Note: Hi, friends! Just a a quick reminder – some of the links on this site are affiliate links, and so I may earn a little cash on qualifying orders. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and is a nice way to help support this site! I also want to point out that I don’t promote products I haven’t actually tried or products that I don’t trust. 🙂
Frequently, you guys will message me on Instagram, or send me an email to ask what brand of _____ I use, or whether or not I like _____. I’ve been responding individually, but the other day, someone asked if I had a list of recommended vegan keto items I use, and it seemed like a good idea to put everything down in a post.
Five years of vegan keto eating have definitely given me a good idea of what to use, and what really isn’t necessary. I hope you guys find this list helpful. I’m going to post a quick list up top, but to read explanations about each item, scroll down!
My Vegan Keto Essentials:
- Glucose meter: OWell Bayer Contour Blood Glucose Testing Kit
- Ketone strips: 150 ct. ketone test strips
- Electrolyte powder: Ultima Replenesher
- B12 supplement: Deva Sublingual B12
- Protein Powder: Vega Essentials
Glucose Meters and Ketone Tests
I do measure my blood glucose levels from time to time, and ketone levels as well. Usually, I can just tell if I’m in ketosis by feel (more on that here), but I’ve been trying to actually quantify how I’m “feeling” lately to have data points as a reference. I’m not a huge fan of constantly monitoring yourself if you don’t need to (mostly because you end up spending a lot on the strips if you do so, plus I don’t have the best circulation, so those little pinpricks add up), but definitely think it’s worth measuring from time to time to see how things are going. Obviously, if you have diagnosed diabetes or blood sugar issues, this is a different scenario, and you should continue to follow the advice of your doctor!
Recommended Monitor: OWell Bayer Contour Blood Glucose Testing Kit
Since I started a ketogenic diet to help with blood glucose control, the more important metric to me has always been blood glucose levels. For this reason, I opt to just use a blood glucose monitor when testing blood sugar levels. I have encountered some in the past that are less than accurate, but the Bayer one linked above is tried and true.
For testing ketone levels, I tend not to worry too much about serum levels of ketones. Most monitors that also do ketone testing are more expensive, and the strips run between $2-3 each. I just don’t see that as a worthwhile investment, unless you really need it.
As the cost of ketone strips that you pee on has gone down over the years, those seem to be a totally reasonable option, if you want to know when you have managed to achieve ketosis. Because these measure ketone levels in your urine, and not your blood, they aren’t really up-to-the-minute-accurate. However, they will give you a basic idea of whether or not your body has gone into ketosis recently.
I always find this to be pretty useful information when doing any sort of carb cycling, or after taking a keto break, when you want to know if you’ve actually started producing ketones again. Do you really need them? No, of course not, but if you haven’t gotten the hang of telling when your body is in ketosis, they can be pretty helpful.
Electrolyte Powder
This isn’t something that is related to vegan keto specifically, so much as ketogenic and low carb diets in general. Because you end up losing so much water weight on low carb diets, and tend to flush out electrolytes that your body needs to maintain basic functions (like pumping your heart!), supplementing with mineral salts, or an electrolyte powder can be incredibly helpful.
I LOVE this one from Ultima. There are a lot of brands of electrolyte powder on the market, but this one has ZERO carbs (which, awesome), tastes great, and doesn’t use artificial sweeteners (which is important to me!). They also have individual serving packets, for when you are on the go (which is amazingly convenient).
B12
The quick and dirty – this is a sugar-free, vegan, methylcobalamin sublingual supplement that also contains B6 and folic acid.
Protein Powder:
I don’t take protein powder every day, and it’s certainly not necessary on a vegan ketogenic diet, but there are certainly days where I get a little lazy with food choices, or where I know I won’t be able to make delicious, protein-rich meals. Those are the times when protein powder can be a blessing. The one I tend to use most is Vega Sport, because it contains lots of anti-inflammatory compounds (and was on sale at a MASSIVE discount a few months ago…), but I’m also really digging Vega Essentials as well.
There are a few other protein powders that I like, and I discuss them in more depth in this post.
