How to Lose weight and eat properly on a vegetarian diet.

Hello again!

Today's blog as promised is going to be about losing weight on a vegetarian diet. I myself am mostly a lacto ovo vegetarian as I eat eggs and dairy products. I do eat a bit of seafood but I am not a big fan of fish I do like to eat sushi occasionally though. But if you are a person who eats meat and you are reading this there is also some information in this entry you might find useful as sometimes people who eat meat make some of these mistakes too with  many of these meatless foods I am about to talk about after I explain protein and vitamins.

People nag me about protein!
I got nagged a lot about that sort of thing. People who love meat way too much and depend on it too much tend to forget that meat is not the only source of protein and that too much protein is unhealthy. You know it actually surprises me how fat and carbs got a terrible rep and yet protein seems to be the forgotten one! Remember my friends there are so many vegetarian sources of protein. I mean look how long this list is!

tofu
tempeh
nuts of all kinds
edamame
quinoa
brown rice
wholegrain seedy bread
seeds of all kinds
Barley

And for those who are lacto ovo you have your milk, your cheese, your egg and your yoghurt along with whats listed above. You can also try protein shakes if you want, for vegan there are these kinds

hemp
Soy
pea

and for laco ovos you have whey protein powder and egg white protein powder along with whats listed above.

When you opt for protein powders make sure you get ones that don't have so many ingredients for example many whey protein powders will have stuff like artificial sweeteners and even natural sweeteners such as maltitol that are not necessarily good for you and other weird ingredients. They are not really bad for you but some of them can be bad for your stomach. for example sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are not bad for you but at the same they are not healthy as having too much can cause you too many visits to the bathroom. The same goes for protein bars. There was this one time I tried this protein bar and I got a really bad stomach ache from it and oh god it was terrible like it was so painful, I checked the packaging. I can't remember what sweetener it was I think it was aspartame and it said on the packaging "Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect" and it did only I didn't have access consumption of it, I just had just that one serving of it. Moral of my story guys is be careful with protein bars and powders as there are sweeteners in them that can really upset your stomach hence why most sources will say that artificial sweeteners are worse than normal white sugar. Always check the label and if you find that it says on the back "Excess consumption may cause laxative effect" than that means it has one of these sweeteners in it.

Maltitol
Aspartame
Saccharin
sucralose

Or it might have sweetener number this or that which can be confusing. Artificial sweeteners are not really bad for you if you have them in small amounts but in my opinion I don't think its a good idea to have them in your protein shakes if you're gonna consume them everyday. I think its best to pick something with natural ingredients and not too many ingredient as in make sure its less than 5 ingredients. Also if you have a sensitive stomach than you're gonna have to stay away from these sweeteners all together.

Here are some brands which I personally used before which I found were good. To those living in the US, UK, Canada or somewhere else, these brands are Australian, I don't know if you can get them where you live. BTW they are NOT vegan sorry! I personally don't go for the vegan ones as I find that they taste kinda gross.

Aussie Bodies perfect protein 100% natural
http://www.aussiebodies.com.au/product/perfect-protein/
I love making smoothies with this powder, especially ones with raspberry yum!

Well Naturally Protein bars
http://www.vitalitybrands.com/well-naturally/products/high-protein-mini-bars
These bars are very good because they are less than 100 calories and they don't have sweeteners in them that will upset your stomach. They have 10 grams of protein per bar and They are sweetened with stevia but don't worry they don't have a yucky, bitter after taste, I find at least.

I am not saying you must take protein shakes, you can if you want to but you don't have to, I find that they are best to consume after a workout because they help reduce pain from sore muscles but then again guys I am not really an expert I am just giving some ideas of what I think might be ok. At the end of the day I am only sharing what worked for me plus lately I haven't been having any protein shakes or bars. I don't know if I will go back to using them because I watched that  You Tube video I shared in my last post here.
http://myweightlossexprience.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/where-do-i-start.html from fitness blender and they were saying how you don't really need to take protein shakes and that its best to get protein from natural food sources, but that is why I say stick to natural ingredients and to stay away from ones with artificial sweetener or any other kind of unnatural ingredient, except for maltitol.

How should I consume protein on a vegetarian diet?
I don't know the answer to that question very well but my best advice is use your food diary as a guide. For example my diary tells me that I need to have 52 grams of protein in one day and the number will increase when I log in some calories I burnt from a work out, I would opt to have 10 or 15 grams in three of my meals and maybe try and have 3 to 5 grams for maybe 2 of my snacks. I have already shown you the different types of food that have protein in them. I recommend eating oats as part of most of your breakfasts as its very filling and can help to curb food cravings throughout the day.

