Is it possible to adopt the Keto / LCHF diet when you are vegetarian, vegan or vegan?
A priori, in theory, anything is possible. The Keto / LCHF diet involves reviewing the distribution of macro-nutrients, and vegetarian, vegan and vegan diets offer to consume each of the three macro-nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins). Vegetarians and vegans often tend to favor carbohydrates, which are more readily available in plant products, and can suffer from this. Restoring a better ratio of carbohydrates to fat can help them improve their health and get back in shape. Consuming good lipids will allow them to restore good hormonal function.
Keto vegetarian
People who have adopted a vegetarian diet, that is, people who do not eat meat or eat meat or fish will not have difficulty finding a Keto / LCHF diet that is right for them.
This is because the LCHF diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, and moderate in protein. Eggs and cheese offer many recipe possibilities.
Oilseeds and seeds also contain a small amount of protein, and while they are not complete (that is, do not contain all of the essential amino acids) animal protein in eggs may supplement them.
The sources of lipids can be divided between eggs, dairy products (butter and cream) and oilseeds.
Some oils are beneficial, such as olive, flax, walnut, hemp, rapeseed, camelina, avocado and of course coconut oil, which is a separate oil and particularly recommended in the diet. Keto / LCHF since it causes a higher level of ketosis than other lipids.
On the other hand, other oils, even organic and even cold pressed, are not recommended, because they contain an unfavorable omega3 / omega 6 ratio, liable to cause inflammatory reactions (sunflower oil, peanut, soybean, sesame).
Keto vegan or vegan
For people who have adopted a vegan or vegan diet, it is a bit more complicated. In a vegan diet, it is indeed about finding all of its nutrients in the plant kingdom. Plants contain proteins, but generally incomplete, they must then be combined in order to be able to metabolize them. Only soy contains all the amino acids (proteins), but also harmful substances, such as phytoestrogens and lectins. It makes it easier to consume Keto Vegetarian or Keto Vegan.
Foods adapted to our genetic heritage
The Keto / LCHF diet recommends consuming foods that are intended for our species, and for which we are genetically adapted, that is, the foods that humans ate in the Paleolithic.
Cereals and legumes are excluded, in particular because they contain anti-nutrients (substances that prevent the absorption of nutrients). However, it is possible to achieve ketosis by choosing to consume soy, because soy is higher in protein than in carbohydrates.
To reap the benefits of the LCHF diet, vegans will limit foods that are too high in carbohydrates and favor plants that are high in fat, such as coconut oil and the other oils listed above. They can find some omega 3 in purslane, walnut oil, rapeseed, flaxseed, as well as in the following oilseeds and seeds: walnuts, macadamia nuts, flax seeds, chia.
