What is a Vegan/Plant-Based Keto Diet? | 1-Day Meal Plan

The Ketogenic or 'Keto' diet is gaining popularity. Many people wonder if it is possible to adopt a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet. I’m here to tell you YES! It is!

What Is Ketosis?

Definition: “Ketogenesis” means “generating ketones,” which your body does naturally to generate energy from fat when carbohydrate sources are sufficiently low (e.g., after intense exercise, long periods of fasting, eating a low carbohydrate diet, etc.). “Ketogenic diets” are thus a way of switching your body over into a fat-burning state.

Ketosis is a measurement of blood ketones where your body is using fat for fuel instead of sugar/carbs. In Ketosis, we become fat burners instead of sugar burners. When your body uses fat for fuel, your body burns fat stores for energy, providing a more sustainable slow-burning energy (like a runner’s second wind when his body burns through its glycogen and taps into its fat reserves for that final push). When your body uses carbs/sugar for fuel, you need to eat more often to keep fueling the fire, and your body never gets a chance to burn through its fat stores.

What Is A Ketogenic (KETO) Diet?

hen we increase our healthy fats and lower our carbohydrates (grains, most fruit, high carb sweeteners, and starchy vegetables), and add in a moderate amount of protein (15 grams per meal), the human brain becomes more efficient. We have more mental cognition, clarity, we lose weight, and we have a more balanced energy level.

I've been practicing a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet without knowing it for 20 years. I started eating this way when I found out I had systemic candida. I was then introduced to the world of cleansing. My candida remedy was to eliminate most carbohydrates and adopt a vegan, high fat, low carb diet. I was successful! I have experimented with this way of eating over the years and have gone off track more than once (going back to higher carbs such as fruit, grains, etc). This caused me to gain weight, leaving me feeling unhealthy and low in energy. Whenever I would stray too far from what I knew to be right for my body, it didn't take long for me to feel the push to get back on track with low-carb, healthy eating.

Here is what I have learned from eating a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet for over 20 years:

• I have REAL sustained energy when I eat and drink plant-based KETO foods
• I can have as much green juice, Keto Coffee, leafy greens, and green vegetables as I want
• I can have tons of fat and healthy oils and feel amazing
• I don't miss unhealthy carbs (pizza, pastries, cake, and bread now look like plastic, non-foods to me)
• I can still enjoy healthy carbs one day a week (up to 100g and stay in Ketosis)

Who Promotes Keto?

 There are many people promoting this type of low-carb, high-fat diet these days such as:

• • Dr. Joseph Mercola, a respected blogger on scientific data, with his book Fat For Fuel.
  • Dave Asprey promotes this way of eating on his highly ranked podcast and in his bestselling book The Bulletproof Diet.
  • Many women are now promoting this way of living, such as Shawn Mynar with her podcast called Keto for Women. Every day, more and more books and podcasts are popping up about the KETO way of living.
  • Dr. Gabriel Cousens, MD, promotes a low carb, high fat Plant-Based Diet in his book Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine (but it's not quite low enough in carbs to be considered Keto).

What Is The Benefit Of Eating A Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet?

• Your body becomes less acidic as a result of not eating animals and their byproducts.
• Better bowel movements because you are getting plenty of fiber.
• Avoid having foul-smelling KETO breath and B.O (from eating too many animal products)
• Have an alkaline P.H. from eating lots of green juices and green vegetables (both raw and cooked)
• You won’t get sick as often or at all since your body is more on the alkaline side than meat-eaters tend to be.

Here’s an outline of what a woman who weighs between 120-140 pounds would eat in a day on a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet Plan:

1. Carbohydrates: Between 20 and 40 grams. Consists of all the leafy greens, green and cruciferous low-starch vegetables (raw and cooked) green juices, some starchy vegetables such as carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, and squash in moderation, some fruits such as berries, lemons, and limes
   • 20 grams a day is stricter and used by people with hormone imbalances, more weight to lose, and brain fog, candida, etc.
   • 40 grams a day is beneficial for people who want to experience mental clarity and energy improvements plus drop a few pounds in the process.
   • 60 grams a day might be a good place to start if you are a severe sugar burner (eating packaged foods and white sugar and white flours and grains
2. Fats: Between 100 and 120 grams a day including avocado, coconut, cacao, nuts, seeds, olives (and any of these products’ butter, oil, and milk).
3. Protein: 45 grams a day in the form of sprouted nuts and seeds (and their butter), vegetables, leafy greens, and green sprouts (such as microgreens)
4. Free Foods: (don’t contain many macros but do contain nutrients) seaweeds (includes Irish sea moss, kelp noodles, sushi nori, arame, hijiki, etc.), leafy greens, green vegetables, celery, and celery juice

