How To Get Started On A Vegan Keto Diet

So you’ve made the decision to change your lifestyle and want to know how to get started on a vegan keto diet. The main thing to remember is everyone is DIFFERENT!

This is a basic starting point if you’re new to vegan keto. If you’re already vegan you’ll find the transition easier, if you’re doing cold turkey (pardon the pun!) then it can be more challenging.

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Our bodies react differently so your experience might be different from mine. However, there are some basic rules that apply to everyone.

• Calculate what your body needs on a vegan keto diet by using an online keto calculator like the one on ruled.me. This isn’t a vegan site but it has some excellent resources. You want your carbs to be under 20g net to start with.
  • Your protein should be between 60-90g
  • Your fat grams should be AT LEAST equal to your protein grams but, can be up to DOUBLE your protein. This depends on how hungry you are! (1:1 to 2:1 fat to protein ratio)
•  Use a tracking app like Chronometer. Sign up for this app, (the free version is fine to start). Once you’re signed up, go to the profile section and input what you got from the ruled.me calculator. To start, you should choose “strict” in the Macronutrient Targets section. Choose “net carbs” in that section. Once you have your calculations finished (send me a message if you get stuck with any of this ) then you are ready to start planning your meals.
• Make a meal plan, covering at least 3 days to start, (we’ll be adding meal plans to this site in due course).
• Make a shopping list, to cover your meal plan.
• Join a good online support group, one that isn’t going to tell you vegan keto can’t be done! I highly recommend Vegan Keto Made Simple,Madeline does a wonderful job keeping the naysayers out and the posts on topic.
• Measure your ketones with a blood ketone monitor like this one. The urine strips will give you an idea initially but, after you go into Ketosis they won’t work. You don’t “pee” the ketones out, you use them in your body for fuel!

 PROTEIN

• The big debate for vegans, how much do you need?! Again, this varies depending on age, lifestyle, if you workout hard etc, the ruled.me calculator works it out for you. One thing I do know, if you don’t eat soy or tofu then you’ll definitely need a protein powder on a vegan keto diet. I use a flavor free (Pulsin from Amazon) however, there are tons to choose from. Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, different brands.

If you’re a smoothie fan then one of the flavored ones will work. Everyone has their personal preferences when it comes to protein powders. Just don’t buy a massive amount till you’ve tried it! Also, check the carb content and that it is actually vegan. I use my unflavored pea protein in everything from soup to pancakes!

ELECTROLYTES

• This is a BIG subject and one that is overlooked by many (including me when I first started!). I’ll keep it simple for the purpose of this article but write a more in-depth article at a later date.

On a “normal” high carb diet, your body holds on to water and therefore electrolytes. With a low carb diet, we don’t hold onto water or electrolytes in the same way. This means that EVERY MORNING, we need to start afresh and track that we’re getting the required amount.  (DISCLAIMER- This advice should not replace the advice of a medical professional where supplements, deficiencies etc are concerned). The 3 most important electrolytes to track are:

1. Sodium – 5,000mg daily, more if you work out as sodium is lost during heavy exercise.
2. Magnesium – 400-500mg, again, more if you work out.
3. Potassium – 3,500-4,700mg daily, more if you work out.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

• Again, this is different for everyone depending on your lifestyle, age, etc. Use the tracker and get blood work done by a health professional. If you’re already vegan you’ll probably have a good idea of what you need. It’s a big subject which we’ll cover in depth shortly, based on the latest research. In the meantime, this is a useful article on the supplements you might need.

Why some people shouldn’t do vegan keto

There are some instances where people shouldn’t do vegan keto and we’ve written an article here that explains the contraindications.

Finally, as I said already, don’t struggle on alone send us a message and we’ll help