How to Eat Low-Carb as a Vegetarian or Vegan
How to Eat Low-Carb as a Vegetarian or Vegan. We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process: Seems pretty straightforward, unless you don’t eat meat.
Why Low-Carb?
In the last dozen years, 23 studies have shown that low-carb diets can help with weight loss without counting calories. That’s because most of them reduce your appetite and make you eat fewer calories. Low-carb diets also improve health in other ways. They are very effective at reducing excess belly fat and also help to reduce triglycerides and raise HDL cholesterol, making them beneficial for diabetics. They also lower blood pressure & blood sugar levels.
Some diets are not ideal for everyone but may be important for people with certain conditions. For example, a low-carb diet might be the best option if you have obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and certain neurological disorders. A vegan low-carb diet is a healthy option that has the potential to help you lose weight quickly. Studies have shown that those on an eco-Atkins (vegan, 26% of calories as carbs) diet are much healthier than those following a regular vegetarian low-fat diet.
Different Types of Vegetarians
There are different kinds of vegetarians, but in general, they all avoid meat and animal by-products. There are two major types: Lacto-Ovo vegetarians (sometimes just called “vegetarians”) eat dairy products and eggs; vegans do not eat any animal-based food.
Dairy Products and Eggs Are Low in Carbs
Eggs and dairy products are low in carbs and high in protein & healthy fats. They provide a perfect source of nutrients for vegetarians (but not vegans).
- Eggs: Contain only trace amounts of carbs. Choose pastured, omega-3-enriched or free-range eggs if you can.
- Yogurt, Greek yogurt, and kefir: Choose unsweetened, full-fat versions. Find ones with live cultures for an additional probiotic benefit.
- Grass-fed butter: Butter from grass-fed cows is healthy, and fine in moderation on a low-carb diet.
- Cheese: Highly nutrient-dense and tasty, and can be used in all sorts of recipes.
These foods are not just rich in vitamin B12, they also contain other nutrients, like proteins or Omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarians can get all the B1200 they need from these foods, while vegans need to supplement daily.
Low-Carb Friendly Plant Foods (For Both Vegetarians and Vegans)
You may be surprised to know that there is a tremendous variety of plants that are low in carbs.
- Vegetables: Many vegetables have little carbohydrates and this includes tomatoes, onions, cauliflower, eggplant, bell peppers, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
- Fruits: Berries like strawberries and blueberries are low in carbs so it’s ok to eat them on a diet. As for other fruits, you can decide how many carbs you want to consume and see what’s ok then.
- Fatty fruits: Avocados and olives are two high-fat, low-carb fruits that are good for your health.
- Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds are high in fat, but low in carbs. This includes almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts & pumpkin seeds
- Soy: Tofu & Tempeh is high in protein and low in carbs. This makes them acceptable for a low-carb vegetarian/vegan diet.
- Legumes: Some legumes, including green beans, chickpeas, and others.
- Healthy fats: Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil.
- Chia seeds: Most of the carbs in chia seeds are fiber, meaning that most of their calories come from protein and fat.
- Dark chocolate: If you’re trying to eat healthily, then it might be best to stick with low/no-carb dark chocolate. Low-carb dark chocolate has fewer carbs but still contains considerable amounts of fat.
How Many Carbs Should You Eat?
There are no set guidelines for what low carb means so you’ll have to experiment. When figuring out your diet it’s difficult to know how much carbs you can have but these guidelines might help:
- 100–150 gm a day: This is a decent maintenance range and is recommended for people who exercise 3–4 hours per week
- You might want to goal for 150–200 grams per day, which will inevitably lead to weight loss. This is the range that most people need in a day who don’t exercise at all.
- 20–50 grams per day: This is a low-carb intake and should lead to weight loss without much hunger. It should put you into ketosis.
Vegans may find a diet between 100–150 grams per day to be most practical; however, this range would not be recommended for vegetarians. It is recommended to use a nutrition tracker (like Cron-o-meter) for at least a few days/weeks (or as long as you need) while you are fine-tuning your carbohydrate intake and making sure to get enough protein and fat.
A Sample Menu For a Low-Carb Vegetarian Diet
This is a one-week sample menu for a vegetarian (not vegan) diet that is low in carbs. You can adapt this based on your own needs and preferences.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
This is a one-week sample menu for a vegetarian diet that has low carbs. You can also adjust the menus to your own needs and preferences. Some cookbooks are plant-based and low-carb which you can use as well.
Take-Home Message
Many healthy low-carb foods are also high in fat and protein. So you don’t need to be a meat-eater to reap the benefits of being on a low-carb diet.
Originally published at https://healthnetweb.com on March 22, 2022.
