The vegetarian diet
Dear Donovan,
I am a vegetarian and I’ve be>en going to the gym for two months now. I’ve also done liposuction surgery on my tummy and I’ve seen the results. But I’m concerned about my diet — what to eat for dinner since I’m a vegetarian. I hardly eat carbs and I’ve seen where my clothes are now appearing larger. But the scales are showing me that I’ve only lost a pound or less. I don’t know if it’s because of my diet.
Several credible studies have shown that vegetarians are usually leaner and healthier compared to meat eaters. I am very happy that you have decided to become a vegetarian.
There are several types of vegetarians. For example, there are vegans who just eat food from plants only. Also, there are lacto vegetarians. This means that they will have milk products in addition to eating food from plants. There are also ovo vegetarians, meaning that they will have eggs in addition to eating food from plants. Pesco vegetarians are those vegetarians who eat seafood in addition to eating food from plants. Within vegetarianism you may also have a combination of types such as lacto ovo vegetarians. This means that they consume milk products and eggs in addition to eating foods from plants.
I must point out that just being a vegetarian does not automatically make you healthy. The food selection is very important. Let’s say that you are on a diet mainly of bread and cheese and crackers and cheese. In my mind, this is not eating healthy. However, these meals could be classified as vegetarian.
I cannot help but wonder how long you have been a vegetarian and what your present food intake is like. This would have helped me greatly in giving you a personalised response. You mentioned that you are getting more inches than weight on the scale. This could be due to a number of reasons. For example, if you are doing more muscle-building type exercises, you could be developing muscles. Muscles are more compact than fat and therefore denser. Thus you could look thinner but there would not be much change in weight. It is therefore wise if you want to lose weight to do more cardio exercises. In addition, based on what you are eating now, the calories may not be significantly different from when you were a non-vegetarian. If this is so, you will not lose a significant amount of weight.
It would be wise to have a professional do a rough check on the amount of calories you are now consuming. In addition, you also asked for some suggestions about what you can eat for dinner. I must say that what you are eating is important, but the time at which you have dinner is also important.
If possible, you should finish eating dinner by the latest 6:30 to 7:00 pm. I am going to suggest some meal options that you can use for dinner and still maintain your low-carb diet.
You could have a vegetarian soup, for example, a vegetable soup or red peas soup without including yam, dumplings etc. You could also prepare a peas or bean stew, which you can eat with a vegetable salad. A piece of pumpkin could be added to that meal. If you are not so hungry you could even have two to three fruits for dinner. Also, six to eight ounces of a meal replacement shake could be used as a dinner option. Good luck.
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, Suite 16, 39 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 5. Send your questions to clarkep@ jamaicaobserver.com.
