How to cope on Keto as a vegetarian

(Sujata) #1

I’m finding it hard to think of proteins apart from eggs and cheese. Any suggestions anyone?

#2

Oysters and mussels.

(Susan) #3

That is fascinating, Frank! I googled it after seeing you mentioned eating oysters and mussels, and I never realized that they are considered okay for vegetarians and vegans to eat. That certainly would make doing Keto as a vegetarian or vegan so much easier, that is so neat!

(Sujata) #4

Thank you for the suggestion but I don’t eat any meat, fish or seafood for religious reasons.

(Not a cow) #5

This link will help, dietdoctor.com is a good place to start . There is a section in this guide for protein sources.

They also have a vegetarian link as well , here you go https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/vegetarian

(Full Metal KETO AF) #6

Good luck, If you’re tolerant of eggs and dairy I guess that’s your only protein choices with KETO. You could use algae like chlorella. Maybe nutritional yeast too? Micellar casein powder? Low carb Nuts? Whey? It’s pretty hard to do vegetarian without legumes or pulses which obviously aren’t good choices for KETO.

(Sujata) #7

Thank you for this x

(Sujata) #8

Yes I do eat eggs and I make my own paneer cheese so that has helped. Thank you for your suggestions though.

(Sujata) #9

I’ve just taken a look at these links you sent me. They’re extremely useful. Thank you again

(Not a cow) #10

I started my Keto journey on diet doctor , joined with the free one month membership, and learned everything I needed to during that free month. Cancellation is no problem, it’s just a one click and your out, even though you have to give them your credit card to join the free membership. They are very honest on this site, it’s mostly qualified people giving the information, and they don’t try to sell you anything. Perfect along with this site for learning.

#11

Jain? I like a good mystery/guess haha.

You may find yourself having to have some borderline not keto and even some non keto friendly sources of protein. Nuts are good, but you really don’t want to overdo them either. Typically the plant based crowd that want protein that they’ll actually absorb likes Tofu, Tempeh, Lentils etc. Not the most keto friendly but you have restrictions you need to deal with. You’ll have to watch it and not overdo stuff and keep an eye on your progress.

#12

Breaded & deep fried paneer or mozarella (using a mix of almond flour and/or powdered parmesan for the breading, maybe after dipping in egg), curried paneer, pressed & dried paneer, etc. You can also make simple yogurt cheese (“lebne” in Lebanon/Greece, basically greek yogurt with concentrated protein) if you can be mindful of the servings.

There’s also grassfed dried whey powder, which is a complete protein with wonderful muscle-feeding amino acids. Because it’s simply dehydrated, whey concentrate is closest to nature compared to whey hydrolosate/whey isolate which usually have other nasty added ingredients. Though it works out to $10/pound, one serving of 6 tblsp (which adds up to 30g protein) is very lightweight (is around 4 ounces I think, so then it’s less than $3 per serving, etc). I have several vegetarian meals per week - and I mix whey powder into restaurant saag/palak take out, and into home cooked coconut flour porridge/upma (it’s messy, best done in a large bowl, letting the porridge cool a bit before adding the raw whey), and also mix it with almond milk before adding my keto sprouted nuts/seeds cereal - it’s also great in creative smoothies. It’s an excellent way to get your quality protein and avoid eggs and usual cheese.

Ideally, one would have their own cow of course… or a nearby farmer.

A small market near me began selling raw, small farm grassfed milk last year, and I’ve been enjoying adding a bit to my morning coffee (because the ultra-pasteurized cream is inflammatory for me). I’ve yet to make paneer or yogurt though, as my kitchen time is limited.

ALSO - remember that organic black soybeans are a great VLC source of protein, and are recommended by the Drs. Eades in their LCHF book Protein Power (there’s a great recipe for black soybean bread out there too!). Black soybeans do well refried and curried, and go great with sour cream or yogurt and spicy pickles.

Once you’re more established in keto - after your first month or two at 20g carbs or lower - many folks find their appetite decreases and they can eat just one or two meals a day, that also helps simplify things… And many folks can start to increase their carbs 10g per week (testing as they go), and build metabolic flex over time. (At 2.5 years into LCHF/keto, I average between 40-75g carbs per day with continued, slow, body recomposition as a non-obese non-IR gal). This helps in terms of using higher carb pea & hemp protein sometimes, and eventually maybe re-incorporating nutrient dense mung beans with a half cup rice (if you can control your portions and eat other proteins like cheese or egg first to fill you up more etc.) For more, check out the cornerstone keto books “The Art & Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living” by Phinney & Volek, “Protein Power” by the Drs Eades, and “The New Atkins For A New You” by Phinney & Westman & Volek. They all affirm that veg keto is possible & delicious.

Also if you supplement with Ginger capsules with every meal, it will help decrease cortisol (and there is evidence in mice that it decreases insulin). Curry leaves eaten in abundance with meals also decrease insulin and help curb IR. Also, eating your protein first, and carbs second, also decreases insulin spiking due to the incretins that are stimulated. This further mediates carbs. But when I use whey protein mixed into a meal and can’t just eat my protein by itself first (which reduces insulin due to the particular incretins it stimulates) - adding the Ginger capsules and/or curry leaves is great medicine for managing insulin and boosting enzymes.

