Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegan Keto Bento Box | High Fat Low Carb + Paleo

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegan Keto Bento Box | High Fat Low Carb + Paleo

Mains

2 people

cooking pot (for the seaweed), mixing bowl

Ingredients

Almond Seaweed Noodles (4 serving sizes)

  • 1 cup arame seaweed, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
  • ½ teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil (or extra virgin/toasted sesame oil)
  • 1 tablespoon tamari, or more to taste (gluten free soy sauce – soy free version: use coconut aminos)
  • 1 large handful almond flakes, raw or toasted

Heirloom Tomato Salad

  • 1 large handful tomatoes (I used cherry & red zebra)
  • ½ small cucumber
  • 2 sundried tomatoes (optional)
  • 1 small handful sprouts (I used alfalfa + daikon)
  • Oregano or basil, to taste (I used the flowers too)

Protein Power Guacamole

  • 1 small ripe avocado, pitted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
  • Himalayan crystal salt + black pepper, to taste
  • ½ tablespoon MCT oil
  • 1 teaspoon chives, finely chopped (optional – I used the flowers too)
  • ½ teaspoon spirulina + seaweed flakes each (optional – for an extra mineral boost)
  • Mixed seeds (optional)
     
  • ¼ fresh coconut, cut into chunks
  • 1 medium carrot, cut into sticks

Looking for healthy lunch inspiration? This Vegan Keto Bento Box with almond seaweed noodles, heirloom tomato salad & guacamole makes a great lunch on the go! It’s packed with plant-based protein, healthy fats & essential minerals - perfect to boost your energy levels, speed up your fat-burning metabolism and beat sugar cravings. That's a triple win :)

If you’ve never heard of the ketogenic diet before, it’s basically a low-carb high-fat diet that is reported to help with hormonal imbalances, weight loss & eating disorders, diabetes and inflammation in general (the cause of most Western diseases we know today). I heard about it many years ago through Dr. Mercola but up until a few months ago, I never really considered giving it a try myself.

However, a lot has changed since I discovered Dave Asprey’s book ‘The Bulletproof Diet’. It immediately caught my attention. He explains how certain foods (like refined carbohydrates and artificial additives) can completely disrupt our hormonal health – leading to anxiety, sleeping disorders, food cravings and many health issues. The book really triggered my curiosity and I decided to start adding more healthy fats to my diet (like avocado, olives and coconut) to find a natural solution for hormonal imbalances and other health challenges I’ve been dealing with the last couple of months.

Back in the days, at the beginning of my health journey when I was recovering from chronic glandular fever (caused by the Epstein-Barr virus), I experimented with a fully raw high-fruit low-fat 80/10/10 diet to heal digestive issues. Unfortunately, that way of eating just didn’t work for my body. It gave me lots of dental issues, I was low in several nutrients & I never really felt satisfied. After about a year, I moved on to a more balanced diet that combined raw food and Ayurveda.

Nowadays, I eat a mainly plant-based diet that combines raw & cooked foods, with plenty of vegetables, leafy greens and green superfood powders (like spirulina, chlorella, barley grass…) to keep my energy levels up and the Epstein-Barr virus under control. I try to eat intuitively according to what my body needs, with plenty of local seasonal produce and warming foods.

I also discovered MCT oil. It basically helps your body to burn fat for fuel and it can help to protect your brain from all types of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s too. Personally, I’ve found that it makes a huge difference to my blood sugar level. It really helps me to stay satisfied longer and to beat sugar cravings.

I’ve started adding it to my smoothies, chia pudding, and even in savory dishes like the guacamole recipe you can find below. At first, I was a bit hesitant. I had been avoiding fats for so long, even the healthiest ones, thinking that they would make me fat. However, what I didn’t realize was that the right type of fats will actually help you to burn fat instead of storing it.

So far, I’m truly impressed by the results. I no longer suffer from food cravings, I don’t get ‘hangry’ before lunch or dinner and I’m not constantly thinking about food. I don’t follow a strict ketogenic diet though – I’d rather call it a low sugar plant-powered diet high in healthy fats and a moderate amount of healthy carbs like pumpkin, sweet potato and berries. They really help me to feel energized and vibrant. 

I’ve been a bit more flexible during our city trip to London this summer (you can watch the ‘what I eat in a day’ vlogs right HERE) and our book promo tour of Vegan & Raw 2 in California (check out the first California vlog HERE). I wanted to visit as many vegan hotspots as possible, including the occasional dessert ;-), but I tried to make the best choices for my digestion.

