Vegan keto is one of the most UNHEALTHY ways a human can lose weight.

It’s nutritional suicide.

It’ll leave you feeling like sh*t.

The weight won’t stay off.

The internet in places paints it as ok, but really don’t believe everything you read on the internet.

(But, believe this article lol! Mostly because I spent DAYS researching, so that you don’t have to)

The internet is a weird place of conflicting information on weight-loss. Is it any wonder that people struggle?

Eat carbs, don’t eat carbs.

Olive oil is good for your health, olive oil is bad for your health.

Lose weight fast, lose weight slowly.

Hammer out cardio on the treadmill 7 days a week, twice a day. Do 1000 burpees, plank for five hours, just drink this special tea made from cat pee and then watch the weight fall off!

Urgh.

Where does it end?!?!

The Keto or vegan keto wants to you say “bye Felicia” to carbs.

What if I told you that whole food carbohydrate sources are GOOD for you?

What if I told you that whole food carbohydrates are AMAZING for weight-loss and aid it?!

Let me explain why.

What Is Vegan Keto?

Vegan keto is a vegan version of the meat-based ketogenic diet.

A vegan diet is one void of all animal products. Meat, fish and dairy are out if you are strictly vegan.

Keto is a high fat, low carb diet.

Combining the two…

According to Healthline, “It is a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein diet. Vegan keto excludes all animal based foods.”

You see, it’s all about putting your body is a state of ‘ketosis.’ Ketosis is when the human body burns fat or protein for fuel, called ‘keytones.’ This is instead of burning from glucose. The ‘keytones’ are then used by your body for a main source of energy.

Strict keto limits carbohydrate intake to around 5%, protein intake around 20%, fats are around 75% of daily calorie intake. High fat food examples include avocados, coconut oil, seeds or nut butters.

Keto tough with a vegan diet, because many plant-based protein sources are carb-protein blends, such as chickpeas.

What Can You Eat On A Vegan Keto Diet?

High proportion plant-based fats
Moderate proportion of plant-based protein
Super low amount of plant-based carbs

Foods you are advised to eat are:

coconut milk
oils
nuts
seeds
condiments
berries
avocados

You’re also advised to eat

leafy greens
Brussel sprouts
zucchini
broccoli
cauliflower
peppers
mushrooms

Protein should be gained from full-fat tofu and tempeh.

What’s The Upside To Vegan Keto?

If done properly, you will probably lose weight whilst on the diet.

What’s Wrong With Vegan Keto?

Crikey.

What a mess and confusing place the internet makes of losing weight.

Vegan keto is straight-up nutritional crazy talk!

#Reason 1

It is a vegan diet with extra restrictions. Making your life much more difficult than it needs to be!

#Reason 2

It’s ignoring every important piece of advice we’ve ever been told – to eat a varied plant-based diet, abundant with fruits and vegetables.

You’re cutting out all of the good stuff. A wide nutritional profile should be the aim and is what matters.

Of course, say bye to muffins and brownies, but whole foods carbohydrates are not the bad guy here.

#Reason 3

Whole food carbohydrates are not the same as carbs from junk food. Your body loves them and they aid digestion and weight-loss.

#Reason 4

According to a study published in 2019 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, following a vegan keto diet can create both short and long-term side effects for your body.

The most common and relatively minor short-term side effects of ketogenic diet, sometimes called the ‘keto flu’… you’ll feel low in energy and lacking in essential nutrients. This includes a collection of symptoms:

nausea
vomiting
headache
fatigue
dizziness
insomnia
difficulty in exercise tolerance
constipation

These symptoms resolve in a few days to few weeks.

Longer term adverse side effects include

hepatic steatosis*
hypoproteinemia**
kidney stones
vitamin and mineral deficiencies

The vegan keto diet may not be suitable for those with type 1 diabetes, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, athletes or those with eating disorders or a history of disordered eating.

*Hepatic steatosis is an accumulation of fat in the liver. It is an augmentation of fat in the hepatic cells and can cause complications in cases of obesity.

**Hypoproteinemia is a condition where there is an abnormally low level of protein in the blood.

It’s not eating the vegan diet that causes all of these issues, it’s combing the vegan keto combo.

#Reason 5

A vegan diet has been proven by scientists to be a nutritionally adequate healthful diet, providing health benefits (including weight-loss and maintaining a healthy weight!) and prevention for the treatment of certain diseases.

#Reason 6

As part of vegan keto, you’re advised to eat lots of oil. Oil is bad for you, it’s nutritional advantages are unfortunately outweighed by its disadvantages. It’s saturated fat that just surrounds any healthy food in your tummy, making it hard to absorb nutrients.

