Maximizing Fat Intake On Vegetarian Keto Diet

Vegetarian Keto diet is a diet that combines low-carb dieting and vegetarianism. Due to the absence of meat, fish, other fats, and zero or low carb intake, this makes your body lack some vital nutrients; however, if followed carefully, you can avoid falling short in healthy fats. Regardless if you are just beginning the low-carb, high–fat vegetarian diet journey, or you are an enthusiast of this diet, consuming a large number of healthy fats should be on your top most priority.

Maximizing your fat intake in this diet requires getting proper healthy fat amounts on the ketogenic diet, although it requires little creativity. When you are used to this pattern of eating, you will discover you find it easy sticking to some go-to recipes based on your present cravings. At awakenedlabz.com, we recommend creating or finding recipes for whatever food you are craving and get creative with it.

The Difference Between Vegetarian Keto Diet and Traditional Keto Diet.

The traditional keto diet mainly majors on limiting carbohydrates and increasing the consumption of eggs, avocados, seeds, nuts, poultry, fish, meat, unprocessed fats like olive oil, nuts, etc. On the other hand, the vegetarian keto diet is quite complex but not impossible to navigate. This is because it eliminates several staple foods vegetarians would consider a norm. To become a keto vegetarian, you need to be certain and willing to plan carefully and be mindful of your choice of food to ensure one is getting all the essential nutrients and vitamins required by the body to thrive.

Why You Need Fat to Adapt to Vegetarian Keto Diet.

Increase fat intake is crucial for permitting your body to become adapted to the keto system. At first, when you begin a ketogenic diet, you must replace the calories that are previously from carbs with those from healthy fats. For many, getting an adequate amount of these healthy fats seems to be difficult as it may take a few periods for one’s taste bud to get accustomed to high-fat foods. However, remember that consuming enough fat will help one prevent hunger during the adaptation phase.

Ways to Increase Fat Intake on Vegetarian Keto Diet.

Below are the top ways to increase healthy fat intake in your ketogenic diet journey. These include;

1.   Make your Hot Beverages into Full-Fat Creamy Drinks.

You may have heard some call it "keto-coffee" or "bulletproof coffee," however, the principle remains the same. Adding a source of healthy fat into your hot beverage is a way to upsurge your fat intake. One of the most common version is the bulletproof coffee. This coffee involves adding one or two tablespoons of MCT or coconut oil, a tablespoon of stevia, and grass-fed butter. Then, blend all together to create a creamy, frothy, and keto-friendly coffee. Not a coffee person? You can also do this with Matcha tea, green tea, sugar-free hot chocolate, or yerba mate. Ensure you add a source of healthy fat such as MCT powder or oil, cacao butter, coconut oil, ghee, or grass-fed butter. Trust us, and this is an amazing way to start your morning i.e., with a healthy dose of healthy fats to Kickstart your ketosis.

 

2.   Make Use of Full-Fat Ingredients.

Looking to get foods that are fat-free or low in fat? You may have to forget about that because these food products usually substitute fat for sugar and can be dangerous to your ketogenic diet efforts. So what do you do? Go for full-fat yogurt rather than the nonfat yogurt, and begin to add healthy fatty food sources into your grocery list e.g., avocados, heavy cream, and sour cream.

 

3.   Add Healthy Fats to your Veggies.

It is common and normal for beginners in the keto vegetarian diet to avoid consuming too many vegetables because of their fear of going over the daily carb intake. Sticking to keto vegetables and adding a fat source is an amazing way to make sure you maintain a perfect ketogenic macronutrient ratio.

Below are some of the low-carb vegetables to choose from:

Brussels sprouts

Zucchini

Broccoli

Cucumber

Cabbage

Asparagus

Mushrooms

Cauliflower

Celery

Spinach

Kale

You can then add the source of healthy fats like Macadamia nut oil, Unrefined Coconut oil, Ghee, Extra-virgin olive oil, Avocado Oil, Grass-fed butter, etc. Finally, you can add some flavors with low-carb condiments, herbs, and spices to your meals e.g., coconut aminos, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, jalapenos, garlic, and ginger.

4.   Fat Bombs.

These are common in the ketogenic community and for a commendable reason. Fat bombs do not only help satisfy cravings for sweets, but fat bombs also help in the quest for getting proper amounts of healthy fats in the ketogenic diet.

