Welcome to our vegetarian corner: eat vegetarian and lose weight 
Thinking of becoming vegetarian. You’ll find tips and information here. Whether you wnat to become vegetarian for health or ethical reason or to eat vegetarian and lose weight, you’ll find a wealth of information on vegetarianism here. What Diet looks at the benefits of being vegetarian, what is a vegetarian, why become a vegetarian and how to be a vegetarian. We’ll also take a look at vegetarian foods and vegetarian recipes, different types of vegetarian and vegetarian products.
If you want to find out more about the benefits of being vegetarian and how to eat vegetarian and lose weight then check out the details on the vegetarian diet. You may also be interested in learning more about a vegan diet which is a sub category of a vegetarian diet and a little more restrictive.
Quick vegetarian overview
Whether you are full vegetarian or not, there are some great “meat-free” dishes to experiment with and being vegetarian these tend to be healthier than their meat alternatives and in some cases just as tasty. Also in these penny pinching times vegetarian foods come in somewhat cheaper than meat foods helping you save money as well as weight gain.
From a health perspective a vegetarian diet is also attractive. Studies show vegetarians (those following a balanced low fat vegetarian diet) often have less risk of coronary artery disease, obesity, hypertension and some forms of cancer.
A vegetarian diet is more likely to be lower in fat compared with non-vegetarians as animal products are the major sources of saturated fat in diets.
Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry, fish or slaughterhouse by products like gelatine and animal fats. The vegetarian diet consists of mainly fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Vegetarians will eat dairy products and eggs. Here are some variations on the vegetarian theme:
- Vegans: Avoid all animal products.
- Semi-vegetarians: Eat fish and/or chicken but no red meat. They are not officially classed as vegetarians.
- Lacto-vegetarians: Eat dairy products but not eggs.
- Lacto-ovo-vegetarians: Eat both dairy products and eggs.
- Fruitarians: Avoid all animal products and processed foods.
A vegetarian diet can be very healthy option but in order to be so it must be well balanced. It would be viable to maintain a vegetairan diet but eat chips, cheese, bread and chocolates but this wouldn’t benefit your helath.
Vegetarian Diet Foods
A vegetarian diet that is well balanced includes:
- Grains /cereals: Wholegrains, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, muesli.
- Legumes, nuts and seeds: All types of beans, split peas, lentils, almonds, cashews and other non-salted nuts, sesame seeds.
- Fruit and vegetables: Any fruits and vegetables in abundance. To keep it interesting choose a wide variety and experiment with different recipes.
- Dairy and soya: Fat free and reduced calorie options are best for dieters in milk, yoghurts, cheeses.
It is interesting to note that a standard vegetarian diet matches very closely expert recommendations for healthy eating. A vegetarian diet plan is low in saturated fat and is high in fibre, complex carbs and fresh fruits and vegetables. If you eat a wide variety of foods you will get all the nutrients you need despite having no meat in your diet.
Why Not Try Vegetarianism?
Why not experiment and see if the vegetarian diet plan suits you. You may well find you feel better following the vegetarian lifestyle than you usually do. Don’t force the whole notion of no meat at all but try a few meat free days during week and see how you get on.
There is a wide range of vegetarian options available and many meat free foods have that meaty texture but the plus is that they will be significantly lower in fat and calories than their meat alternatives.
Vegetarians today are fairly common. Most food items are marked with vegetarian labelling. As well as vegetarian foods there are many vegetarian products available which include a vegetarian shoes, vegetarian clothing, vegetarian magazines such as the vegetarian times magazine (see our offer below) and vegetarian health products such as coenzyme q10 50mg UK vegetarian, which is a face/body cream.
A large proportion of the UK is vegetarian and this also includes many African American vegetarians. There is even a day dedicated to vegetarianism called hug a vegetarian day!
Get tips and starter ideas on how to be vegetarian, vegetarian foods and vegetarian recipes with the free magazine Vegetarian Times pdf download. For more details and to claim your magazine visit our offers page
Useful links
Vegetarian Diet Review
Vegetarian Foods
Vegetarian Recipes
How to be a vegetarian
What is a vegetarian
Why be vegetarian
Hug a vegetarian day
Photo credits Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What Diet: Eat vegetarian and lose weight