The last couple of months I’ve also been experimenting with intermittent fasting (very interesting) and I have many ideas for new recipes that are grain free, completely sugar free & higher in healthy fats.

Would you like to find out more, including details of what my diet looks like & how I’ve overcome digestive issues? Let me know in the comments down below!

For now, I leave you with this fun vegan bento box recipe.


Vegan Keto Bento Box | Seaweed Noodles + Guacamole + Heirloom Tomato Salad

DIRECTIONS:

Almond Seaweed Noodles (4 serving sizes)

  1. Cook the arame seaweed until tender for about 15 minutes. Pour away the cooking water.
  2. Lightly heat some extra virgin coconut oil and stir in the seaweed.
  3. Take off the heat, add the tamari, stir well and top with the almond flakes.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

  1. Chop the fresh tomatoes into chunks, the cucumber into ribbons, and the sundried tomatoes into strips.
  2. Add sprouts (a great source of protein & minerals!) + oregano and/or basil for extra flavor.

Protein Power Guacamole

  1. Mash the avocado. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  2. Add MCT oil (or extra virgin olive oil if you don’t have MCT at home) and finely chopped chives. I like to add spirulina and seaweed flakes too – they’re both rich in protein and essential minerals such as zinc and iodine.
  3. If you wish, top the guacamole with seasoned seeds: I used a mix of sprouted pumpkin, sunflower, sesame & buckwheat that I seasoned with Italian herbs & sea salt.

On the side, you can serve carrot sticks to have with the guacamole and fresh coconut for dessert.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

  • This Protein Power Guacamole will stay fresh for 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can store the Almond Seaweed Noodles for at least 4 days in the fridge.
  • Not a fan of seaweed? Replace them with any noodles of your choice: zucchini, carrot, buckwheat, rice…

Now I would love to hear from you!

Have you ever suffered from bloating, digestive issues, food cravings or hormonal imbalances?

Are you interested to find out more about the interesting correlation between our food, gut, brain and health?

Let me know by leaving a comment down below.

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegan Keto Bento Box | High Fat Low Carb + Paleo

 

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegan Keto Bento Box | High Fat Low Carb + Paleo

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegan Keto Bento Box | High Fat Low Carb + Paleo

Healthy Lunch Ideas: Vegan Keto Bento Box | High Fat Low Carb + Paleo

 

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Comments

Hmmm, triggered by this vegan-ketogenic diet... I want to know more! (Will check out the references you gave above...)

wrote Reply
julie
Hi Nancy, I'll be sharing more soon! I would never have thought that adding more healthy fats to my diet would make such a great difference to my health and overall well-being. Can't wait to share more :) Love, Julie
julie wrote Reply
Suzy Surman

Hi Julie. Im loving that you are interested in the keto way of eating (hate the word diet) as ive been doing it now for 3 months and need some inspiration and more ideas of what to eat with what. So thank you and i look forward to more.

Suzy Surman wrote Reply
julie
Hi Suzy, I prefer the expression 'way of eating' too - diet has such a negative connotation right? As if we can't eat anything or only really small portion sizes, when the opposite is true :) I'll definitely be sharing more news + recipes soon! Love, Julie
julie wrote Reply

Heel interessant, dat ketogenic eetpatroon! Ik ben zelf ook nog 'zoekende' naar de juiste balans in mijn voeding aangezien ik lactose-intolerant ben en zo veggie/vegan mogelijk probeer te eten.

Ik merk ook dat mijn lichaam beter reageert op gezonde vetten dan op een overload aan koolhydraten. Dus hetgeen jij beschrijft, interesseert me zeker! Keep posting about it :)

wrote Reply
julie
Hey Josefien, dank je wel voor je berichtje. Ik had nooit gedacht dat meer gezonde vetten zo'n groot verschil zouden maken. So much to share :) Binnenkort zeker meer nieuws! Liefs, Julie
julie wrote Reply
karin

hello Julie,

I really enjoyed reading this and will try out soon

on the weekend I made your non-bake energy bars and Carl and me enjoy them a lot

thank you for your recepies

xxxxkarin

karin wrote Reply
julie
Hi Karin, so great to hear from you! YAY :) I'm happy you & Carl enjoyed the energy bars. My diet is a new transition right now but I'm really excited about what's to come and sharing new recipes that are more aligned to how I'm eating at the moment. I hope we'll get to meet again in 2018 :) Give my love to Carl & very Happy Holidays! xx Julie
julie wrote Reply
Em

