Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: no carb diet plan

Question:
I need pointers to a vegetarian non-carb diet plan. I want a step-by-step plan for weight loss, with recommended foods, recipes, etc. Any recommendations for me ? Thanks.

Answer:
I have had to work out this problem for myself too since there really isn't as much information out there on veg low carbing as there is meat low carbing. you will find that unless a forum on the internet is specifically for vegetarian low carbing, then most of the information is inappropriate for your needs. I recommend that you search for vegetarian low carb resources on the internet. There are mailing lists on that subject. try egroups, topica and any other mailing list sites. I recommend that you try obtaining a copy of the soy zone by dr. barry sears. I'm in the process of getting one myself, so can't promise it will be a great book. I did read the zone by the same author and liked that he recommends a balance of 40% carbs, 40% protein and 30% fat just because I think that this is actually possible for me as a vegetarian to do. Unfortunately, doing this sort of diet requires one to learn about food more than is actually fun to do. Carbs and proteins and fats are not food groups, they are components of food. So that, for example, beans will supply you with protein AND carbs, and some fat too I suppose. That is the dilemma for vegetarians trying to low carb. Foods that are good vegetarian protein sources have carbs too, unlike meat which has only protein. My answer to this is to try to reduce carbs by not eating obvious sources such as bread and white rice, loosely follow a plan but not be obsessed with counting carbs and protein and fat. If I don't get improvements (I have health problems that necessitate this diet), then I will probably buy some sort of nutritional analysis software program and attempt refining my diet further. Something important to ask yourself is what your goals are for undertaking this type of diet. If you want to lose weight, then perhaps a very strict low carb diet such as a vegetarian version of Atkins is in order. I've never attempted that, so can't be specific. I assume that you just substitute things like tofu, seitan, tempah, meat analogs, eggs (if you can eat that), nuts, etc for the meat stuff in the atkins plan. If you are doing this mainly for your health, and with losing weight as a secondary consideration, then perhaps you should study a bit on the topic, and then attempt various stages of low carbing, to see when you feel better and have more energy. stage one could be just cutting out most rice, bread and sugars while researching the subject. later on, you could cut out some vegetables that have too many carbs or are known to cause blood sugar elevations, such as potatoes, etc. I am eating some things such as whole grain oatmeal and sprouted grain bread (which is flour free) because I am using the concept of the glycemic index to keep some good carb foods in my diet. You can search this on the internet for information on the glycemic index. or read this webpage http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm I mainly want to feel more energy because I know that if I feel better, I will start to be more active, and I will then more than likely lose weight, although probably very slowly and gradually. I should call my diet the path of least resistance vegetarian low carb diet. :-) [disclaimer: by the way, I should say that I have, in the recent past, been desperate to lose weight, and have done so with blood sweat and tears. actually this has happened almost yearly because I can't keep my weight down and it rises every year. I recently have found out the health problems that are at the basis of this, (PCOS), and so I'm just trying to be kinder to myself and try something less hardcore, in my own estimation. to each his own. For some, the health issues of carrying excess weight is very serious, so a quicker diet is necessary. I wish everyone luck and wellness, irregardless. and don't forget to consult your physician before you go on a diet or physical exercise regimine.