Hope this helps Sujata! If you ever need ideas for veg keto dishes, look up the veg recipes at Sunil Makhija’s site Headbanger’s Kitchen, and also Priya Aurora’s Keto For India site has lots of handy recipe ideas. :herb: :avocado: :hot_pepper: :sparkles:

(Sujata) #13

Hi Mary, I’m new to this site and astonished at the time people have taken to help me me. Thank you so much for your extensive response. I make my own Paneer and can tell you it’s really simpler then I thought. Just looked up some YouTube videos. Bring full fat milk (I like to add a pot of heavy cream) to the boil and add some vinegar or lemon juice a little at a time stirring gently until it separates. Strain and leave overnight under heavy objects to strain more and there you have it. Just cut up and store in water in the fridge or lightly fry to store in freezer. I went wrong the first time and left mine on the heat for too long and the paneer bits hardened. After pressing them over night I could see the were ok but crumbly. However, (deep joy) I realised I’d accidentally made veggie mince! Absolutely delicious fried in coconut oil and ghee with chopped onions, mushrooms, chillies and plumb tomatoes and simmered until the whole lot looses the water. Then mix it up with an egg and mozzerella to make a Chaffee or Pattie and put it between two cloud breads with salad as a veggie burger. Sounds complicated but it’s really easy and you can store the chillies mince mixture as well. Game changer for me at the moment as I can cook the mince many different ways. My husband bought me a home paneer maker from eBay. Very simple to use and only costs around £30. Hope this inspires. Thank you again for your advice. Much appreciated. Sujata x

(Sujata) #14

Hindu. I’ve started making Paneer cheese and mince now. Game changer. Thanks for the advice - Sujata

(Richard Amaro) #15

If you don’t eat meat and you want to do plant-based keto vegetarian is the way to go:

  1. Eat lots of pastured eggs for protein, fat, and dense nutrition.
  2. Use grass-fed butter and fish oil for omega-3s.
  3. Drink Bulletproof Coffee for energy and calories.
  4. Drizzle Brain Octane Oil (supercharged MCT oil) on all your veggies :slight_smile:
#16

You’re very welcome Sujata, am glad to help - esp having been vegetarian myself for about 25 years in the past, and having a love of vegetarian indian food!

I made paneer once or twice many years ago - and you’re right, it’s easy. I’ve just been rather overwhelmed and my kitchen bandwidth is limited. However, because of the new wonderful raw milk source I’ve found, and your sharing about paneer-mince deep joy, I am now inspired to make my own!!! Because, I really love fried paneer :joy: Oh my word, your cloud bread paneer pattie burger sounds HEAVENLY.

I went and bought a small stainless steel paneer maker/press on Ebay from a seller in Rajasthan for $13, it’ll arrive in a month, yay! :cow2: x

(Bev Smith) #17

Help… I am trying to learn about Keto as a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish.
I think I understand about eating very few carbs… what I’m not grasping is eating fat products. Do I eat full fat butter? Cream? Cheese etc…
I’m trying to formulate a meal plan including breakfast options…
I work very early mornings so little time to cook foods.
I do already eat two eggs daily but any ideas that will help me…

I really need to do this but going round in circles!

Anyone out there prepared to give me guidance?

(Ken) #18

Mmmmm. You actually make Vegetarianism sound very tasty…

#19

2 eggs on vegetarian keto? Wow, I couldn’t do that. I ate 6-12 eggs on vegetarian keto. And on every other diets of mine. What else would I eat especially on vegetarian keto? Okay, there is dairy (I just can’t bring myself to consume much), there is gluten (I wouldn’t overdo it and many people have reason to avoid it. I didn’t use it on vegetarian keto) and many people can get satiated with fat (not me). I used lots of oily seeds too.
It helps if your personal carb limit is higher, of course - or if you don’t need much protein or even energy. Getting lots of calories using vegetarian keto food is easy but you need the necessary nutrients, enough joy and satiation…
What do you mean about eating fat products? They are fine but you need to figure out if you can afford them or in what amounts. I minimize added fat and lactose as they just make me overeat but they work very well for many people. Cheese is fine but not satiating enough for everyone. But even so, a little amount may make a bland egg dish or maybe vegetables way more interesting. It’s very easy to grab some cheese… The same with boiled eggs and so many things. I had very eggy sesame seed muffins in the past when I still ate much plants… I put my cheesy whipped egg whites into my muffin mold too, so easy to grab and count!

I don’t eat breakfast, my SO needs a big one and he leaves the house after 5am. Some of us make the breakfast the previous day, there are many options. His diet is different but he often has some vegetarian keto breakfast (made by me, of course), something he can eat cold at his workplace. If you have time to eat at home, it’s a bit better, I prefer some of my simple egg dishes fresh and warm but they take only a minute or two. But a piece of cheese or a coffee or even a stick of butter may work for some people…
I admit I am very bad with not eggy (but not carby) recipes as I simply always eat eggs. I don’t even need as much protein but on vegetarian keto, only eggs could satiate me well. Or gluten but as I wrote, I didn’t eat gluten back then. I can imagine some very cheesy low-carb vegetable dish is a good idea for many… It depends on the goal, do you want joy, calories, protein, volume…
You probably have some good idea about what you like, what works for you… Use that knowledge, experiment more, maybe look up recipes, vegetarian keto isn’t very rare, after all.

(Bev Smith) #20

I’m so grateful for you advice. It’s encouraging for sure…
I only said about 2 eggs as I haven’t started keto as yet but researching to then formulate a weekly meal plan.

The good thing is that I do love eggs so that’s going to be a massive help.

I do buy gluten free with some products and have also bought almond flour to make bread.

I’m going to try have a black coffee in the morning and a meal at lunchtime the teatime and make up some fat balls to snack…

I think I read somewhere that full fat cream was added to coffee to help fill up. Not certain about that though.
I’ve bought a vegetarian keto recipe book but I’ve not heard of a lot of the ingredients and with lockdown I can’t go to health food shops.

As said, I’m grateful that you took the time to reply. I’m sure this forum is going to be of great help.

Thank you