The Vegetarian Keto Diet: Pros, Cons, And A Sample Meal Plan

When you think of the keto diet, your brain might picture a big slab of steak or one of those ridiculous burgers that swaps out the bun for two meat patties. While it's true that a good number of people following this trendy high-fat, low-carb eating pattern love their meat (and lots of it), not everyone takes the carnivore approach.

The vegetarian keto diet follows the same principles as a traditional low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein keto diet but restricts most animal products. Strict dieters are expected to get 80 to 90% of their daily calories from fat, 5 to 15% from protein, and 5 to 10% from carbs. When followed correctly, whether you are consuming animal products or not, the body will go into a state called ketosis1, which means the body is burning more calories from healthy fats and protein than from carbs.

While at first it may seem difficult to hit those macronutrient numbers without consuming meat, with careful planning the ketogenic diet is accessible for vegetarians.

"The conventional ketogenic diet can be extremely heavy in meat...not to mention, it can ostracize anyone who would rather follow a more plant-based diet," says Will Cole, D.C., IFMCP, functional medicine expert and author of the plant-based keto book Ketotarian.

We have to mention the added benefits of following a vegetarian diet, too. A vegetarian dietary pattern is associated with lower energy and saturated fat intake, along with lower body weight, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure7. Diabetes prevalence has also been found to be 1.6 to 2 times lower in vegetarians8 than in omnivores.

For a vegetarian who is looking to clean up their eating and cut out unhealthy, processed carbs, a keto diet is a great option. But it's not the only option. If you're sure you want to take the plant-based keto plunge, it's important to make a commitment to eating a wide variety of approved foods to make sure you don't experience any nutritional shortfalls.

Though animal protein may seem like a staple in the keto diet, it's important to remember that it's just a small piece of the puzzle. Ultimately what matters most is high-fat food.

Some of the vegetarian ketogenic diet rock stars include avocados (Carbs: 4 g, Fat: 8 g, per serving), coconut oil (Carbs: 0 g, Fat: 13.5 g, per serving), olive oil (Carbs: 0 g, Fat: 14 g, per serving), and eggs (Carbs: 0.4 g, Fat: 4.8 g, per serving).

Vegetarians often have to carefully look out for their protein sources, but plenty of that can be found in eggs, nuts and nut butters, dairy, seeds, and the like.

We love you, vegans, but you might want to cover your ears for this part. Dairy products are a great keto option for those following a plant-based diet who still incorporate this animal product into their diet.

When selecting your dairy du jour, opt for the low-carb options, and avoid anything that adds unnecessary calories through flavoring or sugar. You'll also want to go for the highest quality dairy possible (think grass-fed fermented yogurt and kefir, cultured cottage cheese and cream cheese, and grass-fed butter and milk).

One assumption about the ketogenic diet is that you're strictly forbidden to eat any sources of sugar, including fruits. While keto meal plans limit fruit to an extent, there are plenty of low-sugar, and thus low-carb, fruits worth including to ensure a balanced diet.

One thing you don't have to worry about as a vegetarian embarking on a keto diet is healthy fats. The holy grail when it comes to keto, high-fat vegetarian foods are easy to come by, especially in the form of nuts and seeds. These crunchy, healthy12 vegetarian staples are a great addition to any salad or as an afternoon snack.

The ketogenic diet is considered a low-carbohydrate diet, which means that many of the foods that are typically eaten as part of a vegetarian diet should be avoided.

Beans are a popular and beneficial source of protein in vegetarian diets. However, beans contain carbohydrates, which are limited in this diet plan. One example is chickpeas—a cup of chickpeas contains 45 grams of carbohydrates13.

Other foods to limit or avoid would be sources of carbohydrates that come from foods like rice and bread. Popular substitutes for traditional flour on the vegetarian keto diet include almond flour and coconut flour.