Following a plant-based diet can be rewarding in terms of both health and fitness, but it can also be a little restrictive. You’ll have far less options when planning your meals if you’re following a plant-based diet, and you’ll have even less options if you’re also following a diet that allows you to reach a state of ketosis in combination. It’s certainly not impossible though, and to prove that, in this post I’ll be sharing an example plant based keto breakfast that will fuel you with 491 calories and 25 grams of protein!
Plant-Based Eating
Let’s first begin by defining what exactly a plant-based diet is so that we’re clear about what are boundaries are.
In a contribution piece for Harvard Health Publishing, Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN defines a plant-based diet as the following…
Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants.
There’s a distinction to be made between plant-based eating, vegetarianism, and veganism though…
It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources.
So this means that although your diet is primarily centered around plant-based foods, you don’t necessarily have to exclude animal products entirely.
This provides us with a little more wiggle room in determining our diet plan because plant-based eating isn’t quite as restrictive as vegetarianism or veganism. Although we do try to focus on eating plant-based foods as much as possible, we do allow ourselves to supplement with the occasional animal product as needed.
The benefit of following a plant-based diet is that you’re displacing a bulk of your calories with foods that tend to be less processed, higher in fiber, higher in potassium, lower in fat, and lower in sodium.
Ketosis or “Keto”
According to WebMD, ketosis, or “keto”, is a process your body undergoes when there is a lack of carbohydrate intake. It results in your body producing “ketones” and burning fat as an energy source. Ketosis typically occurs within 3 to 4 days of consuming less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day.
A diet that restricts carbohydrate intake and puts your body in a state of ketosis is commonly used for fat burning, and it has shown to suppress the appetites of test subjects as well, making it a powerful weight loss tool for someone who struggles to manage their appetite. Because of this, starting your day off with a plant based keto breakfast can have plentiful benefits because it combines the best of both worlds.
Plant Based Keto Breakfast ExampleWithout further ado, here’s a good example of a plant based keto breakfast that can easily be adapted to your lifestyle.
The breakfast consists of…
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Ingredients
Let’s have a look at some of the ingredients used in our sample plant based keto breakfast.
Egg Whites
Although egg whites aren’t plant-based, they don’t contain the saturated fat or cholesterol typically found in animal products, and they’re extraordinarily high in protein. This makes them a welcomed exception to a plant-based regimen in my book.
Starting off your morning with some egg whites is a great way to fuel yourself with muscle-building protein that doesn’t come packaged with the undesirable consequences of eating the yolks. You can leave the yolks in if you’d like, but it’s going to add to the overall calories of the meal. It’s also going to add cholesterol and saturated fat.
Avocado
Avocados are plentiful in healthy fats, fiber, and potassium, making them a great filler for your omelet. They’re also an excellent source of fiber, which tends to be difficult to come by if you’re following a keto diet because high fiber foods tend to be high in carbohydrates as well.
Half of a medium avocado contains roughly 6 grams of carbohydrates, but the 5 grams of fiber that comes with it means you end up with just 1 gram of net carbohydrates. I can’t imagine planning a plant based keto breakfast without avocados. There’s not many foods that fit the bill as well as avocados do.
Ezekiel Sesame Toast
The Ezekiel 4:9 brand of sprouted sesame bread is made entirely of live sprouted grains and contains no flour whatsoever, making it a healthier choice than your standard wheat-based breads. Live spreading grains provide more nutrition than traditional wheat-based breads, but the primary benefit of eating sprouted grain bread is that it tends to be lower in net carbohydrates. This makes it an excellent low-carb alternative.
Ezekiel bread is at its best when toasted. It can taste a bit stale and dry otherwise. Just make sure to store it in the freezer, otherwise it will go bad pretty fast.
Almond Butter
Natural unsalted almond butter makes for a great spread for your toasted Ezekiel bread because it only contains 3 grams of net carbohydrates, but it also packs 7 grams of protein and 18 grams of healthy fats, helping you feel fuller.
Not only that, but almond butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that will make your breakfast that much more enjoyable. Almond butter should be a staple of any plant-based low carb diet.
Nutritional Breakdown
Let’s have a closer look at the nutrition facts of our plant based keto breakfast.
| Item | Calories | Protein (G) | Fat (G) | Carbohydrates (G) | Fiber (G) | Net carbohydrates (G) |
| 0.5 cups of egg whites | 62 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ½ of an Avocado | 117 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 1 Slice of Ezekiel sesame toast | 80 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| 2 Tablespoons of Natural almond butter | 190 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 449 | 24 | 30 | 26 | 11 | 15 |
Calories
This particular meal contains 449 calories. This leaves plenty of room in your caloric budget for lunch, dinner, and even some snacking in-between. If you ate this many calories for each meal you would end up totaling 1,347 calories for 3 meals.
If this is below your target calorie intake for the day then feel free to add some more avocado or almond butter, or you can make it up later on with larger meals or snacks. Just make sure to account for it in carbohydrate budget, otherwise you may prevent ketosis.
Protein
Your body uses protein to repair muscle tissue through a process known as protein synthesis. This makes protein an important nutrient for athletes and anyone else who may be physically active in their day-to-day lives. Protein intake is also associated with a reduction in appetite, which can be useful for anyone looking to manage their weight.
This plant based keto breakfast example packs 24 grams of protein in just one meal, which is exceptional for a plant-based diet. If each of your 3 meals had the same amount of protein then you would end up with 72 grams of protein for the day.
Fat
Since keto diets require a reduction in carbohydrate intake, many of the calories you eat in a day that would otherwise come from carbohydrate sources are displaced by fat calories. Because of this, keto diets tend to be higher in fat.
This particular meal example contains 30 grams of healthy fats, mostly from the avocados and almond butter.
Carbohydrates
In order for your body to reach a state of ketosis you typically have to limit your carbohydrate intake to a total of 50 grams per day. This breakfast example contains 26 grams of overall carbohydrates, but it also contains 11 grams of fiber, meaning it has 15 grams of net carbohydrates.
Net carbohydrates are what you get when you subtract your fiber intake from your total carbohydrate intake. Net carbs are what your body breaks down into simple sugars and digests. Your body does not digest fiber and sugar alcohols in the same way, therefore you do not need to count them against your daily carbohydrate budget.
If each of your 3 meals for the day contained the same amount of net carbs as this breakfast example does, you would end up with 45 grams of total net carbs for the day, which is low enough to reach a state of ketosis under most circumstances.
Fiber
Finally, this keto breakfast example packs 11 grams of fiber. Fiber consumption can help you feel more full and comes with various health benefits.
The amount of fiber that should be eaten in a day varies from person to person, but you would end up consuming a total of 33 grams of fiber for the day if each of your 3 meals provided as much as your breakfast does.
Enjoy!
This is just one of many possible options you could pursue for a plant based keto breakfast. Be sure to check out my ultimate vegan muscle building shopping list for a large variety of foods and options to choose from for your meals, and be sure to browse this website for more ideas. Example meals and food options for those looking to pursue a plant-based low carb diet is a regular topic of discussion here.