I’ll give you some vegetarian keto diet tips and some vegetarian keto meal ideas. Make sure you watch this video until the end so you don’t miss anything. By the way, if you’re new to my channel, my name is Greta, and I’m a low-carb keto nutritionist and health coach.
I share health-related videos every week. If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. What are the rules of a vegetarian keto diet? You don’t eat meat, fish, sugar and starch.
It may sound limiting at first. However, there are plenty of healthy vegetarian keto foods you can get. I’ll get to the specific vegetarian keto foods in a moment. So first you need to limit your daily carbohydrate intake to no more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day.
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You’ll see a number of other sources recommending lowering your carbs to 20 grams of carbs per day, which would ultimately lead to avoiding low-carb keto vegetables and other foods that are fine with a low-carb keto diet.
It is important to note that different countries have different nutrition labeling regulations. For example, if you live in the UK, you should stick to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day.
You do not need to perform additional calculations. And if you live in the US, you should maintain the same 50 grams of net carbs per day. Net carbs are essentially the total carbohydrates minus the fiber and some sugar alcohols.
Every sugar alcohol is different. It’s the same number, just called differently, and depending on where you live, you might need to do some extra calculations. The next rule to follow when starting the vegetarian keto diet is having the right amount of protein.
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And eating the right types of proteins. So first: what is the right amount? Your protein intake depends on your body weight and activity level. About 20% of your daily calories should come from protein.
What does that look like? An average person needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.36 grams per pound) daily. If you are an average male, weigh 75 kg, do not do high-intensity workouts and are moderately active, your daily protein requirement would be approximately 60 g of protein per day.
And your protein sources should be complete. Compared to animal proteins, vegetable proteins have reduced digestibility and bioavailability. Even if the nutrition label shows that a product contains a lot of protein, this does not always mean that we can digest and absorb the proteins 100%.
Eating a variety of different plant proteins daily will provide you with a complete amino acid profile. Among plant-based protein sources, soy is the best in terms of quantity, amino acid profile and bioavailability.
Keep in mind that not all soy is created equal. We have organic soy and we have GMO soy. And we have unfermented soy or fermented soy. These are very different. If you live in the US, most soy is genetically modified.
If you’re in Europe, the only way GMO soy gets into your food is through conventional animal products. I recommend staying away from GMOs at all costs. I have another video explaining why it’s a good idea to avoid GMOs.
You can watch it afterwards. Also check out the reference list in the description of this video. Then choose organic fermented soy products, such as organic tofu and tempeh. Keep in mind that most tofu is actually unfermented, but it has been soaked.
That still reduces the amount of antinutrients and makes them more bioavailable. You can buy tofu and ferment it yourself, or buy tofu that has already been fermented. And you should stay away from genetically modified or unfermented soy.
Unfermented soy can be found in all different protein powders, health bars, soy milk and fake meat products. If you see soy protein isolate on the label of any food or supplement, I recommend that you do not purchase it.
Why is unfermented soy bad for you? It is packed with antinutrients. Unfermented soy contains enzymes that block the absorption of proteins. It also contains phytic acid that blocks the absorption of minerals.
So it’s a good example of a food that seems very nutritious when you look at the food label. But you don’t really get the benefits. If you eat fermented soy, you will overcome these problems.
It becomes more bioavailable. Furthermore, unfermented soy also disrupts your hormones if you consume large amounts of it. It is highly estrogenic. Soy is unique because it contains a high concentration of isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen that is similar in function to human estrogen, but with much weaker effects.
These molecules can bind to estrogen receptors in the body and cause weak estrogenic or anti-estrogenic effects. Too much estrogen from soy can increase the risk of cancer. But again, some studies show it increases your risk, others show it lowers your risk.
It seems it varies from person to person. Okay, enough about soy! These are the best sources of vegetarian keto protein: Organic tempeh, with about 20 g of protein per 100 g. It has a high protein quality score, 0.
91, with the maximum score being 1. This scoring system is used to evaluate the quality of a protein, based on both people’s amino acid needs and their ability to digest it.
