping to support the survival of existing neurons, and encouraging growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses.”
micronutrients you need such as vitamins and minerals needed for general health. Additionally, processed foods are loaded with sodium that can cause inflammation and bloating.
The first thing you might think about when you first heard of the ketogenic diet is how can it be as good as people say it is? The short answer is that there are enough benefits to change your life!
Most diets are designed to keep its practitioner in a caloric deficit. Meaning to consume fewer calories than their body needs to work normally and maintain its weight.