#To Conclude The Reasons

Even if after reading all of the above, you would still like to try the nutritional suicide that is ‘vegan keto,’ please consult your doctor or qualified physician to ensure that the diet is an ok fit for you.

On Vegan keto, as it’s vegan, you are advised not to eat any meat, dairy, eggs, seafood or animal-based ingredients.

You are also advised NOT to eat:

apples
bananas
oranges
grapes
watermelon
peaches
melon
pineapple
corn
cherries
pears
lemons
limes
grapefruits
plums
mangos
sweet potatoes
carrots
parsnips
beetroot
peas
squash

It’s ZERO fruit, except for a handful of berries.

You are also advised to steer clear of black beans, chickpeas, lentils, bread, oats, quinoa, pasta, rice, bulgar wheat, barley, millet and amaranth.

Quinoa? Really? One of the healthiest foods on the planet?

Legumes? Really?

Hold up. Those little legumes are in fact magical!

According to Dr Micheal Greger, M.D., FACLM “Legume consumption is associated with a slimmer waist and lower blood pressure, and randomized trials have shown it can match or beat out calorie cutting for slimming tummy fat as well as improving regulation of blood sugar, insulin levels or cholesterol.”

Although the vegan keto diet is super restricted, and tricky to manage, it is possible to follow a vegan keto diet.

BUT.

By cutting out all of those foods the vegan keto diet is severely limiting the nutritional profile of your foods. It’s a very unhealthy diet.

What Is The Right Answer Then?

The vegan keto diet does not encourage healthy eating habits.

FORGET about silly rules around eating too many whole foods carbs.

Instead, just focus on eating whole natural food, as it came out of the ground, in its original form.

The best way to lose weight, is to do it healthily and for your body to thrive.

That way, the extra weight doesn’t start coming back on as soon as you eat a chickpea as your body is not feeling used to it.

The secret is, just to eat healthful nutritious whole foods that have come out of the ground and consumed in their natural form.

It’s easier than you think.

Here are my magic tips, as I think you’ll want to hear them:

Eat a calorie deficit of around 300-450 calories a day
Eat a wide variety of plant-based foods
Get up and off the sofa and lift weights in the gym in compound exercises
Get a good sleep each night
Eat a high protein/high fiber diet
Drink plenty of water
Eat only plant-based whole foods
Aim to eat these macros: 35% protein, 30% carbs and 35% good fats
Be consistent!

What Should I Eat If I Want To Lose Weight On A Vegan Plant-Based Diet

It is advised to eat an abundance of fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts and seeds.

Healthy Proteins

Lentils
Black beans
Chickpeas
Quinoa
Green peas
Rolled oats
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Edamame
Spinach
Broccoli
Asparagus
Almonds
Hemp
Nuts or Nut Butters

Healthy Fats

Seeds
Avocado
Nuts or nut butters
Olives
Cacao nibs

Healthy Carbs

Rolled oats
Sweet potatoes
Wholegrain rice
Beans
Lentils
Chickpeas
Wholewheat pasta
Wholewheat bread
Quinoa
Couscous
Peas
Butternut squash
Beetroot
Apples
Blueberries
Oranges
Bananas
Peaches
Grapes
Pineapple
Mango
Pears

If you’re thinking of switching to a vegan diet for the purpose of losing weight then it’s worth noting that many lose around 5 pounds naturally within the first few months, just from the swtich. That’s completely without keto coming into it.

Eating the rainbow is far better for longevity of weight-loss but also far better for your health.

The wider variety of colors you can eat and the more different types of plant-based foods the better you’ll feel.

I have a whole article dedicated to providing tips for vegan weight-loss. Check out 15 Tips On How To Lose Weight to get ALL the info you need to start losing weight with a vegan diet today.

PLANT-BASED FOOD MADE SIMPLE

Eating plant-based doesn’t have to be complicated. This Complete Plant-Based Diet Foods List makes grocery shopping quick, easy and delicious.

The Bottom Line

Do you want to lose weight that STAYS off in the long-term?

Do you want to lose weight in a healthy nutritious way?

If so, then that alone should make a vegan keto a non-starter.

Don’t worry about whole foods carbohydrates – they really are a great source of nutrition that aid weight loss!

Vegan keto is a heavily restricted unhealthy form of crash dieting.

If you want to lose weight, there are much healthier ways on a vegan plant-based diet where the weight is less likely to come back.

Looking for some weight-loss friendly recipe ideas, then check out The BEST Vegan Lentil Bolognese, AWESOME Asian Vegan Salad and Mexican Three Bean Vegan Chili

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