In this modern world, there are more and more food-related health problems. That is why, many people are turning towards having more vegetables on their dinner tables.

In fact, many have switch from meat-eating diets to vegetarian diets. There are many people stating that they are plant-eaters, but in actual fact there is not really a single vegetarian diet. Why is that so? I will share more as you read this article.

What are the 4 basic types of vegetarian diets?

#1 Food from plants mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, grains and nuts is sometimes called a total vegetarian or vegan diet to many

#2 Another type of vegetarian diets includes not only plant foods, but also cheese and other dairy products. This is called lacto-vegetarian diet.

#3 You will be surprised people whom are consuming eggs are calling themselves vegetarian. They are having ovo-lactovegetarian or lacto-ovovegetarian diet.

#4 There are people who are called semi-vegetarian. These people don’t eat red meat, but include fish and chicken in their diet.

Are they really healthy?

In fact, the majority of vegetarian diets are low in animal products, which are lower in cholesterol, total fat and saturated fat compared to normal diets.

According to medical studies, vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and some types of cancer, as compares to people who are meat-eaters.

These type of vege-eating habits can be very healthy if carefully planned so that they include all the necessary nutrients in reasonable amounts. However, they can also be too high in calories or lack some important nutritional substances.

What about vegetarian vitamins?

If you’re a plant-eater, you can assure that you have more than enough nutrients in your body by taking the following organic vitamins:

#1 Where to get proteins?

You don’t necessarily have to eat animal products to ensure the correct amount of proteins in your body. Proteins can be found in plants too. However, make sure that your diet is varied and contains enough calories for your daily energy needs.

You can also depend on a good organic vitamin supplement. Vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds are also rich in amino-acids. However, you don’t have to combine all these foods in one meal. Soy is also just as good in proteins as animal stuffs. You can take all the necessary amount of proteins just from soy.

#2 Where are the iron?

Vegetarians run a higher risk of having iron deficiencies, as the main sources of iron are liver, read meat and egg yolk. However, iron is also found in spinach, dried beans, dried fruits and brewer’s east. A vegetarian supplement can also help increase the iron level in your body.

#3 What about vitamin B12?

Animal products are the only natural source for this vitamin. Therefore, vegans need to take a vegetarian vitamin supplement to prevent vitamin B12 deficiencies. However, a little amounts of vitamin B12 can also be found in fortified cereals, nutritional yeast, soy beverages and other foods.

#4 Is vitamin D good?

Vegetarians have to use vegetarian supplement intakes to ensure a proper vitamin D level in their body, especially if they don’t get enough sunlight.

#5 Where to find calcium in vegetables?

Medical studies have shown that vegetarian diets usually lead to the absorption and retaining of more calcium. Calcium is found in vegetable greens, such as kale, spinach and broccoli, legumes and soy.

#6 Zinc?

Zinc is an essential substance for ensuring development and growth. Grains, legumes, nuts and shellfish are great sources of zinc. If you take an organic vitamin supplement, make sure that it doesn’t contain over 15-18 mg of zinc. Such supplement with 50 mg of zinc may decrease the level of HDL cholesterol, which is good for the human body.

Although vegetarian diets are generally healthier than non-vegetarian ones, taking a good vegetarian vitamin supplement may help keep your body healthy. So, take action right now to improve your health even further.

Without a proper understanding of using and getting quality vegetarian vitamin supplements to treat many chronic diseases, there will not be much disease free lifestyle to craving for.

Applying this effective tips as being highlighted here, together with an thorough understanding of vitamin supplements is important so that you enjoy your life once again.



By: anonymous

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Vegetarians live busy lifestyles too and with work and kids, vegetarians need all the help they can get with preparing interesting meals. Contrary to popular belief, preparing a quick easy vegetarian meal may be a convenient task after all. Here are some practical tips for a quick easy vegetarian meal.

Pre Cook Vegetables

You don’t need to wash, prepare or cook your veggies on the spot. In fact, expert cooks boil twice or thrice as many vegetables in one sitting and then just freeze the extra for use on the third day.

Find out which vegetables can be prepared before meals so that you won’t have to prepare them at several different times. Vegetable soup can also be prepared in this way. Just make sure that you add a little more water when you take it out of the fridge on the second or third day. As an added note, be sure to label your pre cooked veggies and food with the date so that you know which ones should be taken out first and eaten and which ones are nearing expiration.

