vegetarian diet

[lokigrrrl]

I am looking for a healthy, balanced diet to help me burn fat. I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and most of the diets I have seen incorporate meat. My goal is to burn fat not just lose weight. Right now I am seeing good results just from working out, but I am ready to work on my nutrition. A friend sent me a diet that consisted of 7 meals a day. Most of them were something like 5 egg whites and a small salad. I tried this, but it is pretty unrealistic since I am a working single mother. It seemed like I was eating all day...and I don't really have time for all that. Does anyone know of a low prep veg diet for fat burning? I am not doing a competition, so it doesn't have to be extreme. Thanks!

 

[Candi Barr]

Do you eat fish?

 

[MS]

"Does anyone know of a low prep veg diet for
fat burning?"...............................

NO. Get real. You either put the time and energy into feeding yourself healthy, balanced meals, or you don't. A 'vego' diet without lots of freshly prepared veggies and WHOLE grains and legumes (requiring lots of chopping and cooking in advance) is not a healthy diet at all.

In terms of protein, you have lots of options including the egg whites, cottage cheese, whey and soy protein powders. I just spend one afternoon per week (usually Sundays) and chop LOTS of veggies, cook lots of brown rice and lentils/chick peas, and pre make a blender full of protein shakes. I then portion everything into little meals ready to grab and shove in my face through the week.

 

[SteelWeaver]

"NO. Get real."

LOL. That's just what I was about to say. Being veggie and a bodybuilder, or even simply trying to eat healthily, requires time and effort. But I guarantee this time and effort will come back to you in later years multiple-fold in terms of health. I'm ovo-lacto veg and I spend about an hour every night preparing my meals for the next day, or sometimes two, depending on how full my fridge is. I live in a very small space, with a very tiny fridge, so cooking for the whole week is unrealistic, and cooked egg whites don't last very long anyway. They're not very tasty either, but you do what you have to.

The simplest balanced veg meal I know is chick peas mixed with cottage cheese with steamed broccoli/spinach whatever, on the side, maybe a block of tofu with a dash of soy sauce. Takes about 5 minutes to prepare

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Here are some sources of vegetarian protein to keep in mind when you put together a diet (other than fish/seafood, which can be great, especially tuna - 1 can = 30g):



1) eggs (eggbeaters, eggwhites)
2) cottage cheese: 1 cup has 30g protein
3)whey/soy protein powder: 1 scoop usually around 20g protein
4) soy milk: identical nutritional profile to skim milk (8g protein), brand I recommend is Silk, regular, unflavored
5) soy burgers: 1 burger has 18g protein
6) yogurt: around 8g, varies
7) Tofu


There are also smaller amounts of protein in foods like beans and nuts.I don't really like eating tofu so I can't help you there, though the sort I see in the supermarket in NJ is generally higher in carbs than in protein. You might try this stuff called tempeh, which is a very grainy tofu-like product with a lot of protein in it and very few carbs/fat. I bought it once and I didn't end up a huge fan of the taste/texture, but some of my friends love it.

Oh yeah, and there are plenty of soy products that are high in protein. For instance, there are "chicken nuggets" made of seasoned tofu and "meatballs" made of soy and various veggies. Just go to the vegetarian section of your grocery store and look for a brand called Yves, that's the best tasting one out there.

Here are some meals that don't require much prep:

Meal One:
.5 cup oatmeal mixed with protein powder and 1 serving fresh fruit

Meal Two:
1 serving brown rice, mushrooms & onions in a 2 egg, 4 egg white omlette

Meal Three:
Tofu & Veggie Stirfry
1 small sweet potato/yam baked, plain

Meal Four:
1 serving brown rice with black beans and salsa
small sprinkle of nonfat/lowfat cheese

*Myoplex Light shake immediately after lifting, followed by a meal*

Meal Five:
Veggie chili & large salad w/ oil & vinegar

Meal Six:
2 veggie burgers (no buns), and salad

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

One more meal idea, for tuna:

Mix the tuna with chopped peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, small chunks of part skim mozzarella cheese, add basil and parsley, and then dress it with oil & balsamic vinegar. Black olives are good in this too! If you're on a diet, you could skip the cheese, use fat free cheese, or use soy cheese.

This kicks ass in a whole wheat pita or rolled up into lettuce leaves.

 

[lokigrrrl]

thanks!

i realize that i am going to have to cook. lol. however i can't really prepare food all day at work. i like the idea of spending a whole day to make food for the week. thanks for the recipes and protein sources.

 

[MS]

"i can't really prepare food all day at work"......................agreed. For these meals you may need to go with pre-made protein shakes, or high protein meal replacement bars. A shake can be slammed down in less than 30 seconds!

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Another recipe idea you could try that doesn't take much prep:
splash of coconut milk, dash or two of curry powder, on top of fish and rice.

I haven't tried this, but my boyfriend says it tastes just like the Thai food we like.