Nutrition Face-Off: Keto Diet vs Vegan – What's the Difference?

It’s the start of the new year and you can bet there’s a lot of buzz around starting diets. Two of the ones we’d like to talk about are the keto vs vegan diet. And why those two? 

First of all, we’re huge fans of the vegan diet. No surprise there. We’ve been telling people about the benefits of it since day one! While we can take this time to tell you all about why they’re great for your health and the environment, we won’t right here. But you can check out this link because we covered all that before!

Keto diets, however, have also been around for a long time. But there’s been a resurgence of interest in it over the past couple of months. And we think that, on paper, it sounds like a tastier diet to go on. Keto’s all about fat, you see. But that’s not all it’s cracked up to be!

With all that being said, we’re going to delve deeper into the difference between keto and vegan when it comes to what to eat. After all, it’s the deciding factor for most folks. Why partake in a diet if you don’t have access to the resources?

Keto Diet vs Vegan Diet: Defining What They Are

Vegan Diet

Not to be confused with a vegetarian diet, a vegan diet is when a person opts to eat food based on plants. This involves food made from fruits, veggies, nuts, roots, grains, etc. People on a vegan diet even go as far as to omit honey (a usual cause for confusion) in their diets. So no poultry, milk, eggs, pork, beef, seafood… you get the point. 

Keto Diet

A keto diet differs in that the source of food you would eat isn’t necessarily of concern. As long as it’s low in carbs but high in fat, it’s ok for the keto diet. Fats, oils, and all kinds of animal meat are allowed. However, some individuals can go the extra mile and make their keto diets more vegan-friendly. Simply removing animal byproducts and focusing on “fattier” plant-based options is possible - and this would be called a vegan keto diet.

Also Read - Guide to Vegan Seafood - Everything You Need to Know

Vegan vs Keto For Weight Loss

Some people go on diets because they have allergies restricting them or because of health concerns. But, most newbies go on diets to lose weight. It is that simple sometimes. 

According to a study that compared a low-fat, high-carb diet to a low-carb, high-fat diet, both diets still helped participants lose fat in general. However, a significant loss of body fat was reported on the low-fat diet. That makes sense since processed foods do tend to contribute to overeating and weight gain.

Put simply, both diets can help you lose weight but the plant-based diet does seem to have an edge if the goal is to shed more pounds. 

Keto vs Vegan For Longevity

If you’re big on commitment and plan to partake in a long-term diet, then you’ll be interested to know how you’ll fare in the long run. When talking about the two, we’re inclined to think the plant-based (aka vegan) would be better for longevity. Let us explain. 

All that fat can’t be good for you. That’s why you’ll see professionals and other readings recommend going on a keto diet for only a few months (though some say staying on it for no more than three months). On a keto diet, you’re aiming to reach a state of ketosis. That’s when your body burns fat instead of glucose for energy. Yes, you’ll lose weight during ketosis; but you’re also risking some side effects like nausea, headaches, fatigue, and tummy aches. 

On the other side, we have a vegan diet. And you’ll see a lot of us happy and healthy as ever. Some of us have been on this diet for years already! We do know and agree that a vegan diet can be lacking in certain nutrients sometimes, but you can offset that with handy and helpful supplements. With how seemingly complete it is, that’s why we feel like we have the edge on the vegan vs keto diet battle. 

Check out - 11 Health Benefits of Vegan Diet

Start The New Year Right!

A little disclaimer on the keto diet vs vegan diet face-off… Go on whichever one feels better for you. You know your body better than we do. No matter how much we rave about the vegan diet, it all comes down to your decision as to which one you go on.

For all you vegans out there and those starting their journey in veganism, you know the best place to shop is here at Vegan Essentials. We’ve got everything you’ll ever need and more!