Nutrition
7 vegetarian menus to
lose weight without starving
Vegetarians can also be overweight and, at the same time, have nutritional deficiencies. Here, a plan with all the recipes, to lose weight, covering all the needs and avoiding hunger.
You decided to be a vegetarian and it is your life choice. However, consider that it is necessary to make the correct combination to avoid nutritional deficiencies. You can learn that from a nutritionist.
You will need to perform periodic medical tests to be sure that you are on the right path, or - if not - you will need to consult a nutritionist for advice on the changes to make to regain your health.
Some vegetarians go hungry and get fat, why? This is because they choose preparations or industrialized foods that in their chemical composition have components that stimulate the appetite (for example, refined flours and visible and hidden sugars) or are not appropriate to maintain a healthy weight.
Therefore, if you choose to be vegetarian, it will be a matter of choosing recipes and preparations that facilitate good health, avoid weight gain and provide you with the necessary satiety so that you are not aware of eating and / or improper preparations because you stayed hungry.
Here is a balanced and healthy weekly plan to lose weight without sacrifices. To make it easier to follow the plan, you can find the recipes for each of the dishes in the links to my website.
Breakfasts and snacks
- 1 glass of skim milk.
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread 3 cereals (not toasted).
- Skim ricotta 1 tablespoon of the soup in each slice.
Between meals:
(choose two options)
- 1 hard-boiled egg.
- 1 handful of dried fruits (when they are included in any preparation, do not include them).
- 15 raisins (when they are included in any preparation, do not include them).
- 8 olives.
- 1 unripe banana (medium).
- 10 large grapes.
- 1 small portion of lean compact cheese (30 g): 2 times a week.
- 1 fresh fruit.
Lunches and dinners:
amounts of food by item
- Raw and / or steamed vegetables: 1 soup plate.
- Potato, sweet potato, corn (raw, 1 cup of tea), bulgur wheat, quinoa or buckwheat, millet, brown rice, other whole grains, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, soybeans): 1 tea cap (already cooked).
- Thick laminated noodles and pasta, dry noodles cooked al dente: 1 medium plate (already cooked).
- Condiments: all necessary to enhance the flavor: pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, basil, minced garlic, etc.
- Miso: ½ teaspoon of the tea per meal, to add to the preparations.
- Oil: 1 teaspoon of those of tea (per meal).
- Avoid or reduce salt.
- Fresh fruit: 1 unit after each meal of which, 1 citrus or 1 kiwi (for its contribution of vitamin C, which favors the absorption of non-heme iron: non-animal).
Weekly menu
Day 1
Lunch: risotto with mushrooms, you can add some legumes. (see website: /). Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed.
Dinner: salad of all colors raw and / or steamed, add green leaves. 2 corn patties with light white sauce.
Day 2
Lunch: buckwheat and vegetable paella. Incorporate green vegetables.
Dinner: millet with dried fruits. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed.
Day 3
Lunch: broccoli omelette. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed. Incorporate legumes.
Dinner: curried meatballs with cheese. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed.
Day 4
Lunch: macarons with bolognese. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed.
Dinner: avocado and walnut salad. Add whole grains or sweet potatoes and soybeans.
Day 5
Lunch: potato and spinach omelette. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed.
Dinner: salad of all colors, raw and / or steamed. 2 slices of basic pizza filled with vegetables, soybeans, corn, peas, eggs, cheese and olives.
Day 6
Lunch: mushrooms stuffed with bulgur wheat. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed.
Dinner: salad of all colors, raw and / or steamed. Add chickpea salad.
Day 7
Lunch: green salad. 2 spinach and ricotta patties.
Dinner: pickled aubergines. Salad of all colors raw and / or steamed with quinoa.
Recommendations to
cover all nutritional needs
- A vegetarian diet will be healthy as long as it is planned and the nutrients are properly combined and covered.
- Proteins: they are covered by eating a variety of foods, which provide the amino acids and nitrogen necessary to avoid falling into the consumption of nutritional supplements.
- Vegetarians should be advised by a nutritionist, who should control the amount of proteins provided in the diet from foods of plant origin, since their needs will be greater due to the fact of consuming less digestible proteins such as some cereals and legumes.
- Iron: vegetables contain non-heme iron (less absorbable), which is more sensitive than heme iron (from foods of animal origin) to iron inhibitors and enhancers.
- Vitamin C and other organic acids present in fruits and vegetables help the absorption of iron and can help reduce the effects of inhibitory substances (phytates).
- It is important not to increase the daily consumption of these iron inhibiting substances present in food: phytates, calcium, teas including herbal teas, coffee, cocoa and some spices and fiber. However, it is now known that the effects of phytates are somewhat less than previously thought.
- The amount of iron from vegetables is 1.8 times less than that from foods rich in heme iron of animal origin.
- Some researchers argue that vitamin C helps absorb iron as long as a high intake of this vitamin is included. The same for organic acids from fruits and vegetables. Higher intakes of vitamin C and (raw) fruits and vegetables can promote iron absorption.
- There are techniques to improve iron absorption, such as soaking or sprouting grains and seeds. Brewer's yeast also achieves this effect of increasing iron absorption.
- Other fermentation processes, to make soy derivatives (miso and tempeh), can help the absorption of this mineral.
- It is worth clarifying that when a person is used to following a vegetarian diet, they are more adapted to low iron intake, and therefore, in the long term, there will be increased absorption and as a consequence lower losses.
- To know better and in detail which foods favor the absorption of iron and which ones make it difficult, consult here.
- For some vegetarians, depending on the food plan they follow, the iron needs will be higher or lower than for others. Hence the importance of the advice of a nutritionist.
