How Can I Become A Better Vegetarian (and lose weight )?

Question

ive been a vegetarian a little over a yr and i realized i have gained weight even with exercise ..... my meals are mostly carbs ... Diner is always 90 - 99% carbs ..... what can i do to be a better vegetarian ( healthier) and lose weight i do tend to eat a lot of cookies and junk food im planning to drastically minimize that ............. and the only think i can think of to eat other than carbs is Tofu, cheese and peanutbutter but cheese and peanutbutter have a high fat content

Answer 1

Veggie Burgers!  There are soooooo many kinds out there.  My favorite store bought brands are Morningstar Farms and Garden Burger.  Or, better still, make your own.  A basic veggie burger consists of beans, rice, vegetables and seasoning.  You can come up with a big variety of tastes by using different beans, vegs and spices.  Experiment to see what tastes you like together.  

My favorite is great northern beans, rice, spinach, onion and Goya seasoning.  Another good combo is kidney beans, Zatarans red beans and rice mix and frozen mixed vegs.  Probably the easiest veggie burger I ever made was simply a can of kidney beans mixed with rice and salsa.

You can experiment with leaving the rice out and see how it works.  I've also read ingredients on veg burgers that had no beans or rice.  They were finely chopped vegs held together with egg and bread crumbs or potato.

Just mix your ingredients together to form a solid, sticky mound.  Instant mashed potatoes, bread crumbs or crushed cereal are helpful if the mound is too wet and sticky.  Roll a handful at a time out on a floured surface.  Use a glass or small bowl to cut the burger out.  Then fry it up in a pan.  I like to make a batch of 12 or so at a time.  The leftovers freeze really well for up to about 2-3 months.

Then there's tofu burgers!  :-)  Slice your tofu.  Fry it in a pan or put it on a grill.  Sprinkle on your favorite seasonings and sauces.  It's better than you probably think.  If you decide to try to make homemade tofu you can add some seasoning into the tofu right before you press the water out to flavor the tofu.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

well come to the world of vegetarain because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks :)

Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:

More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to

Answer 3

You already know how to lose weight..you stated the obvious.  Stay away from junk food, reduce your bad carbs, spend more calories than you take in by moderate exercise daily.

Eat more vegetables and drink water.

Answer 4

add more vegetables, beans and tofu to your diet. they are complex carbs so you don't have to worry about the weight as much. Decrease the breads and the snacky foods that don't have alot of nutrients and when you want to eat something that is loaded with carbs try to off set it by drinking a protein shake or some fruit.