A High Protein Diet for Vegetarians

Often a high protein diet will be recommended as a way to lose weight, particularly if you also cut out carbs. However, most high protein diets neglect the needs of vegetarians, who also need help with weight loss. Here are some suggestions for protein for vegetarians.

Start your day with a protein shake

Most health food stores carry an assortment of protein powders, which are great items to add to a morning shake or fruit smoothie. The protein in the powder is commonly from soy, rice, or whey. If you have difficulty digesting soy, then avoid the soy protein. The other two are equally potent and more digestible. Of the two, often rice is the easiest to digest, but personally I like the way whey tastes. The protein powders come plain or flavored with vanilla or chocolate. A protein shake, with added yogurt, gives you at least 26 grams of protein which is a great start for the day.

Include eggs in your high protein diet

Unless you are a vegan (someone who eats no animal by-products such as dairy or eggs), then by all means have two eggs each day. Contrary to older beliefs, eggs are not that bad for you, and can give you omega-3 as well as protein. If you are on a weight loss diet, you may want to hard boil the eggs, to avoid adding fat. If you do cook them such as fried or scrambled, use olive oil rather than butter to keep the pounds off.

Eat legumes (lentils, beans)

Dried legumes are a great source of protein. They can be easily digested if cooked thoroughly and slowly. You can also add the Indian spice asafetida in small amounts to reduce their gas effect. Eating legumes with rice gives a very complete protein, although the rice should be a whole-grain brown rice, and eaten in limited amounts if you are trying to reduce carbs.

Use soy if you can

Not all people can digest soy. However, if you can, it is a great source of protein. There are a variety of ways to include soy in your high protein diet. One is by eating tofu, which by itself actually has no taste. However, it easily absorbs the tastes of whatever you cook it in. Be aware that the innocent looking tofu block has quite a few calories for some reason. Another soy product are soybeans themselves, but these are usually harder to eat. Finally, tempeh is a fermented soy product that also is high in protein but hard to digest.

Nuts are great protein

Nuts are another good source of protein on a high protein diet. They can also be a bit fattening, but there are some ways around that. Select raw nuts such as raw cashews or raw almonds. Avoid roasted nuts that have been pre-flavored in any way. With these tips now even vegetarians can lose weight on a high protein diet.

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