Why is soy all of a sudden getting a bad rep?
Don't worry about soy. I don't know where this information came from that claims that consuming it causes cancer such as prostate cancer and other cancers and that it has dangerous estrogen. However there is NO concrete evidence that proves eating soy gives you cancer or gives you love handles or man boobs!  I ate soy and I still lost weight! I lost my love handles too!
My advice guys though is don't believe everything you hear or read, take things with a grain of salt. Yes some people are allergic to soy but that doesn't mean its bad for you. I found this really honest article, it explains things way better than I do. http://zenhabits.net/soy/
So Sit back and enjoy your edamame!

Oh god now they're nagging me about iron and B12 urg!
I know how you feel. I personally take supplements. However there are vegetarian sources and luckily for you vegans almost all are vegan! yaaay!

Here is a list of natural sources of iron

Almonds
Fresh kale
Fresh spinach
Chinese brocoli
Bok choy
Seaweed
Parsley
rooibus tea
chick peas

As for B12 the best source is nutritional yeast. Its not like yeast you use for making bread. It has a yellow colour to it and it has a taste similar to cheese. Nutritional yeast has all sorts of B vitamins in it. You can make many tasty things with it. You can make cheeseless cheesy pasta sauce, like a macaroni and cheese sort of thing and you can add it to dips, add flavour to kale chips. There is so much you can do with it, the list is endless! It is purely vegan and you should be able to find it in your local health food store or the health food aisle in your grocery store.

From what I remember some burger mixes have them. I know the brand sanitarium makes vegetarian sausages with B12.

Here's a tip!
Check the packaging of some cereals and products designed for vegans, they might have a list of vitamins somewhere on the back that will tell how you much there is of B12 same thing with iron but make sure the item you get isn't so full of sugar and fat, make sure they are both a minimum of 10 grams.

How about omega 3? I hate seafood and eggs with a passion!
Don't worry you can get your omega 3 from chia seeds and flax seeds Some breads will have flax seeds in them and you can sprinkle chia seeds in your cereal or fruit salad. if you don't know what chia seeds are google them. you should be able to find them in your local health food store or the health aisle in your local grocery store.

Here is some basic points all of you vegetarians should know

Don't eat too many potatoes!
Potatoes are a simple carb, therefore eating too much is not a good idea. Many people when they become vegetarian tend to eat way too many potato chips, fries, wedges, curly fries and potato this and that! I used to eat a lot of potatoes as in I used to snack on chips all the time and I was always craving all the unhealthy stuff like pizza and more fries, instead of having a salad or a healthy vegetarian meal. The thing is, you are a vegetarian and you have to include lots of colour in your diet. You can't eat potatoes all the time or for every meal, a lot of vegetarians who are unhealthy make this mistake ALL the time, people think that being vegetarian equals skinny but that is not true you can still get fat on a vegetarian diet from eating too many potato chips which are very high in calories. It made me fat too you know! Plus it doesn't give you all the nutrients you need maybe some but not all, plus the more you eat it the more you will crave a packet of lays or smiths.

Try these instead

• Snack on nuts such as toasted almonds or toasted seeds like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. But consume within reason as they are also high calorie but not addictive like chips.
• Air popped popcorn is a good snack as you can add a little bit of  sea salt and nutritional yeast for flavour. 
• You can also make kale chips, which you chop up, add a little bit of olive oil some sea salt and other seasonings of your choice, you can also add nutritional yeast, place it in the oven, and wait till they have a crunchy texture. I know you won't believe me but they taste very similar to real potato chips, please give it a try. They are super healthy, filled with iron and low in calories
• Another great snack is seaweed which you can get from Asian supermarkets. 
• Pick sweet potatoes as they are much healthier and you can really make nice oven baked chips with them.
• Yam and cassava are also great choices as you can also make great oven baked fries or chips with them.

Be careful with bread!
Bread is also another thing vegetarians make a big mistake with. What I mean is that it gets eaten way too much and many opt for white bread instead of brown or wholegrain bread. But whether or not you eat the healthy kind make sure you don't have too much, because bread can be very high in calories especially breads such as Turkish bread, Foccacia and other bread dishes such as gozleme pizza, veggie burgers and naan. Some of these bread dishes have around 600 calories in them and sometimes more! I am not saying you should go on a gluten free or wheat free diet, its just that bread needs to be consumed within reason and that white bread also like chips is highly addictive because its a simple carb. To put it in a nutshell Never go for anything that is white. Pick wholegrain bread but don't eat too much bread.