The general guidelines for creating delicious fat bomb is to:

Add a base of fats such as cacao butter, ghee, nut kinds of butter, grass-fed butter, or coconut cream. Then, add some flavors like cinnamon, cacao powder, cayenne, or vanilla extract.

Then, proceed to add protein powder or any other zero-calorie sweetener.

Mix these and keep in the freezer to have a readily available keto-friendly snack to munch on whenever you feel the cravings of unhealthy sweets.

Go for the Fatty Cuts of Meat Substitutes. Meat substitutes are most times the punching bag of vegans and vegetarians. Meat substitutes such as Soy is healthy and great for human health. Some meat substitutes like Beyond Meat, Gardein, and Boca are great doe keto, high fat, and high protein meals.

 

Quorn’s beef-style strips, chicken-style strips, and meatless fillets are easily people’s choice.

MorningStar Farms have got the best sausage patties, and they also have good chicken strips and veggie dogs.

Lightlife has arguably the beef-style grounds, hands down. Replace any recipe with these, and you'll be good to go. They're a smidge on the high side for net carbs, though.

 

Aside from these branded meat substitutes, other meat substitutes that are rich in protein include; tofu, seitan, tempeh, and nutritional yeast. These are also good low carb options. The alternative meat choices are also potentially cheaper to buy than branded meat substitute products; however, they require a bit more prep work.

Typical 5-day Vegetarian Keto Diet Meal Plan

Below is a 5-days Sample Meal Plan as well as a permitted vegetarian keto diet that accommodates maximum healthy fat intake.

Day 1

Breakfast: smoothie with full-fat milk, spinach, peanut butter, MCT oil, and chocolate whey protein powder

Lunch: zucchini noodles with tempeh meatballs and creamy avocado sauce

Dinner: coconut curry made with olive oil, mixed veggies, and tofu

Day 2

Breakfast: omelet made with coconut oil, cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and onions

Lunch: cauliflower-crust pizza with cheese, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, olive oil, and spinach

Dinner: salad with mixed greens, tofu, avocados, tomatoes, and bell peppers

Day 3

Breakfast: tofu scramble with olive oil, mixed veggies, and cheese

Lunch: cauliflower mac and cheese with avocado oil, broccoli, and tempeh bacon

Dinner: frittata with coconut oil, spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, and feta

Day 4

Breakfast: Greek yogurt topped with walnuts and chia seeds

Lunch: taco lettuce wraps with walnut-mushroom meat, avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, and cheese

Dinner: zucchini pizza boats with olive oil, marinara, cheese, spinach, and garlic

Day 5

Breakfast: keto oatmeal with hemp seeds, flax seeds, heavy cream, cinnamon, and peanut butter

Lunch: baked egg-avocado boats topped with chives, coconut bacon, and paprika

Dinner: cauliflower fried rice made with coconut oil, veggies, and tofu

Vegetarian keto snacks

Here are a few simple snacks that you can enjoy between meals:

·      Zucchini chips

·      Celery with peanut butter

·      Roasted pumpkin seeds

·      Flax crackers with sliced cheese

·      Mixed nuts

·      Chia seed pudding topped with unsweetened coconut

·      Carrots with guacamole

·      Whipped cream with blackberries

·      Full-fat cottage cheese with black pepper

·      Full-fat Greek yogurt with walnuts.

Drinks Permitted on Vegetarian Keto Diet.

On the Vegetarian keto diet, as a newbie, you may not know which drinks are permissible and those that are not. Although the permissible limit of daily carbs on this diet is 30g, here are some tips that can help you with delicious drinks to quench your thirst.

Water is, without a doubt, the best choice for a drink. It has zero calories and zero carbs. Water helps the body function better under ketosis.

 

Sweetened water: you may want to add stevia-based water sweetener or a slice of lemon or lime to your drink to make it keto-friendly.

Seltzers and Sparkling water.

Hot Coffee and Tea: from scratch, coffee and tea do not contain any type of sugar. If you need to add cream or milk to your coffee or tea, you may add almond milk, coconut milk, heavy whipping cream, or any other nut milk to traditional sweetened creamers.

 

Nut Milk: this a great choice for vegetarian keto dieters as it does not contain lactose as compared to dairy milk. Ensure you do not purchase the sweetened nut milk as they contain sugar.

Curious about how to maximize your fat intake to fit into your lifestyle and weight goals, visit www.awakenedlabz.com for more.