So you’ve committed to trying a vegan keto diet… or you’re curious enough to want to read up about it so you can make up your mind as to whether it’s right for you or not? First off, let me start by saying it is absolutely doable. I’ve been on this diet for a couple of months now and feel great in body and mind. I’ve gathered a lot of information on this topic from my own research as well as some trial and error and I wanted to share these learnings and tips to help you really set yourself up for success.

For those who want some background on what a ketogenic diet is and why someone would go into a keto diet then please read my earlier blog here which describes this in more detail. 

Let’s get straight into it.

Tip 1: Knowledge 

Start using a calorie tracker, like my fitness pal or similar, to understand what the macronutrient and micronutrient content is in the food you are consuming. There’s no easy way around this. Doing a keto diet means that you really need to understand the food that will be going into your body. Which means that you will initially be doing a lot of label reading for ingredients and nutritional content. This is actually a really good thing to get into the habit of anyway as it’s just common sense to know what you are putting in your body. Don’t worry about it too much. Over time it does get easier and you will start learning what you can and cannot consume without these tools. 

Tip 2: Temptation

Stock your pantry and fridge with things you can consume. Trust me, temptation is a killer. I find that, if I have good options available to me, it makes it easier to make the right decision. Following is a short list of low carb items that you would definitely be stocking up on with this diet.

Nuts and seeds, Nut and seed butters, Chocolate, Coffee, Green Tea, Vegetables, Almond Milk, Protein shakes

I will be creating a full cheat sheet soon with a comprehensive list of items that I’ve discovered during the last few months. In the meantime, feel free to contact me for specifics.

Tip 3: Homework

As mentioned a few times now, a vegan keto diet is a very restrictive diet. So don’t let that get the better of you. You will be so surprised with how much variety and different delicious meals you can make with just a handful of ingredients. I’ve ventured in mexican, indian, italian and thai cuisines during the course of the last couple of months. 

What it does involve though is a bucket load of research, meal planning and preparing. There’s no easy way around this so you are better off embracing it. Think of it as a challenge. What meal can you make vegan keto when previously you have just enjoyed the meal as normal. Maybe you substitute cauliflower rice instead of normal rice. Or courgette noodles instead of regular spaghetti. It’s fun and exciting, as long as you think of it that way.

There’s a wealth of ideas available online and on social media platforms like youtube and pinterest. I follow a few good sources on my instagram and facebook so feel free to trawl through my social media platforms as well. I’d also recommend looking at recipes for things with just a few ingredients. For example, Jamie Oliver has a cookbook called 5 Ingredients where he makes loads of recipes with just a handful of ingredients. This is perfect as you can find alternative ingredients that allow you to make it keto.

Here’s a few meals that I have made during this diet. I’ll be trying to post the full recipes on my blog but feel free to contact me for details.

Mexican Fajitas, Mexican chilli, Tom Kha soup, Tom Yum soup, Thai green curry, Thai red curry, Falafel wraps, Roasted veggies, Spaghetti Bolognese and Veg curry.

Tip 4: Routine

For me it does help with being in a decent routine… so here’s my general day.

Since I practice intermittent fasting (something I will write about in another blog post) my mornings are pretty non eventful. A few things to note though. I have a small dose of apple cider vinegar to start my day. As it doesn’t have any sugars in it, it will not spike your insulin so will keep you in a fasted state. 

Around 9:00 I have a green tea or a black coffee. This sets me up for a morning activity like a walk or bike ride.

I break my fast at 12:00 with a protein shake on most days except for the days where I do some lunch time yoga with other friends. On yoga days, I would have my protein shake afterwards.

About an hour or so after feeding my body with some protein, I go with some foods which are high in fats like nuts and seeds. This keeps me going til my evening meal.

Dinner time comes around. As mentioned, I do like to vary it as I would just go insane eating a green salad every day. The base of my meals are still salad based, but I will cook up something else on the side. This could be roasted veggies or something fancier. I’ve given a few suggestions in the homework section and will definitely add more information on what I eat in other blog posts.

I might get into a small dessert style snack around 7ish to round off the day. This typically consists of a sesame seed snack with some peanut butter and a piece of low carb chocolate.

Also worth noting that I consume over 2 liters of water in the day to keep my body hydrated.

Tip 5: Health

Doing a keto diet will definitely help with weight loss, especially in the early days. But let’s not kid ourselves folks. It’s not a magic pill to solve all your problems. As I promote across many of my blog posts, the key to life is about balance. You need to balance a healthy diet with mind and body exercises to really see the benefits. 

Make sure you are taking time out of your day to do some mindfulness. Also make sure you are getting your exercise in. At least 30 mins a day where you elevate your heart rate by doing some sort of activity. Doesn’t mean you have to hit the weights at the gym every day or do a high intensity interval training session each day. Just mix it up and get a varied amount of activity throughout your week.

Also, listen to your body. This sounds a bit cliche but it’s so true. If you are struggling with bowel movements, then it’s a good sign that you need more fibre in your diet. If you are getting fatigued then that could be a sign that you need to up your protein intake. Getting cramps could be as a result of a lack of sodium in your body. I’m no doctor so you will have to do your own research, and if things persist then see a specialist. My general point is to be mindful of your own body. Read the signs and stay healthy. 

Hopefully you found this article interesting and got some useful info out of it to help you in your journey. Please follow me on whichever platform you prefer to be notified of up and coming content. As mentioned, I will be posting a few cheat sheets with a list of items for your pantry as well as recipes for delicious meals. I’ll also be creating another blog soon with some tips on how you can still go to restaurants and get take outs on a vegan keto diet. It’s not easy folks, but it can be done.