I am a vegetarian and I would like to try the low-carb diet without meat.

I tried this diet when I used to eat meat, and I lost about 20 pounds. Now I would like to try it again, but I don't know if it is an option as a vegetarian since my vegetarian diet is largely carb-based.

Are there any vegetarians out there who have tried this and had results?

Yes, it is possible to do a vegetarian version of lowcarb, but it would be best if you were eating your protein from variety of sources, such as dairy, eggs, soy, wheat gluten and fish.

We had a discussion a while ago with a member who was wanting to go strictly vegan. Lots of suggestions and ideas came up in that thread, click here to read it. There are a couple of links there to vegetarian lowcarb websites.

Carb Addicts has a vegetarian option, but does include lacto-ovo - it allows for a daily Reward Meal, where you can consume carbs, but must be within a strict one hour time limit. The rest of the meals are strict lowcarb.

Protein Power also can be adapted ... and allows for a little fruit or grain now and then. But you must ensure to eat a bare minimum of 20g protein at every meal.

Just curious why you became vegetarian?? Only reason I ask, I was strict vegan macrobiotic for almost a year ..... for health reasons. I ended up being sicker and fatter than ever, yet I couldn't understand, because I was eating such "good" things .. whole wheat, rice, chickpeas and bananas! A whole lot of health problems improved when I started eating meat again.

Hope this is helpful ... Keep us posted how you're doing. You were successful with lowcarb before, you'll be successful again..

Doreen

Thanks for your reply, Doreen.

You asked why I decided to become a vegetarian, and here it is. Since I was in high school and was hearing and reading about mad cow disease and different diseases that animals carry, and also finding out the way they are raised and what they are fed, especially all the hormones and antibiotics that chickens are fed, really scared me. I did not lose weight because of becoming a vegetarian, but because I am no longer mixing meats with carbs, I don't get heartburn, and because I eat quite a variety of vegetables, fruits and pulses, I feel quite healthy.

To help you understand my situation, here is what I do eat: lots of different vegetables, fruit (I try to eat fruit only in the morning, on an empty stomach), tofu, bean curd, rice, couscous, millet, barley, lentils, lots of different kinds of beans, potatoes, eggs, cheese, butter, yoghurt (plain, no sugar added), fish, whole wheat bread (if I ever do eat bread). . . I think that's the general idea.

What kinds of things would I have to cut out of my diet from this list?

hi Rachel,

I think Protein Power, or their newest book is even better, Protein Power LifePlan ... would be good to read to give you an idea of the protein requirements. 60g per day for an average sedentary woman, more if you're tall, male or very active.

Organically produced meat, dairy and eggs is becoming increasingly available, and may be an option for you.

Do check out the link I gave in my previous post. There are a couple of further links there to vegetarian lowcarb sites.

Someone else may have more knowledge of this than I do, but I'm pretty sure that Suzanne Somers lowcarb program is based on food-combining principles as well, and might be worth a look for you too. You might be able to borrow these books from your local library...

Doreen

Hi Rachel

Whilst I am all for the freedom to make individual personal choices I would also like to mention mis-information, mis-leading sources of information upon which people can sometimes make those choices.

I went vegetarian for spiritual reasons. 20 years later I turned around and decided I can be spiritual without being vegetarian. LOL.

The meditation and tuning in helped in a lot of ways but the vegetarian diet certainly did not. My health deteriorated further and further until in desperation I turned to Atkins albeit it went against all my principles. This was at a time when the Foot and Mouth crisis was at its peak in the UK so you can imagine some of the turmoil within. I am pleased to say I am feeling soooooo much better and have lost a fair amount of weight.

Your post reminds me of an interesting book I read "Fit for Life" I don't remember the authors (they were a married couple). I did try it but found it difficult to keep to it. Fruit until noon, carbs until evening. meat and fish for evening meal.

This will be an interesting thread. Do keep us posted.
Take care.

Hi, Fiona

Thanks for your reply. I have been doing this low-carb thing now for a few weeks, and I have lost some weight. I don't know how much, but my clothes are certainly more loose.

