“A vegetarian does not eat any animal flesh such as meat, poultry, or fish. A vegan is a stricter vegetarian who also avoids consuming dairy, eggs, and any other ingredients derived from animals.” – Healthline
For the sake of this article, we’ll focus on vegetarians and low-carb foods for vegetarians to avoid confusion.
We can focus on vegans in particular in a separate post.
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When talking about low-carb diets and lifestyles, most focus on:
- Meat.
- Dairy.
- Veg.
- Or pure carnivore.
But most advice out there doesn’t pay close attention to vegetarians as far as low carb goes. So let’s focus on this and give you a sizeable list to bookmark and come back to.
Let’s get started
Low-carb vegetarian foods:
1. Broccoli
Broccoli is easy to manage since they’re bigger than other vegetables. You don’t need too many.
They can be eaten raw, or cooked, and work well as part of a varied meal if that’s what you’re going for.
2. Cauliflower
Cauliflower, despite its benefits, is actually not a real vegetable in the legitimate sense of the word. But that doesn’t stop it from being good if it’s suitable for you individually.
Not the lowest-carb vegetable but still doable.
3. Leeks
Leeks are a type of onion. Regular onions can be a little too high in carbs (though still appropriate) for a low-carb vegetarian lifestyle. But Leeks are better.
You need to add salt, butter, or some other flavour enhancer since it doesn’t have much taste to it.
4. Mushrooms
Mushrooms may or may not be an issue with those who suffer from Candida-related issues, so keep this in mind and do your own testing.
Otherwise, Mushrooms are some of the best vegetables with the absolute lowest amounts of carbs per serving.
5. Protein Bars (caution)
Depending on your country or the type of protein bars you eat, the ingredients or the nutritional values might differ.
Grenade is generally a good balance between carbs, sugars, protein and fat. It uses sweeteners.
Keep in mind it has Maltitol, though it depends on your body. For me, I have no problem with it and I can stay in ketosis even after eating 4 or 5 in a single day (I tested).
Test this and other protein bars to see which ones can fit into your vegetarian diet.
6. Eggs
Eggs are the true superfood not just on this list, but in general. They have every vitamin except C, and a large number of minerals and other nutrients like Choline, Zinc, and more.
You can’t go wrong with eating eggs. The carb count doesn’t need an explanation.
7. Almond Milk
Unsweetened almond milk is your best choice.
You can’t go wrong with it when making tea, or if you need a dairy-free alternative.
8. Feta Cheese
Feta Cheese is one of my favourite cheeses. Soft, creamy, tangy, and unique. But if you have cravings for cheese because of the casein (dairy sugar), limit this food to avoid overeating.
Otherwise, it’s an easy food, and a healthy one to add to your meals.
9. Asparagus
Asparagus is nothing to get excited about as far as taste goes, but once you mix it with butter or any other comparable food, you’re good to go.
It has a decent nutrient profile and is a definite when searching for low carb as a vegetarian.
10. Raspberries
Raspberries are sour tasting, but that speaks to the benefits of these fruits. Also, they’re one of the lowest sugar/carb fruits you can eat.
The sour taste will guarantee you won’t overdo it since it doesn’t have the same impact as foods that are sweet.
11. Yoghurt
Yoghurt speaks for itself. It tastes good and is generally quite filling. Just make sure the variety you get doesn’t have let’s say, more than 5 or 10g of sugar per 100 grams.
Otherwise, you’ll end up overdoing it despite the fat content.
12. Protein Shakes (caution)
I can’t speak for all protein shakes or protein shakes in the USA, etc, but there are some brands (like Grenade) which are in more than one country.
Always pay attention to the ingredients to guarantee it’s keto-friendly, low-carb friendly, and that nothing looks too farfetched or overhyped as far as marketing.
If all the boxes are ticked, these work really well when you’re travelling,
13. Dutch Cheese
See the holes in the cheese? This is natural with dutch cheese. It’s actually a result of the fermentation (good bacteria) that causes this to happen.
Because of this, each cheese you buy can have a different design as far as the holes and where they appear.
A great European cheese to eat.
14. Strawberries
Strawberries are the best, if not one of the top 3 fruits when talking about a low carbohydrate lifestyle. They’re genuinely low in sugar and carb and aren’t overly sweet.
In fact, someone with a sweet tooth like myself can eat these fine without overdoing it.
Perfect for a vegetarian needing to lower their carbs.
