When most people think of keto, they think of meat – and butter. After all, if you’re going to follow the keto lifestyle, you can’t possibly be vegetarian, right? Many vegetables and some meat substitutes are loaded with carbohydrates.
If you think you can’t be vegetarian and follow the keto lifestyle, you’re wrong.
It’s possible to go low-carb without eating chicken, beef, pork or seafood. And yes, you can keep your carbs to less than 30g per day.
How?
Limit Your Carbs
The biggest concern when going vegetarian on keto is carbs. It’s easy to eat too many carbohydrates because your protein sources are limited, and the most common vegetarian-friendly foods are loaded with carbs, such as:
- Beans and legumes, such as black beans and lentils.
- Grains, such as rice, oatmeal and quinoa.
- Tubers, such as potatoes and yams.
- Fruit, such as bananas, apples and pears.
Eating just one serving of any of these foods can easily take you above your daily limit for carbohydrates.
How can you limit your carbs without resorting to meat, poultry or seafood?
Incorporate these foods into your diet:
- Meat substitutes, such as tempeh, seitan and tofu
- Low-carb vegetables, including zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli
- Leafy greens, like kale, spinach and arugula
- Dairy and eggs, including butter and high-fat cream
- Nuts and seeds, including sunflower seeds, almonds and pistachios
- Avocados
- Berries, including blackberries and raspberries
- Vegetable-based fats, such as olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil
Incorporate High-Quality Proteins into Every Meal
Protein is still an important part of your diet, even on keto. Most people will need to eat 70-100 grams of protein per day. Keto-friendly vegetarian protein sources include:
- Greek yogurt, which has only 5-7 grams of carbs and about 20 grams of protein per 6 ounces.
- Eggs, which have about 14 grams of protein and 1 gram of carbs per two eggs.
- Nut butter, which has about 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbs per 2 tablespoons.
- Hard cheese (such as cheddar), which has about 8 grams of protein and only about 1 gram of carbs per ounce.
- Cottage cheese, which has about 20 grams of protein and 6 grams of carbs per 6 ounces.
- Tofu, which has 19 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbs per 5 ounces.
- Tempeh, which has 20 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbs in about 3 ounces.
- Seitan, which has about 21 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbs per 1 ounce.
Make Sure You’re Reaching Your Daily Fat Goals
Ideally, your diet should consist of 70-80% fat when following the keto lifestyle. Reaching that level of fat may sound challenging without high-fat meat products, but it’s not as difficult as you might think.
High-fat dairy and eggs are two great, vegetarian-friendly sources of fat. Vegetable-based oils are also great sources of fat, such as:
- Coconut oil
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
High-fat, plant-based foods include:
- Nuts
- Avocados
- Seeds
The key most important thing is to make sure that you’re incorporating healthy vegetarian foods into your diet. Reaching your fat goals is crucial, but stick to vegetarian-based oils or high-fat foods like avocados. And limit those carbs by ditching the gains, lentils and beans.