A vegetarian diet is full of fibre and anti-oxidants. With no animal protein and fats, it is one of the best diets to embark upon if you are trying to lose weight, as eating fruits and vegetables fill you with energy and give all the essential nutrients without any harmful excessive fats.
This is a guest post by Sameena at urbanwired, who is sharing her thoughts on how to get the right balance with a vegetarian diet when trying to lose weight.
Here are some tips to follow in a vegetarian diet plan that will fill you up and keep you healthy:
Balance your diet: Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of complex carbohydrates. This means that your body is getting enough carbs that are more compatible with its digestive system. Greens are also full of fibre and nutrients so you cannot have enough of these. With your vegetables, make sure that you balance the meals with healthy fats like: nuts and avocados, and sources of proteins like legumes and lentils.
Sources of Protein: Protein is an essential building block of the body and many fear that a vegetarian diet means that you forego any chance of getting a good quantity of protein in the body. Although a vegetarian diet shuns meat protein, there are many sources of proteins like legumes (kidney beans, peas etc), lentils, soya etc.
Fruits, fruits and more fruits: Fruits have natural sugar in them that balance the level of sugar in your body and do not harm you at all, compared to refined sugar sources. Fruits are energy rich and full of fibre and are a perfect accompaniment to any vegetarian meal. You can roast peaches or bake an apple to make a fulfilling desert with no extra calories.
3 main meals a day: You should eat 3 main meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each meal should contain carbs, fats and proteins. But this does not mean that you can load up on junk food. Create a meal plan including vegetables, that fulfils all your needs and make sure you are getting all types of nutrients as the absence of any will cause hunger pangs and an unsatisfied feeling in the body.
Water: It is recommended that to effectively lose weight, you need to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water. Water cleanses the body from the inside and keeps you refreshed. Most of the time, people on a diet feel hunger pangs which are actually misinterpreted thirst pangs. So, keeping yourself full of water means you counter these small misgivings in the body.
Juices and smoothies: A vegetarian diet ensures that you can have as many juices and smoothies as you like. They are a great snack between meals and you get all the nutrients of the various fruits and vegetables you eat. Make sure you get in at least a glass of vegetable or fruit juice a day, or a large serving of a fruit smoothie. It will give you an instant energy boost and keep you full.
One of the biggest advantages of a vegetarian diet for weight loss is that you can eat as many vegetables as you want to, to keep yourself full without any thought or dread of excessive calories or fat. A tomato is just 30 calories! Add them to your salads and dishes and enjoy a tasty and fulfilling vegetarian diet.
About the author
Sameena has just completed her post graduation and swears by a vegetarian diet for weight loss. Binging during college and exams led her to put on some excess weight and following a vegetarian diet helped her get back in good shape.
Photo: Martin Cathrae