Before throwing your hands up in
the air and shouting "I give up", let me
assure you that indeed a vegetarian can follow a ketogenic
diet with great success. As a vegetarian going on
15 years, I wanted to follow the ketogenic diet without
resorting to meat products of any kind. Well, where
there's a will, there's a way. After thorough research
I devised a plan for "ketogenic vegetarianism."
What I am laying out here is by no means a complete
end-all guide for vegetarians following a ketogenic
diet. My hope is that you will be able to use this
information to confidently begin your diet with the
realization that vegetarianism is not a roadblock
in the pursuit of ketosis. Utilize the information
here and add to it along the way.
Ketogenic Diet for Vegetarians
Before beginning a ketogenic vegetarian
diet it is imperative that you map out the territory.
You do not have the luxury that the meat-eating dieter
has in that they can simply heat up a chicken breast
or throw a burger on the grill. You have to find several
foods that you can eat on your diet and have them
ready at your disposal. You have to learn to read
labels when you purchase foods for your diet because
they will likely have a significant amount of carbs.
Below is a list of foods that I
found particularly beneficial on my ketogenic diet
with a brief description of some of their nutritional
content. Pick several or all and add to the list any
other foods that you run across in the grocery store.
This is just a small sample of what’s available
to you so if you browse the aisles and read labels
you should be able to amass a variety of foods that
will suit your needs
Sugar Free Jello
-this is a great food to have around when you crave
something sweet. It's economical, tastes great, and
comes in a variety of flavors. You can add whipped
cream to make it even better.
Meat Substitutes
- there are wide variety of excellent products distributed
by several companies (Morningstar Farms, Yves, etc.)
When selecting these products you must pay close attention
to the nutrition labels. While the vegetarian hot
dogs may contain as few as 3g of carbs, the burgers
and chicken-flavored patties may contain as much 15g.
These are excellent additions to the vegetarian's
ketogenic diet but they key is to check the labels
carefully.
Peanut Butter -
while this is a great vegetarian food providing protein
and fat, it should be used in moderation. One serving
contains around 7g of carbohydrates so you will want
to limit yourself to no more than a single serving
per day, unless you plan on getting all of your carbs
from peanut butter.
Nuts - like peanut butter, this is
another food that should be limited due to the carbohydrates
they contain. Nonetheless, a small amount can provide
you with fat and protein and a small amount of carbs.
Almonds, peanuts, and sunflower seeds are a few good
choices that can make your diet more bearable.
Salads - while
a salad alone will provide little fuel for your body,
it does serve a valuable purpose in providing bulk
to the diet and easing hunger pangs. Its most important
function, however, is that it can provide a solid
food base for adding liquid fat to your diet. You
can add olive oil and a low-carb dressing which will
provide you with ample amounts of fat.
Although we have now determined
that there are some good foods for the vegetarian
following a ketogenic diet, there is still a deficit
left that must be addressed. More protein and fat
will be required to satisfy our needs on this diet.
This is where nutritional supplementation comes in.
The following food supplements will allow you to fill
in what solid food makes difficult for vegetarians:
Protein
powder – this may be one of your
most important allies in succeeding on the ketogenic
diet. Whey isolate, whey concentrate, casein, egg
albumen, and soy can provide you with all of the protein
that your diet does not. You can chose one or more
of these powders to implement in your diet. My favorite
source of protein is whey isolate, which you can find
in several commercial products. Syntrax makes an excellent
whey isolate powder called Nectar. With a variety
of great tasting fruit flavors and zero carbs, this
is a perfect addition to any ketogenic dieter’s
arsenal.
Flaxseed
Oil - loaded with omega-3 fatty acids,
one tablespoon provides about 14g of fat. Omega-3’s
can enhance metabolism, enhance oxygen utilization,
as well as improve overall health through several
mechanisms of action.
Olive oil - as
mentioned earlier you can add this oil to your salad
and give yourself an extra 15g of fat. Another healthy
fat, olive oil can lower bad LDL cholesterol levels
while simultaneously raising good HDL cholesterol
levels.
MCT (medium chain
triglycerides) - this oil occurs naturally in coconut
oil and some studies indicate that it can increase
energy expenditure and help you burn fat. I use Keto
Butta which is a great butter substitute providing
almost 5g per teaspoon. It smells and tastes almost
just like real butter but contains a much healthier
fat.
In addition to the supplements listed
above there are a few optional, but beneficial, supplements
that are worth considering. Alpha
Lipoic Acid can assist you on a ketogenic diet
by increasing insulin sensitivity, which is vital
to the fat burning process. Another supplement that
may help you lose fat is a fat
burner containing synephrine (citrus aurantium)
and caffeine. There are a wide variety of products
available that contain these two thermogenic agents
as well as a proprietary blend of these and other
fat burning ingredients.
Another tool that can make your
efforts easier is ketone testing strips, such as TestMedica’s
Ketone Diet Stix. These test strips will allow you
to monitor your progress and ensure that you are metabolizing
fat optimally. They can also help you determine if
you need to add or reduce your carbohydrate consumption
Don't rule out a ketogenic
diet just because you don’t consume meat. With
the proper planning you can formulate a diet that
fits your needs as a vegetarian. Once you begin the
process of preparing for your diet you will discover
that there is much wider variety of foods and supplements
available than you ever imagined. Vegetarian ketogenic
diets are not only possible; they can also be just
as effective as those followed by meat-eaters. Choose
your foods and supplements wisely, create a plan,
and get started!
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