Next we have hemp seeds, with 32g of protein per 100g, with a protein quality score of 0.61, meaning the protein is of lower quality, but still worth including in your vegetarian keto diet.
Then organic tofu, about 12 g protein, protein quality score: 0.91. Pea protein, about 60 g protein, quality score 0.73, also not as good as tempeh. Then organic eggs, 13 g protein per 100 g and the maximum protein quality score.
This means you need to eat more eggs. Then the next, grass-fed cheese. If possible, try to consume only type A2 casein, which is easier to digest and less inflammatory. you can obtain A2 type casein dairy products by choosing French or Swiss cheese.
Cheese like feta contains only 14 grams of protein, while cheese like Parmesan contains 38 grams of protein. On average, cheese would contain about 25 grams of protein. And the last one is chia seeds. It contains 17 g of protein per 100 g and the quality score is 0.
48, so it’s not the best, and you wouldn’t get 100 grams of chia seeds, but it’s a small addition to your total daily protein intake. There are other protein sources you can use, but the main ones are eggs, cheese, tempeh and tofu.
Unless you are allergic to eggs, dairy and soy. Then let’s take a look at the best low-carb keto vegetables. You should aim for 7 to 10 cups of non-starchy vegetables per day. These are all low in carbohydrates.
They contain a maximum of 5 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. So the best low carb keto vegetables are cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus, kale, olives and nuts, these are called fruits but I call them vegetables, then eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, green beans, celery, radish and kaletts.
Then, very importantly, the best keto fats. When following a vegetarian keto diet, make sure you consume only the highest quality fats and avoid vegetable oils at all costs. These are very anti-inflammatory.
Stick to organic extra virgin coconut oil, grass-fed butter, if possible, A2 casein. If you are lactose intolerant you can use grass fed ghee instead of butter, ghee is simply a purified butter.
Then extra virgin olive oil. You should always add it to your salads. And the last one is avocado oil. These are all great vegetarian keto fat options. Then the best keto drinks, water, sparkling water, black coffee, different types of tea and keto coffee, which is coffee with coconut oil and butter.
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The rule is: drink when you are thirsty. Avoid diet soft drinks with artificial sweeteners, as these are unhealthy. They change your microbiome and increase your risk of cancer and diabetes. Next, the best keto sweeteners.
Organic stevia, liquid or powder, I personally use liquid because it is much easier to doze off. Monk fruit is just as delicious when it is pure and not mixed with anything. Stevia and monk fruit extract are both natural sweeteners that have been proven to be safe.
They do not cause spikes in blood glucose or insulin. However, they are not good for baking and you should use erythritol instead. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that does not affect your blood glucose or insulin and is also considered safe.
However, it is important to note that some people may experience digestive problems. I would recommend using stevia as your main keto sweetener. In the description of the video I will link a few good sweetener brands.
Next, the best keto nuts: pecans, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts and hazelnuts. They contain 4 to 7 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. They also contain healthy fat, some protein and fiber. You should definitely include some nuts in your vegetarian keto diet.
Next we have the best keto fruits. These include raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, lemon, lime, coconut, rhubarb, currants, cranberries and lingonberries. Yes, some of these fruits contain slightly higher amounts of carbohydrates, but I recommend that you do not exclude them from your diet.
They all have great health benefits. These low-carb keto fruits provide you with several vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, which can only make you healthier. And the foods to avoid include bread, rice, pizza, pasta, potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, beans, quinoa, sugary fruits like pineapple, mangoes, oranges, candy, soda, fake meat, soy milk and vegetable oils.
Before you start your vegetarian keto diet, here are some of my vegetarian keto meal ideas. A vegetarian keto salad, with mixed lettuce leaves, a handful of walnuts, yellow pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and marinated organic tofu baked in the oven.
I marinated it with turmeric, spices, salt, pepper and garlic. Another meal idea, steamed broccoli with boiled eggs. With extra butter. Or a tempeh salad with avocado and orange pepper.
If you need more guidance and meal ideas, I also work with clients online and help them start a low-carb keto diet the right way. You can learn more about my personalized keto plans by checking out the link in the description GET YOUR CUSTOMIZED KETO DIET PLAN