Hi Julie, very inspiring pics and information! I have PCOS + IBS + trying to be VEGAN... sometimes it feels like an impossible combination! It's going to be hard work but hopefully it will make me feel better; having lots of symptoms at the moment. Xx

Em wrote Reply
Hi Em, nice to meet you! I'm working on a new project that I hope will help you. More info coming soon :) Have a great day!
wrote Reply
Gail

Hi Julie. I started eating plant based 5 years ago and I love it. Eating meat doesn't call me at all. However, the one time in life when I was truly slim and full of energy was when I followed the Atkins program. After reading your story I'm super curious about eating plant based and quality fats. Could that truly balance me and rid me of sugar cravings; give me my energy back and help me drop this extra 20 pounds? I'll be ordering your books and diving in. Thank you for sharing your journey.

Gail wrote Reply
Hi Gail, it's very interesting to hear your experience! I am writing a new book about how the ketogenic way of eating helped me in many ways and how it can turn your body into a natural fat burner so you never have to follow another diet again. It has really helped me to cure sugar cravings too. The book will be available end of May. It might be interesting for you to know that I no longer eat 100% plant-based because of health challenges. I'll be sharing more on the blog soon! Have a lovely day, Julie
wrote Reply
Lisa Kilinc

I just found your site because I finally watched the SweetPotatoSoul video with you in it. I have been wanting to try the Vegan-Keto diet as I am already Vegan. There is not much good info out there as I only find a few people that are Vegan-Keto! Thanks for the info! I am glad I found your site!

Lisa Kilinc wrote Reply
Hi Lisa, glad to have you here :) I actually no longer follow a 100% vegan diet because of health reasons but I will keep on sharing vegan & veggie recipes because I truly believe in the healing power of plants!
wrote Reply
Marie

Thank you for sharing your ideas and recipes Julie! I've been having gut problems and many different health issues for so many years, I was hopeless. Someone recommended me this diet few weeks ago and your website. I can finally understand why I was feeling so bad now, how everything is related in the end and I have regain hope to finally recover and feel good/myself again one day. I am looking forward to try your recipes that look delicious! Merci!!

Marie wrote Reply
Hi Marie, you're so welcome! I'm happy you discovered our website :) I've been struggling with digestive issues for years so I know how you feel. This way of eating has really transformed my digestion! I'm also working on a new project that will help you a lot - coming later this year :) Love, Julie
wrote Reply
Lisa Henderson

Hi Julie

I’m struggling with many of the same dietary and health challenges you have described. I’m vegetarian and working to cut out dairy. I’m sugar/carb addicted. I’m tired, achy and my tummy is angry. I’ve just stumbled upon Dr. Jason Fung and intermittent fasting, extended fasting and ketogenic eating. I am hoping for more recipe and guidance for vegan keto eating. Thank you ?

Lisa Henderson wrote Reply
Hi Lisa, Jason Fung has some excellent books on this subject! Dr. Mercola is an expert when it comes to keto too. At the moment I'm working on a new "start to keto" program & I almost have my new eBook with vegan & veggie keto recipes ready too so definitely keep an eye on the newsletter :) Coming soon! Have a lovely weekend, Julie
wrote Reply
Sami M'Sallem

Where were you all my life? lol I'm vegan and I work out, a lot. Callisthenics, heavy weightlifting and bla bla, but... I'm 45 and I guess time and age is..you know, a pain in the ass sometimes. But I firmly believe that we can fight it and win. I gained weight during lockdown. For the first time, I don't know what to do to lose the FAT I gained. I Knew about keto, but vegan keto, I was like : how the hell?! but I found you!!! I need to try this. The only thing I am not sure about, is that I read somewhere that we should stop eating legumes such as lentils, beans and all when going vegan keto. but here you are using lentils pasta, so I'm lost again lol (doesn't take much haha) because they contain A LOT of carbs...Helppp ! lol

BUt I will definetly try the mac and cheese with zucchini noodles! Cheers!

merci !

Sami M'Sallem wrote Reply

Hi Sami,

This recipe has arame seaweed, maybe you're confusing that with lentil pasta? Otherwise, not sure where you got the lentil pasta from :) It is true that the keto lifestyle excludes legumes because of their carb content and also the phytic acid etc. On the blog you will find low carb/keto recipes, and also higher carb/vegan recipes (older recipes). Enjoy all! Julie

wrote Reply

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