Thank you so much for putting together such a wonderful site! I’m sensitive to dairy and eggs. While I’m not vegan, I’d rather not have meat the center of every meal. Going Keto and avoiding dairy and eggs has really helped with a variety of health problems, but it’s annoying to get excited about a new recipe…and then see it’s made with 4 eggs and a cup of cheese. I’m looking forward to trying one of your pancake recipes and crack slaw this weekend!
Thank you for leaving such a nice comment. I’m so glad you’re finding this site helpful, Gwyneth! I know that frustration of finding the PERFECT recipe, and then realizing that the two main ingredients are eggs and cheese (and you weren’t even exaggerating those quantities!), so I hope you find some favorites here! Feel free to ask any questions you may have, I’m more than happy to answer!
Thank you so much for this site! I’m really looking forward to trying it out. I’m a strict vegan. Really keen on getting into Keto, so this is a massive help!!!
I’ll be passing on your site info!
Thanks again!!!
Thank you for leaving such a nice comment, Karen! I’m so happy you are finding this site to be helpful. Please feel free to reach out with any questions – I’m more than happy to answer them! 🙂
I came across your site today as I am looking for keto, non-dairy, no eggs, no pork, no flax meal and no chia seeds. I know that this really limits the choices out there but I am reaching out for HELP. Before I buy your e-book I would like to know if the recipes would help me with all of the above restrictions. I am desperate as I feel like I am making the same things over & over again. Thank you for any suggestions.
I’m so excited to find this site! I’ve been keto for about 5 months now and love my results but my conscience was bothering me terribly. I’ve been vegan keto now for almost 5 days and want to thank you for all the great info. I’m also wanting to limit my soy products so I’m ecstatic to stumble onto your page! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hi Ricki, thanks for commenting! Congrats on making the switch! It’s definitely not the easiest thing. I’m so happy you’re finding everything to be helpful! Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have! 🙂
Hi! I found your website when I was exploring keto diets. I read about meat based ones and googled vegan versions. One thing I don’t see discussion about is exercise to accompany a vegan keto diet. I have seen some meat based ones that discuss exercise. I am looking to lose weight and was curious. Thanks!
Hi Tina, that is a great question! Exercise is absolutely possible on a vegan ketogenic diet. There is a bit of an adjustment period for most people, though. You also may find that 20-30g of net carbs per day just isn’t enough to be able to fuel your body well enough to exercise at full capacity (especially for us women). You may want to either increase your daily carbs or incorporate a refeed day every 5-6 days.
I added on to my giant vegan keto overview (here: https://meatfreeketo.com/vegan-ketogenic-diet-possible/) to discuss this in further detail. Thank you for asking that question! 🙂
Me again. I meant that my goal is fat loss!
Hi Liz. I emailed you earlier asking for meal plan…..obviously hasn’t done my research and just looked at your site. It’s AMAZING. NO need to reply now. Sorry, that must get irritating.
Hi Dee! No problem at ALL! You are welcome to contact me any time about anything 😀
Have a lovely week!
May I ask the cost of your coaching please?
Hi Camille, thank you for asking. I’m actually currently not doing any coaching, as my upcoming cookbook is a huge project. I’ll be sure to post the page with rates, packages and more info when I start up again, though!
hi! thanks so much for the work that you share here! i’ve ordered your book and i can’t wait till it arrives 🙂
i’m looking into buying a spiralizer and one of the most important things for me is that it’s compact and doesn’t take a lot of space. on your amazon page i’ve seen a handheld one (oxo) that looks good to me. however, someone i know had a handheld one that didn’t really work very well. have you used this one and would you recommend it? or any other options?
thanks so much in advance!
maría
Thank you so much for pre-ordering, and for your enthusiasm, María! I have a handheld one that is similar to the one on the Amazon page, but a different brand (I purchased it at TJ Maxx and can’t find the same brand anywhere). I don’t have the most counter space either, so I really need compact kitchen tools. It definitely doesn’t work quite as well as the larger, counter-top veggie spiralizers, but it definitely gets the job done for its size. The only real complaint is that you can’t really spiralize the whole veggie – there’s always about two inches leftover at the end that end up getting sliced. Not the biggest deal in the world, but certainly not a plus.
I used to use a mandolin slicer with a julienne setting, which might be a better option, as at least that is a multi-functional tool and doesn’t need to sit on the counter at all times. 🙂