Tips for picking bread

• Pick a bread that is certified low GI some brands will have a logo that states its been tested, here is the website that shows you this particular logo  http://www.gisymbol.com/  
• I highly recommend this bread http://www.burgen.com.au/
• Don't choose gluten free breads because many have higher calories than normal bread. Unless you are allergic to gluten, if you are try and find something that is low GI don't go for anything white unless its certified low GI. Consume withing reason though.
• I know I said don't go for anything white. However if it has that low GI logo on it than its ok to have it as long as you consume within reason. 
• pick  wholegrain wraps.

But I hate brown bread with a passion!
Well than try and find a white bread that is low GI as I mentioned earlier. You will still have to look harder because usually any white bread has a high GI content I have seen some white breads that are said to be low GI however they don't have that low GI certified logo on it even though the packaging will claim so. But if you hate it that much than have something else instead of bread, You don't have to eat bread, or you can just have white bread in extra small quantities, only problem with that though is it can lead you to crave due to the high GI levels that white bread has. I'm so sorry that I can't help you too much with this, I really wish I could though. You can if you are that daring give wholegrain bread a chance though. (I know you probably don't want to)

Why is gluten getting a bad rep too?

There are so many people out there saying "Don't eat this, don't eat that!" Its ok to have bread don't worry about what people say about it, as just like soy, there is NO concrete evidence that it is bad for you. Bread is fine as long as you don't have too much. All these gluten free breads you see in supermarkets are all designed for people who have celiac disease or any kind of disease where they can't digest gluten or wheat. Again take things with a grain of salt there are so many diet bloggers on youtube who claim that its bad and that eating it makes you gain weight and this and that. I can tell you, I ate bread and lost weight, also even if you cut gluten out of your diet you can still gain weight by eating gluten free cake, muffins and biscuits! and lots of rice! and of course sugar! You should speak to your doctor first before you decide to eliminate gluten from your diet as it is ONLY necessary if you are gluten intolerant. BTW there is no such thing as a wheat belly!

 Please before you decide to cut anything out of your diet, wait till you hear REAL evidence that proves a certain food is bad for you. Don't simply rely on what certain people say. I don't care if they are popular on youtube or whether some non-gluten intolerant celebrity/next door neighbor/friend cut gluten out of his/her diet. Don't believe everything you read/hear! 

What about pasta? 

Sorry to say this if you're Italian! Pasta is another food you need to be very careful with and also have to consume within reason. Avoid  ALL white pastas. Unless just like bread its certified low GI and go for the wholegrain types.

Tips for pasta

•  What you can do is if you can't find wholegrain pasta or low GI pasta you can make your white pasta al dente as in don't cook it till its soft but slightly hard because having it al dente will make it low GI. 
• I don't swear by or recommend the gluten free diet but you can try quinoa or brown rice pasta as those are healthy and are also low GI.
• Buckwheat pasta is also good but also has to be consumed within reason due to high calorie content.
• When you have pasta don't chose those big dinner plates. Use a small plate. You want to take an amount that is appropriate. 
• Lots of egg based pasta is low GI as well. But if you are vegan that is totally out of the question.

Lovin' the noodles?

Not a lot is usually said about noodles. Especially 2 minute noodles or instant noodles. 

Tips for noodles

• Don't go for instant noodles because many of them are simple carbs and they are usually not healthy at all. They are not bad for you if you have them once in a while, I know they are convenient but still they are not really healthy and some can be high calorie. They can also be very high in sodium.
• Konjac noodles are great for making a lighter/leaner version of pad thai and its also super low in calories.  http://slendierslim.com.au/Konjac.html
• Try soba noodles. they are great and very healthy because they are made from buckwheat. But its also a bit high in calories so have a proper serving. but then again they are also filling so therefore you don't need to worry much about having too much. If you love Japanese food, you really should try them. You can make them cold with chopped seaweed  and black or white sesame with soy sauce like how they do in the restaurants and you can make yaki soba.
• You can also try rice noodles as they are low GI.
• Egg noodles are ok but they are high in calories, So have a small plate of them.

Whats wrong with rice?
Why nothing, its just that the thing with rice is that it is also slightly high in calories and just like white bread and pasta white rice is a simple carb and has a high GI content. The only white rice that is low GI, is the long grain grain type such a basmati rice. Brown and red rice is healthier however not a lot of people like brown or red rice. But if you like brown rice go for it, although you should still have a decent amount because again it is a little bit high in calories.

Tips and tricks for rice

• Quinoa can be a fantastic replacement for rice. for vegetarians this is a great idea as it is one of those vegetarian sources of protein. If you don't know what quinoa is google it.
• When you are having rice make sure it is the same size as your fist or have half a scoop and more vegetables.
• Some rice brands will also have the low GI certified logo on the packaging.

