Low carb diet for vegetarians?

[Felix]

Hi, I have to loose about 35 pounds and the low carb diet seems to be a most effective one to me. The problem though (or maybe not a problem?) is, that I am a vegetarian. I don't eat meat and fish. I've been told that as a vegetarian a low carb diet won't work for me. Is there anything you can reccomend in terms of 'what to eat' or if a low carb diet is working for me as a vegetarian anyway.
Thank you!
- Felix

[Doc@lowcarbforlife.net]

Hi Felix,
You can lose 35Lbs low carbing it and remain a vegetarian at the same time. I'll drop my alias and introduce myself. I'm Dr. Richard Frankville a practicing Chiropractor in Indiana. I am also the author of "Low Carb for Life" a diet for life and a cookbook for success. My office does'nt just treat back pain we also treat the weight problem that contributed to it if that's the case. Chiropractic seems to attracts individuals who are more apt to follow not just healthy lifestyles but natural ways of life too. I have met many vegetarians,many with whom I went to Chiropractic college. The vegans who were thin attained most of their vital protein from Tofu. They also ate abundances of green leafy vegetables and vitamin rich roots, not potatoes! They consumed some grains like wild rice and occasionally brown un-processed rice but not on a daily basis. They used some dried lentils to gain protein too. Dried lentils are very rich in protein versus un-dried. They also ate alot of nut meats, walnuts, almonds etc...
Inversly, the vegans who were heavy ate alot of grains, Potatoes, pasta, bread, nuts, lentils, granola and other cereals as well as vegetables any and all of them.
In low carb dieting you would be well served to get a carb counting book and look up the grams of carbohydrate in the foods you use. Carrots for example are quite high in naturally occuring sugar so you may want to eliminate or restrict your use of them. As far as the Atkins approach and the 20 grams per day limit he sets, I disagree. You need a minimum of 40 grams per day to satisfy the needs of your brain and central nervous system. If you take in 50 grams per day you will feel full, be healthy and still loose weight. I agree that nothing tastes as good as thin feels but what good is feeling thin if you dont have a nervous system left to enjoy it!
Best wishes, be healthy and don't let anyone discourage you. Kepp up the good work.

Dr. Richard Frankville
Doc@lowcarbforlife.net

[misspurdy03]

One thing you have on your side today is all the great soy or textered vegetable protein products out there. Morning Star and Boca Burger have a great variety of burgers, chicken, ribs etc... all meat free. I especially love the "Burger Crumbles" which I use to make stuffed peppers, casseroles, sauces you name it. It is very versitile. Also ate lots of nuts, legumes and veggies. Almost forgot, just be careful of the veggie burgers with oats and other carbs.

[Ramona]

Hi Felix!

I'm a vegetarian too and I have no problem with that when being on diet- especially on SBD!
I'm sure you know that there are various vegetarian South Beach Diet plans that allows other sources of protein in order to replace meat.

The most convenient and also very healthy are the vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, etc) -ofc , but also fat-free veg cheese, nuts (almonds, cashews, flax seeds, pecans), seeds, soy milk or a lot of other different meat substitutes found on the market.

For concrete vegetarian diet meals samples be sure to check:
http://www.south-beach-diet-101.com/lea ... arian.html

For recipes indications look carefully at the bottom of the page.

Good look! and
Cheers!
dear friend