15. Kefir
Kefir is fermented milk, which makes cow’s milk easier to digest for those who are lactose intolerant.
You know it’s real Kefir by the sour-like taste it has when you drink it. The carbs per serving are good as well. Suitable for a low carbohydrate lifestyle.
16. Sweet peppers
Sweet peppers or Bell Peppers are part of the nightshade family, so keep this in mind if you have intolerances to these foods.
They taste good, have a gentle sweetness depending on which colour you eat, and can easily be added to a low-carbohydrate vegetarian diet.
17. Zucchini
Zucchini has a lot of water content, a trait common among squashes and fruits/vegetables within the same family.
It’s naturally low-carb.
18. Spinach
A boring food without any sauces, butter, or other add-ons to make it taste good. But otherwise a perfect food for a low carbohydrate lifestyle.
Spinach has magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and other nutrients and minerals. But remember, to get and absorb vitamin A you need to add FAT to your meal to make it absorbable.
Otherwise, you probably aren’t getting the amount of vitamin A you think you are.
19. Goat’s Butter/Cheese
Goat’s butter will differ depending on your country, but the benefits will remain the same. If you can’t take regular cow’s milk, goat’s butter or cheese is the way to go.
Plus it tastes good as well.
20. Sauerkraut
Tastes good, is fermented and full of gut benefits, and tends to come in jars that are fairly large. “Real” Seurkraut needs to be refrigerated once you’ve opened it.
You don’t need tons of it. Too much can give you a stomach ache or bloating.
The vitamin C content is high.
21. Blueberries (caution)
Blueberries are to be eaten with caution. If you’re the type to gorge, you’ll eat too many berries at once and fill yourself up with too many carbs and sugar.
As long as you portion it right, blueberries are a good choice but are a borderline food in the low carbohydrate category.
22. Brie
Brie is like a semi-soft cheese. Vaguely hard, making it unique for fresh cheese.
It has more fat than some cheeses like Cottage, and the taste is in a league of its own.
23. Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar Cheese, a popular British cheese known around the world is one of the many hard cheeses people chew on.
It lasts long, can be shredded or eaten as it is, and has vitamins A, B, D, E, K2, protein, and so much more you shouldn’t be without.
24. Soya Milk (unsweetened)
Soya Milk and soy are demonized but the bigger picture is what matters most. If you’re compatible with soy and you’re having organic soy without the BS, you’ll be fine.
Soya Milk tastes good and the unsweetened variety is good for milkshakes.
25. Butternut Squash (caution)
Depending on the type of butternut squash you buy and eat, it may have more carbs or less. You can always buy a whole butternut squash and measure it out by the amount you slice and serve.
It’s one of the best-tasting foods on this list.
26. Courgettes
Courgettes are part of the same family as butternut squash and other squash/vegetables.
A low-carb food from top to bottom.
27. Kale
Kale is a “superfood” loaded with many nutrients, but the vitamin A content is useless unless you add fat to your meal to make vitamin A more absorbable.
That aside, assuming you have no side effects from eating Kale, it’s one of the lowest-carb foods you can eat.
28. Avocado
Avocado has been covered to death, studied to death, and it’s what everyone eats and promotes. So I won’t say too much.
You know it’s good already and why it’s worthwhile.
29. Eggplant
Eggplant is part of the nightshade vegetable group, so keep that in mind if that’s an issue for you and your health situation.
Otherwise, it tastes good, has b vitamins, and is one of the best vegetables to eat on a low-carbohydrate vegetarian diet.
30. Mayonnaise (caution)
Mayonnaise is a good way to fatten up food, add omega 3 and 6, and make meals more filling. Just make sure your variety of mayonnaise has the right ingredients.
Or learn to make your own.
31. Cacao Powder (caution)
Cacao Powder, as long as it’s legitimate, is a good choice when making milkshakes, hot drinks, and so on. But make sure to only have one tablespoon (or one serving).
Adding more than that will add up the sugar eventually, and too much cacao powder is known to have some nasty side effects.
32. Sunflower Butter/Spread
Sunflower spread/butter is a UK variety (image above) and will look different depending on your country and the brands that sell within your country.
Sunflower is a good choice and even has omega 3, just don’t overdo it since it has omega 6 as well (more than other butter varieties like Olive).
33. Olive Butter/Spread
Depending on your country your olive butter/spread will look different. This variety (image above) is from the UK.
As long as the ingredients check out and there’s no rubbish inside, it’s a good butter to use with your meals to fatten them up with good fats.