Avoid:

Benefits Of Ketosis: 

1. Boosted Brain Power: When you are burning fat/ketones for energy, you can think more clearly and for more extended periods of time
2. More patience: Your mood stabilizes, and you don’t get sugar drops since you aren’t consuming carbohydrates for energy anymore
3. Stable hunger: You don’t get Hangry when your stomach is empty because your body goes to your fat stores instead of screaming for more dopamine inducing sugar/carbs
4. Weight Loss: Since you are burning fat for energy, your body will use your reserves while you are sleeping.
5. Better Sleep: When you are not eating sugars or eating late at night (because you are not “starving” and you have plenty of fat to eat), you sleep better and more soundly. Plus you are not waking up with hot flashes or night sweats because your hormones are now in balance.
6. Balanced Hormones: Being in a ketogenic state can make a big difference in your overall hormone health. Our hormones need fat to function properly, and now you will be providing your body with all the fat it needs.

A One Day Vegan Keto Meal Plan

Here is a 1-day sample menu for a Keto Vegan Diet based on 40 grams of carbohydrates (this is one of my typical eating days)

1. Start your day with a Superwoman Coffee and a Green Juice
2. Breakfast: Quick Cinnamon Granola. Add cacao nibs, cinnamon, maca, and any other sweet spices you would like. A dash of stevia or monk fruit for sweetness but the sooner you stop adding sweetness to your food, the sooner you will adapt to a sugar-free way of eating.
3. Lunch: Zucchini pasta with mushrooms or try this Creamy Oyster Mushrooms Pasta Recipe
4. Dinner: Big green salad with ½ a small tomato, ½ an avocado, sprouts, steamed broccoli with sautéed onions and garlic in coconut oil and topped with our zucchini noodle pesto sauce from this bowl. Sprinkle with chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds, sundried olives, or hemp seeds.
   • Optional: 1 Coconut Wrap (we love ThriveMarket Brand)
5. Snacks: A handful of Coconut Bacon Bits or these Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Entire days’ Macros: This fits well within the Keto range

• Protein: 37 g
• Fat: 120 g
• Carbs: 43.1 g

Note: Everyone’s experience of ketogenic is different. Your range of fats and carbs may vary. The way you will know you are in ketosis is to buy a ketone meter and test your blood. Wait at least 2 weeks before doing this so you don’t waste the strips which can be expensive). The other way you will know is if you start feeling more balanced and more energetic and you stop craving sugar. You may also notice you aren’t bloating after meals and your pants are a tad bit looser.

So, How Can You Start A Vegan Keto Diet?

Here are some types to help you start to increase your level of ketosis and get you into a fat-burning mode (from most to least important):

1. Restrict carbohydrates to 20 digestible grams per day or less – a strict low-carb diet. Fiber does not have to be restricted; it might even be beneficial.
2. Restrict protein to moderate levels. If possible, stay at 45-65 grams per day. It might be beneficial to lower protein intake even more, especially when overweight, and aim for 1 gram of protein per kg of desired weight. The most common mistake that stops people from reaching optimal Ketosis is overeating protein.
3. Eat enough fat to feel satisfied! Fat is the most significant factor between a healthy ketogenic diet and starvation, resulting in Ketosis. A ketogenic diet is sustainable. Deprivation is not.
4. Avoid snacking when not hungry. Unnecessary snacking reduces weight loss and decreases Ketosis.
5. If necessary, add in intermittent fasting two days a week. Abstain from eating or drinking anything for 16 hours and have an eating window of 8 hours. Intermittent Fasting effectively boosts ketone levels and accelerates weight loss, and reverses type 2 diabetes.

Enjoy exploring the Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet! Reach out to me on Facebook or comment below if you have comments or questions.

If you are interested in following a one-month plan and getting weekly meal plans, macro counts, and recipes, register for our Plant-Based Keto Gone Green Coaching Program. 

Disclaimer: I am not a Dr. nor do I play one on the internet. Always consult with your doctor before experimenting with your diet (seriously, see a functional medicine Dr. and get data from blood tests, urine tests, etc.). Please feel free to comment if you’re aware of anything that should be updated; I always appreciate knowing the science and I’ll update the content promptly. My goal is to help readers get more scientifically educated and improve their health and their lives with as much joy as possible. The purpose of this blog is to educate you on a Keto Vegan Plant-Based Diet.