What you should know about cereal and muesli or granola
Some cereals tend to be filled with heaps of sugar and fat even the ones that claim to be healthy. Pay extra attention to the nutrition facts. Lots of cereals tend to have heaps and heaps of refined sugar in them especially cocoa pops, rice crispies and nutrigrain! Some may be low calorie but still they have too much sugar which is not good at all. One of the problems with eating these types of box cereal is not just because of the sugar but they are so light and so unfilling that it will give you cravings and will cause you to snack too much you'll end up consuming so much junk food and your calorie intake will go through the roof and your GI levels will be going crazy.

Tips for cereal

• Weetbix is a great choice because it is very low in sugar, there is also a multigrain version.
• As always make sure the sugar  and fat content is less than 10 grams.
• Opt for quick oats or normal oats because that is also very very low in sugar. 
• Special k has some cereals that are low GI 
• Carmen's also has low GI muesli http://www.carmanskitchen.com.au/

Can I still enjoy Chocolate?
We all love chocolate! I love it too! This was my biggest weakness as a vegetarian, more so than potatoes actually. Good news is though that it is good for you however, like everything else except most vegetables you can't have too much because of the high sugar and fat content. You CAN have chocolate you just can't have a whole block or and entire box of it. Its one of those foods where you have to be very careful. Chocolate has a lot of calories too. like for 10 grams its 50 to 60 calories depending on the brand as different brands vary depending on the ingredients they use.

Here are some tips for you chocolate lovers

• Pick chocolate that is 70% or 80% cocoa, don't go for milk chocolate or white chocolate due to the high fat and sugar. I know some people don't like dark chocolate but give it a try. I used to hate dark chocolate but as I got older I enjoyed it more and also now I am starting to enjoy it even more!. 
• If you can't stand having pure dark chocolate by itself you can melt it and get some strawberries, cherries blueberries or chopped mangos and cover them in the chocolate and it will be more pleasurable, I recommend this because I can't stand dark chocolate by itself most of the time.
• Check out this brand http://www.shop-vitalitybrands.com/collections/all they make chocolate without sugar. 
• For Vegans you just have to look for chocolate that has no milk and at the same time make sure its 70 to 80% cocoa.

Keep in mind though that dark chocolate should also still be consumed within reason even though it is healthier than milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Don't go heavy on the nuts! (and peanuts)

I know all of you are laughing at what I've written above. Even I am laughing. Seriously though, don't go heavy on them! Nuts are high in calories that's why. You should though, include a certain amount in your diet because your body will need the fats and the protein from them. But don't have too much. one hand full should be enough for a snack depending on your recommended daily intake. Same thing with all nut butters and peanut butters, make sure you have only one table spoon of peanut butter or almond butter on your toast.

Tips for all you nutters (oh here I go again! don't worry you can laugh!)

• Pick a nut butter or a peanut butter (peanuts are not a nut people!) that doesn't have any sugar and salt added. 
• If you can't stand peanut butter without sugar and salt, try to find a peanut butter that has sea salt, or you can get the plain peanut butter and add some sea salt in it, you can also put a natural sweetener in it. or if you eat it on toast it will get sweetened anyway if you add honey or jam(with no refined sugar added) to it.

How about milk and cheese plus other dairy products?
There are many different milks on the market. One problem with milk though is that many milks either from cows or nuts and soy will have over 10 grams of sugar.

Tips for milk

• Cow milk naturally has a lot of sugar in it and is very high calorie even if it is skimmed or low fat. Consume it within reason. I recommend that if you are having cereal pour half a cup instead of 1 cup.
• Almond milk is a great choice but make sure you get ones that are not sweetened because the unsweetened kind is very low calorie. And most almond milks these days don't have a lot of fat in them. Sanitarium makes great ones http://www.sanitarium.com.au/products/beverages/so-good-almond-milk and there is also Blue Diamond Almond breeze http://www.almondbreeze.com.au/they also makes good almond milk. I love having almond milk with my cereal instead of cow milk. I also like to make smoothies with it.
• You can try goat milk as its said to be better than cow milk but it doesn't taste nice, I personally don't like the taste of it so I don't take it.
• Soy milk is also good just make sure you get one that isn't filled with sugar and isn't over 10 grams of fat. 
• For more vegan options aside from almond and soy milks there is also rice milk and oat milk. Just be on the look out for how much sugar and fat there is and the amount of calories per serve.

