|
If you're a vegetarian with a weight problem, you probably don't
understand why you're not automatically thin. The problem with
the traditional vegetarian diet is that it relies heavily on processed
grains and starches that are very high in carbohydrates, raise
blood sugar levels too quickly and cause insulin levels to soar.
This surge is followed by a rapid plunge in blood sugar, causing
sluggishness and hunger for more carbohydrate-heavy food. On top
of that, many vegetarians fall into the same junk food trap that
other Americans do – eating chips, cookies, candies and
breads. A vegetarian or even vegan diet alone is not enough to
assure weight control.
How can a vegetarian who eats no meat utilize a low carb diet-based
traditionally on animal products to lose weight? Simply put, vegetarians
can borrow the principles from some of the popular low-carb or
balanced carb diets and can create their own vegetarian low carb
eating plan.The basic principles are simple: highly processed
and carbohydrate-rich foods such as those made with white flour
and sugar can increase the appetite, lead to cravings, encourage
weight gain and even promote the incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Eliminating or reducing such "bad" or processed and
refined carbohydrates as white bread, white rice, white pasta,
sugar and natural sweeteners, fruit juices, and potatoes, while
increasing the consumption of low-density carbohydrates like vegetables,
fruit, soy products, and whole grains, can promote not only short-term
weight loss but long-term weight loss and overall health.
One key to remember is that not all carbs are bad. Some foods
that are high in carbohydrates should be avoided because of the
way that they are processed or the effect that they have on one's
blood sugar. But other carbohydrates, most carbs, in fact, should
be embraced and should form the majority of a nutritious diet.
While the complex carbs found in bread, rice and pasta provide
important nutrients such as fiber, most of the starchy foods that
North Americans eat are made by stripping the fiber from the grain,
resulting in nutritionally empty foods that not only increase
weight but even increase carbohydrate cravings. Too many refined
carbohydrates increase weight and need to be curbed. The fact
that vegetables, beans and whole grains are nutrient—dense,
and are primarily carbs, means that it doesn't make sense to eliminate
or even severely restrict them from your diet.
How does a vegetarian on a low carb diet get enough protein?
The answer is also simple: soy products. While most vegetarians
today know that vegetables contain protein (and no longer have
to be combined to achieve "complete" protein, as was
assumed in the early '70s), soybeans are the only vegetable that
contains more protein than carbohydrate, making them perfect for
the vegetarian who wants to control their carbs. Additionally,
soy contains isoflavones, which are disease-fighting substances
found only in plants.
|