I find it interesting that you, too, have read Fit for Life. (It seems everyone has heard of that diet.) I tried it for a while as a teenager but did not stick with it. However, I have picked up some of the principles of that approach and try to apply them in my regular diet, such as fruit in the morning, and not mixing carbs with protein.

Recently, I have been reading the Michael Montignac books about the French style of food consumption. I love that his diet allows wine with/after meals, because I have always been a believer in the good effects of wine on digestion.

I am feeling a little like you both (Fiona and Doreen) are trying to persuade me to give up vegetarianism, but I don't plan to give it up. I feel healthier now than when I ate meat, and since I stopped eating meat, I have lost about 15 pounds.

However, I have found that I am able to do this low-carb diet without eating meat. Remember, I do eat fish, seafood, eggs, cheese, tofu, and soy products, and I can make an amazing variety of dishes when those are combined with the vast array of available vegetables and pulses. I am also a big fan of whole foods such as millet, barley, kamut, etc., which are recommended in Montignac's books.

I am always open to hear more suggestions for low-carb diets that are adaptable for vegetarians. . .

Hope to hear from you soon!!

While this protein source is not "on the hoof", it's still a form of non-vegetable derived protein, so you shouldn't have a problem with a complete protein source.

Karen

Rachel,
I am very interested in the question you posed for health reasons. Have you read Food is Your Best Medicine by Dr. Henry Bieler? Or, have you heard of and read anything by Paul Bragg and Dr. Norman Walker? Dr. Walker ate raw salads with small amount of dairy cheeses and drank vegetable juices. He lived to be 113 years, at least -- I've heard he lived even longer than that. Paul Bragg ate mostly fruits and vegetables. He allowed small amounts of flesh protein foods. I have heard that he lived into his ninties and died of an accident -- but I do not know for sure.

Dr. Bieler was a famous physician who treated many movie stars. He designed an individual diet for each person on the basis of the condition of their bodies. So he put some on a meat and low-carb vegetable diet, some on diets with no meats, etc. He taught that the low-carb vegetables are the healers of the body. I don't follow the Bieler "diet" because there is none to follow. It has to be an individualized way of eating. But when we have a serious health problem in our family we start eating more low-carbohydrate vegetables. And it has worked.

Right now, because of a health problem my husband has we are eating broccoli and a hard-cooked (no steroids, no hormones, etc) egg for breakfast. For lunch we have a large raw vegetable salad and a medley of cooked vegetables and a protein: usually fish or nuts or seeds. If we want red meat occasionally, we will have lamb because I think it is still raised free range and without hormones, etc. If anyone knows any differently, I'd like to know. We have the same for dinner as we had at lunch, just having a different protein. When we get hungry for a snack, we split a large organic apple between us. (And they are large). We walk 2-3 miles each day. And we are both losing weight really fast. I've lost 9 pounds this month so far which amazes me. It also amazes us that we are losing this fast and yet our energy is staying up.

This is a low-carbohydrate WOE. And it pretty much fits the type of vegetarian eating you have been doing. We eat no grain or dairy products at all and that is what makes us feel so much better.

Dandi

HI

I am on the Hellers' Carbohydrate Addict's Diet plan and am a vegetarian - not vegan- i.e. yes to dairy products but no fish / poultry / eggs / meat.

As you can imagine, it is a challenge and definitely not easy to find the variety one needs.

However, I've been following a regimen given below and have lost about 4 pounds in 10 days - I am enthused and fairly motivated to stay on the plan !!

Breakfast : Buttermilk (made at home) of soy milk - plain (no flavour, no sugar)

Lunch : 1 cup of Complementary vegetables (sauteed with 1 tspn of veg oil)
1 cup of soya / moong sprouts steamed with tofu
Soya Buttermilk (as above)

Dinner : Rice, Lentils, vegetables (all kinds), milk-based plain yogurt, Fruit / dessert (all to be consumed within 1 hr


I am sure with Fish you should have more variety

Happy LowCarbing
Veggie_low

Has anyone thought of using 'The Soy Zone'... If it is tweaked a little, it is fairly Low Carb... I've been using it for about a month and am losing on it. My Ecc's stay under 100, which I guess would make it moderate carb.