A diet that restricts all sources of animal foods including milk, diary, honey, fish and eggs, simply seems synonymous to weight loss. Though a lot of vegetarians have a stable healthy weight, it does not necessarily mean that a vegetarian diet helps in weight loss too. Even if the scale shows lower pounds, the weight loss does not sustain for longer period. Another overlooked fact is that most people who start going vegan fill up their meaty cravings with veggie processed foods. This replacement in fact makes you gain more weight than on an animal food diet. Before you rush to any conclusions, it is important for you to conduct a little research. Here are some points that every vegetarian aspiring to lose weight should know.
Vegan Diet And Weight Loss
Vegan diet is often associated with weight loss. This is because almost anyone who decides to go vegan losses weight the moment they embrace the lifestyle change. It seems natural to relate vegan diet to weight loss. Though it is true to certain extent, here is the exact reason why most people lose weight using vegetarian diet. All non-meat sources are packed with fiber, which help removing excess from your intestines. Constantly adding fiber to your diet helps exclude almost all impurities from your system, cutting down your weight immediately. On the contrary, animal foods including fish and turkey come with zero fiber. Consuming meats does not purport to losing weight. People who stick to animal diets often cut portions of food to settle their weight issues. However, as soon as they revert to their older eating ways, the pounds get packed on again.
Read more about the Vegan Diet And Its Health Benefits here.
Tweak The Vegan Pie Chart
Before you embark on the journey of weight loss on a vegan diet, it is important to know about the vegan pie chart, its significant components and their recommended ratios.
A vegan pie chart is composed of veggies and fruits in a greater portion while whole grains and seeds lesser in comparison to the former foods. Fats and sweets make up the smallest portion of a vegan diet.
The chart is a general guideline for all people considering to opt for a vegetarian diet. However, if you are planning on losing weight, you need to make a few variations to the general guideline. You can begin by adding fewer servings of each type of food portions.
Add More Green
When it comes to going green, you can choose from a large variety of vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes all comes in variations of green equipping your diet with all essential ingredients such as fiber and low-calorie count while aiming at weight loss. Sufficient intake of fiber gives you the feeling of being full while reducing your cravings for sweets and snacks. Fruits are also rich in fiber, however they have a high sweet content that can lead to weight gain. Nuts, also an effective option for protein can help lower cholesterol.
Look For Protein Substitutes
While the biggest protein source (animals’ meat) is eliminated from your diet, it is vital that you keep your protein intake high by choosing suitable substitutes. Since protein has the ability to satiate hunger very quickly, it helps accelerate weight loss. These building blocks are readily available in other food sources such as beans, lentils, tempeh and oats. You can also incorporate protein to your weight loss regime in the form of protein powder shakes or smoothies.
Limit Processed Foods
Soy is one of the most important food component of a vegetarian diet. Although it offers great health benefits, it is useful to keep a check on the amount of processed foods in your diet. For example, a tofu breakfast, a veggie patty burger in lunch and then again tofu for dinner is surely a fitness spoiler. Instead opt for a natural, simple diet such as veggie smoothie with cheese for breakfast, legumes for lunch and tempeh with your favourite vegetable for dinner.
Be Truly Health Conscious
If you have decided to go vegan, try to be truly health conscious and attain a healthy lifestyle by investing some time in meal planning. This will let you keep your nutrition intact while savouring on a variety of foods. You can plan and buy pre-packaged vegetables or opt for fast-and-easy dishes. Either way, planning will help keep the health element alive in your weight loss journey.
Take Out Time For Physical Activity
No matter how nutritionally rich diet you consume, you only reap maximum benefits when you engage in some physical activity. Make sure that you weight loss regime consists of wholesome meals, workouts and water to keep you hydrated. In order to lower the scale it is important for you to perform moderate level of aerobic exercises for 150 minutes weekly. Alternatively you can achieve some remarkable results by engaging into a high intensity aerobic workout for 75 minutes in a week. Cardio exercises such as HIIT should be performed 3 times in a week along with occasional jog or run. To make the most of your weight loss plan, consume at least 65 ounces of plain water to keep your body healthy and cleansed.
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