34. Kiwi (caution)
Kiwi is my favourite fruit, and that’s why I don’t have it often or overdo it. It’s sweet despite not having as much sugar as other fruits, and easier to manage as far as servings.
Plus it’s stacked with vitamin C despite not being promoted as much as an Orange.
35. Tofu
Tofu is a staple food in Japan, but it’s eaten all over the world. I eat Tofu if and when I eat out at a restaurant or an all-you-can-eat buffet.
It’s fatty, stacked with protein, is a complete protein like all Soy products, and low in carbohydrates.
36. Tempeh
Tempeh is another soy food made with soybeans. It’s similar to Tofu.
Nice amounts of fat, protein, and as a fermented food, it’s low in carbohydrates.
37. Dark Chocolate (caution)
When it comes to chocolate of any kind you need to be careful to not have too much sugar, or choose chocolate with too much sugar per bar or serving.
With dark chocolate, the best way to manage this is to have varieties with 80% cacao or over 90%. That way the sugar content is minimal compared to let’s say, a 60% variety or less.
38. Edamame (caution)
Edamame is something I’m trying right now to see if it can fit into my diet. It tastes good, works like vegetables (despite being a soybean), and is loaded with fat, fibre, and protein.
Make sure you don’t overdo it. Edamame might be low-ish in carbs, but it’s easy to have too much and increase your carb intake.
39. Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese is soft, creamy, fresh, and therefore, is a cheese you can’t keep in the fridge too long. It goes off quicker than harder cheeses like Cheddar.
Works well to spread over veg.
40. Miso Soup
Miso Soup is made with Soybeans. It’s one of the best soups you can buy since it’s a fermented food.
Good to have on the side with a meal.
41. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are easy to manage and you don’t need a whole lot when adding to a meal.
Easy food to make a part of your low-carb vegetarian lifestyle.
42. Dairy Cream (or non-dairy)
Whether it’s single cream with dairy, or cream made with Soy, Coconut, or otherwise, this is a solid choice if you choose to eat fruit, drink coffee, or make keto-friendly milkshakes.
43. Kimchi
Kimchi is a South Korean dish, but it’s not the only East Asian country to eat it. With probiotics (food for the gut) it’s bound to help digestion and helps low your sugar per meal as it’s fermented.
44. Coffee/Tea
Not much needs to be said. Just make sure the tea/coffee you get isn’t loaded with carbs and sugar (black tea/coffee is best).
Decaffeinated is also a good choice.
45. Seaweed
Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/seaweed-healthy-nutritious
Seaweed tastes so good compared to regular vegetables grown in the ground. It naturally has a salty taste despite NOT being a salty food (it’s an enzyme).
This makes seaweed a solid choice, especially for the amount of vitamins and minerals it adds to your meal.
46. Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese is addictive if you’re the type to get hooked on cheese. And it’s easier to gorge on compared to other cheeses.
Assuming you don’t have that issue, this is a good food to add as part of a healthy low-carb meal.
47. Green beans
Green Beans are different compared to other legumes since the carb content is MUCH lower per 100g (or whichever measurement you use in your country).
This makes it relevant for this list, and even more relevant for your plate.
48. Brussel Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts are crunchy and have a better feel to the bite than other vegetables I feel. Either way, there’s Omega 3, and plenty of vitamin c, and it works as part of a low-carb lifestyle.
49. Okra
Here in the UK, you can get Okra which has more fat content than carbs, or the opposite. But in general, Okra is low carb and one of the best options among vegetables you can choose.
It’s a product many Carribeans eat (my background) and Africans as well. Plus other countries, including Greece.
It’s known as Lady Finger in western countries.
50. Olives/Olive Oil
Olives taste good, and olive oil (the real olive oil) has a spicy feel to it. Both work as low carb because of the fatty content and health benefits as a bonus.
Plus it’s filling, more so than a regular vegetable.
51. Unsweetened Coconut Milk/Extra Virgin Oil
Whether you’re after coconut milk to add to your tea, or coconut oil to add to your pot of vegetables, you can’t go wrong with either.
Just make sure the coconut milk is unsweetened (for low carb and sugar), and the coconut oil is extra virgin.
52. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are part of the nightshade vegetables list, so if you have autoimmune diseases like Hidradenitis Supppurativa, test this food to see if your body can handle it or not.
Otherwise, you’re good to go as this is a good low-carb food.