“Losing excess weight and gaining good health is not achieved by simply eliminating meat from the diet. Much more important is what you replace meat with,” says nutritionist and vegetarian Alexandra Kaspero.
So make sure you NOT:
— addicted to the use of meat substitutes
“For beginner vegetarians, such substitutes are a good help in the transition period,” according to Caspero. “Be that as it may, they are usually made from genetically modified soy, and contain fillers and sodium.” GMO products are a separate serious topic for discussion. In particular, kidney, liver, testis, blood and DNA problems have been linked to GM soy consumption, according to the Turkish Journal of Biological Research.
— fill your plate with just fast carbs
Pasta, bread, chips and salty croutons are all vegetarian products. But no sane person would say that these products are useful. They are made up of calories, sugar, and contain very little fiber and any nutritious vegetation. After eating a plate of refined carbs, your body quickly starts to digest simple carbs, dramatically increasing blood sugar levels and insulin production.
“But this does not mean that the body does not need any carbohydrates,” Caspero says. She recommends eating whole grains and foods low in the glycemic index (an indicator of the effect of food on blood sugar), as well as more fiber.
— neglect plant-derived protein
If you’re on a vegetarian diet, there’s no reason to eat less protein than you need. Do not ignore vegetable protein-rich vegetables, nuts and seeds. Otherwise, you may develop a deficiency of protein in the body, which leads to health problems.
Beans, lentils, chickpeas, seeds and nuts are especially good for weight loss. And bonus: Regular consumption of nuts reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, according to research in the English Journal of Medicine.
— eat a lot of cheese
According to Mangels: “Many vegetarians, especially beginners, worry about the lack of protein in their diet. What is their solution? There is more cheese. Don’t forget that 28 grams of cheese contains about 100 calories and 7 grams of fat.”
— eat store-bought smoothies
While natural smoothies can be a good option for fruits, vegetables, and proteins, watch your intake. They may have a high calorie content, especially if they are store bought. Many smoothies, even green ones, actually contain protein powders, fruit, yogurt, and sometimes even sherbet to make the mix more palatable. In fact, these smoothies contain more sugar than candy bars.
In addition, when you drink protein, your brain does not register its intake, as it does when chewing protein foods. This once again speaks of the undesirability of the use of protein in liquid form from packaged smoothies.