Tips for other dairy products

• Choose low fat cheese.
• Choose Low fat or skim yoghurt. I highly recommend greek yoghurt as the low fat kinds despite being low fat have a really nice creamy texture plus it goes great with muesli, oatmeal and is also great to have with fruits with a tiny bit of honey and they are great for homemade frozen yoghurt.
• When you pick those snack size yoghurts be very careful with the sugar content, so many of them have over 10 grams of sugar. And if you have a very sensitive stomach be careful when it claims to be sugar free as just like protein shakes they may have artificial sweeteners in them.
• Choose low fat Ice cream and frozen yoghurt. Only problem with ice cream is that many of them including Skinny Cow have over 10 grams of sugar.
• For vegans there are many soy variations on dairy, such as tofutti which makes cream cheese and cheese slices.http://trialiafoods.com.au/acontent%20catalogue/c27455.php

What  if I want something sweet or I want my tea or coffee to be sweet?

White sugar is not the only thing on the planet that is sweet so don't worry because there are still alternatives out there.

Tips for your sweet tooth

• I know some people hate stevia because of that off putting bitter after taste it has, however it depends on the brand. I really like this brand http://www.natvia.com.au/ its great for putting in your hot chocolate, coffee and tea. It should be in the aisle where all the sugars are and it is close to zero calories and you can use it for baking.
• This sweetener is also great and its also 100% natural, doesn't have a bitter, yucky after taste. its called monk's sweetener  http://norbusweetener.com.au/ this sweetener is also close to zero calories. Great for putting in your hot beverages and also good for baking.
• You can also get low GI cane sugar. Which is an unrefined sugar. You should be able to find this in the sugar aisle. http://www.csrsugar.com.au/Better-For-You-Products/CSR-LoGiCane-LowGI-Sugar.aspx
• And then there is fruisana which is a low GI friut sugar .http://www2.woolworthsonline.com.au/shop/ProductDetails?Stockcode=209080&name=fruisana-sweetener-fructose
• You can add a little bit of salt to baked goods and super bitter chocolate to bring out more sweetness.
• You can use honey for certain things but don't take too much.
• Maple syrup is ok but just like honey you should only have a little bit.

Lets not forget about salt!
Salt is something you should have in your diet but you just need to make sure you don't have too much.

Tips for salt

• Always pick sea salt, because it has minerals that table salt doesn't have which are good for you
• If you live in America there is a brand called Mrs dash which is an alternative to salt, however they don't seem to sell it here in Australia as I tried looking everywhere for it and I could not find it.

Don't forget to eat your greens kids! (whoa ho ho green giant!)
Always keep lots of  fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables in your fridge and make sure you have 5 serves of fruits and vegetables a day.

Here are some tips on how you can enjoy fruits and vegetables

• Buy frozen fruits that have no sugar added to them, they are great for making smoothies
• Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh vegetables so if you are on a budget you should be able to find something cheap. You can make great stir fries and baked dishes with them.
• You can make delicious fruit salad with plain or Greek yoghurt with a little bit of honey or natural sweetener for breakfast or a snack.
• You can make great quick salads.
• You can make lovely sandwiches and wraps.
• you can have carrot and celery sticks with hommus, guacamole or any other great dips.

Cooking advice

• Keep lots of herbs and spices in your pantry. 
• Use olive oil for most of your cooking. You can use other oils but olive oil's the best.
• Don't overcook your vegetables, it will destroy those vitamins.
• Never deep fry anything, you don't want stuff covered in so much oil.
• Use a non stick frying pans for stir frying because it requires less oil.
• Never use any oil or spreads with over 1 gram of trans fats. 
• It is ok to use butter but not too much.

Well there you have it. This is how you should pick your food. Vegetarians can still make unhealthy food choices and there are not very many sources on the internet that give you tips on how to make proper choices for a non-meat eating diet. Eating high fatty foods and way too many simple carbs are what causes many vegetarians to gain weight, there are even vegan foods that are not healthy such as white bread and sugary sweets, which could explain why some vegans are overweight. If this is how you as a vegetarian was eating this whole time, then I think this could explain what your problem were this whole time. Eating mostly simple carbs could explain why you might have been low in iron or B12, because we vegetarians forget to eat stuff like spinach for example.

You must remember a lot of these foods I recommend have important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Your fridge and your pantry should be filled with these types of foods. That way it will be so easy to make healthier choices. Another tip I would recommend if you live by yourself is, never keep any junk food in your house because that will tempt you to eat it but if you do live with other people ask them to hide them from you.

I hope you found this entry useful. I will be posting more entries so please be on the look out for more. Good luck with your new life style if you are just starting out and never give up.

Love
Alice