Vegan Keto

So, you may have heard of the ketogenic diet. Everybody is talking about it, many people have tried it, are trying it and are constantly talking about how great they feel, all the energy they have and all the weight they are losing.

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Here is a little overview and breakdown of what the ketogenic diet is: The classic ketogenic diet consists of 75% of your diet being from healthy fats, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates. In short: It is a diet very high in fat and extremely low in carbohydrates. It may seem counter-intuitive but what happens to your body (amongst a whole lot of other health benefits) is that it learns to use fat as a source of energy instead of carbohydrates (sugars), which aids in weight loss and sustainable energy.
If you would like to know more on how the Ketogenic diet works, here is a link to another one of our blog that explains in greater details the health benefits:

https://www.amaranthfoods.ca/blog/2018/11/14/school-of-amaranth-keto-guide

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This blog post is for the vegetarians and vegans who may have heard of the ketogenic diet but never looked into it because of the fat and protein content of this diet that is said to come from animal sources. While it is true that in most ketogenic cook books and recipes you do see meat. It is also true that it could be replaced by vegetarian or vegan sources in order for you to enjoy the benefits of keto all while keeping the healthy and/ or ethical lifestyle that you have chosen for yourself.

Another misconception about the ketogenic diet is that you will become deficient in many nutrients found in high carb fruits and vegetables such as bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, mangoes etc.

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We definitely recommend that you monitor your vitamin and mineral intake while doing the ketogenic diet to ensure you are not lacking any major nutrients. The ketogenic diet however, does allow flexibility around a variety of nutritious vegetables to enjoy, such as:

  • Dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens etc.)

  • Mushrooms

  • Zucchini

  • Broccoli

  • Cucumber

  • Cauliflower

  • Avocado

  • Asparagus

  • Bell peppers

  • Celery

  • Brussel sprout

  • Tomatoes

  • Radishes

  • Eggplant

  • Cabbage

  • Artichokes

This alone allows for such a big variety of vitamins and minerals vital for health!

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The ketogenic diet also allows for some fruits in very small doses. The most well known are raspberries, blueberries and strawberries as they score low in the glycemic index; but the ketogenic diet is also flexible around:

  • Watermelon

  • Cantaloupe

  • Avocados

  • Honeydew

  • Peaches.

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“This is great…” you may be thinking “But what about the protein and fat sources which accounts for most of the diet?!” and to that we would say “Great question!”

Here are some great keto food sources to keep into consideration if vegetarian or vegan:

Vegetarian keto protein/ fat sources: Eggs, hard cheeses, Greek yogurt, nuts & seeds (macadamia, walnut, hazelnut, almond, hemp seed, flax seed, chia seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed.) Olives, olive oil, coconut, coconut oil, hummus.


Vegan keto protein/ fat sources: Tempeh, tofu, avocado, nuts & seeds (macadamia, walnut, hazelnut, almond, hemp seed, flax seed, chia seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed.) Olives, olive oil, coconut, coconut oil, hummus.

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We suggest making a 3 column chart for Fats, Protein and Carbohydrates with all the delicious foods you can eat! This will not only make the food buying and prepping process easier, it also keeps you focused on all the wonderful things that you CAN eat, as opposed to focusing in what you shouldn’t eat.

If you have any other questions, please come in to your closest location and ask one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff for more information. We will be more than happy to help you. See you soon!

Nino Euzen, Wellness Lead

Wellness, Tip, ResourcesBrendan Klatt