When you switch to a keto diet, one of the things you might be confused about is
whether or not you can eat your vegetables. One thing to remember is that the
ketogenic diet is not the same as the Atkins diet. You are not trying to eat a diet of
primarily meat and cheese. However, in some cases, you don’t actually like veggies that
much, so you would prefer to minimize them. Here are some things to know about doing
keto without adding in vegetables.
Veggies Help Increase Your Fiber
Before looking at some ways to do the ketogenic diet without veggies, let’s first look at
why you should try to add veggies to your diet. Aside from just the fact that vegetables
are good for you and contain a lot of important nutrients you might not be able to get
elsewhere, they also contain a good amount of fiber. When you are on an extremely
low-carb diet, your fiber is already reduced by not having grains, oats, and other fiber-
rich foods. You need fiber to help with constipation, which sometimes occurs on this
diet. Therefore, if you can handle veggies in even small amounts, it will be very helpful.
Be Careful of Your Protein Content
The next reason veggies are good is because they help to fill you up and keep you full,
without adding to your protein content. Keto is not like a regular low-carb diet where you
can eat unlimited amounts of meat and cheese. In fact, this is not a high-protein diet at
all. It is a high fat, low carb, and moderate protein diet. You are going to have a good
amount of protein, but if you don’t have veggies to add to your meals, you are eating
more animal protein that is going to increase your protein dramatically. You will need to
be extra careful to look at your protein levels and keep them low if you intend to do keto
without a lot of vegetables.
How to do Keto Without Veggies
If you are still adamant about doing the keto diet without veggies, first watch your fiber
and protein content. At the very least, try to add an avocado every day, since it brings in
more healthy fats while also providing about 10 grams of fiber. This makes one avocado
about 3-4 net carbs, depending on how much you eat.
You should also try to add more nuts and seeds to your diet. These will add in more
fiber and other nutrients you are missing out on by not eating a lot of vegetables.