Posted on June 25, 2018 by Kate Halsall

Once again, this is a blog born from a conversation in the gym. Keto and Ketogenic diets. Are they any good? Well, shall we try one and find out? Is a vegan ketogenic diet even possible? If you’ve not heard of “Keto” yet – where have you been? This is a very low carbohydrate and high fat diet. When we say really low carbs, we’re talking 10% of your daily calorie intake. Really high fat is around 70% of those calories! Good grief. How is this going to be possible? I live off carbs! Maybe this experiment is a step too far! The key is that as a result of the low carbs, the body turns fat into energy-useful molecules i.e. Ketones.

Planning

This is not going to be easy. So I’ve done a lot of research (some of the links are below).

Luckily there are a number of sites which not only provide a list of suitably low-carb veg, but also recipes to boot! If you’ve ever read any of my food blogs, I like any food I cook to be simple and quick; so some of the recipes may be a bit more of a challenge. But I’m not put off yet. Luckily the veg that is listed, includes my favourites – aubergines, courgettes and mushrooms. I can also keep my tofu and non dairy yogurt, and my protein powder is fine (I was worried about protein as I live off pulses).

So today – until I go shopping that is – I plan the following:

  • Protein Shake for breakfast
  • Avocado Snack
  • Lunch is grilled Marinated Organic Tofu
  • Evening Meal is a Peanut and Coconut Veg Curry with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Asparagus (it’s all we’ve got in!)

This brings me to 923Cals, 35g Carbs, 61g Fat, 63g Protein – is it enough? See below!

https://www.ruled.me/comprehensive-guide-vegan-ketogenic-diet/

http://www.veganatheart.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Vegan-Keto-Diet-Plan-6-Feb.pdf

 

Tracking

I’ve changed My Fitness Pal to reflect the new macros (small sniffle/sob). Based on my calorie goal of 1750:

  • 10% Carbohydrates – a whooping 44g!
  • 25% Protein – 109g
  • 65% Fat – lordy – 126g. I need to start smashing some avocados!

So no, my food plan for today, doesn’t hit these targets. I add in some soya milk (I’m on my second coffee already); and as I’ve realised my tofu goes out of date today, I add another 200g to my evening meal. We’re getting closer: 1275Cals, 43g Carbs, 92g Protein, 81g Fat. Woah – this is hard already. Where am I going to get the extras from? The fat HAS to be higher than protein for this to work, so I need some other healthy fat sources.

Blogging

Ultimately, I’m going to keep a diary – “the vegan and the ketogenic diet”. How am I feeling, am I craving carbs, what am I eating (OMG – what about eating out!!), how are my energy levels and so on and so on. I’ll try not to moan too much! I can’t guarantee how long I’ll last though! Stay tuned……..