Alternate Breakfast Cooking

Mornings usually require a truly quick easy vegetarian meal because everyone is in a hurry for school and office. You can simply alternate cooking breakfast with quick meals so that you don’t have to be haggard every morning. Cook eggs, waffles and the like every other day. On your non-cook days, simply add a generous amount of nuts, berries, fruits and a little honey on cereal mixes or ready to eat oatmeal for a truly healthy and hearty quick easy vegetarian meal in the morning.

Prepare Snacks

Snacks can be healthy too especially if you serve nutritious ones. Snacks help control and delay family member’s appetites for main meals. This means that you’ll have more time to prepare your quick easy vegetarian meal.

To keep your family interested in healthy snacks, you can introduce new items everyday instead of the usual cheese and crackers. You can try some mixed nuts, yogurt with diced fruits or simply mixed fruits in their own juice. One other delicious option would be to mash and mix some fruits like melon or avocado with a little milk.

Follow the Plan

If you had a plan and followed it, quick and easy vegetarian meals would be smoother. This will not only assist you in coming up with a quick easy vegetarian meal but will also help you generate more ideas.

On busy days, however, it is advisable if you prepare only the tried and tested quick easy recipes. It is not a good idea to experiment on new dishes and recipes when you are pressed for time. Prepare Veggies Ahead

It is best to do your vegetarian grocery shopping on weekends when you don’t have work. Make sure that you set aside some time after shopping to immediately wash, chop, peel and store some of your vegetables. You can even have some of them packed in mixed bunches already so all you have to do for your quick easy vegetarian meal is to open a packet and cook. This strategy though works best for salads because some recipes will taste bad if you cook all the ingredients together. The idea though is to prepare packets that go together whether you have to cook them or eat them as a salad.



By: Diana Pells

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The basic protein for most vegetarians comes from combinations of beans, whole grains and cheese. And we know that cooking a few cups of dried beans does not need to be difficult. This writer likes to begin by washing those beans in a colander, putting them into a deep pot with plenty of water to cover and bringing them to a boil. She turns the heat off as soon as the water begins to bubble and stirs a heaping spoonful of baking soda into them. Then she lets the beans soak for four or five hours, rinses them out in a colander, and washes the pot. Again she puts them into the pot with water to cover and lets them cook for about an hour. Garlic, sage, rosemary, curry spices, any seasonings you want may be added while they are cooking, except salt. When beans do not get tender, it is generally because the salt was added too soon.

Easy as this method is, some days are simply too hot for cooking beans. Tempeh is a good staple for warm weather, and can be found in most grocery stores in the fresh vegetables aisle. Cut it into cubes and put it into a steamer pot with water on the bottom, and let it steam for twenty minutes, or until it doubles in bulk. Cooking it this way gets rid of much of the bitter flavor, and the soybeans in the tempeh are more easily digested. Once you have steamed the tempeh, you can season it with spices and herbs to taste, and gently saute it in olive oil till your cubes are just golden brown. These cubes can then be tossed into greens salads, served on soups as croutons, or added to brown rice and vegetable dishes. The possibilities are endless.

Nuts are another good warm weather protein. This writer likes to use nut butters, including almond butter, cashew butter, tahini and peanut butter among others. She began experimenting with nut butters when she came across some recipes for peanut soup. The Congo Cookbook, http://www.congocookbook.com/soup_and_stew_recipes/peanut_soup.html - suggests simmering onions, green peppers, garlic, carrots or yams. Cayenne pepper and tomatoes in a good stock or chicken broth, and once the vegetables are tender adding a cup of prepared peanut butter to the soup, to make it creamy. Other nut butters can be used this way, or simply mixed in with sautéed vegetables to add flavor.

Happy summertime eating!



By: Genevieve Fosa

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A lot of vegans do not even know why they wanted to become vegans in the first place. Why are you a vegan? If you cannot answer this question in depth, then there’s really no reason to become a vegan diet fan.

You have to do some soul searching and find some answers from deep inside you. Find out exactly why you want to become a vegan. If you don’t find any reasons behind your decision then it’s just a phase you’re going through.

So first of all, you have to educate yourself about being a vegan.

1. Know the facts of the vegan diet.

2. Know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

3. Know exactly why you are doing it.

4. Start reading books, newspapers, magazines about vegan diets.

5. Search the internet for articles or other information concerning vegan diets.

To sum up you have to know the pros and cons of becoming a vegan.

Here are some secret tips to get you started if you’re really desperate about becoming e vegetarian.

1. Start the easy way.

Did you have any favorite dish before becoming a vegetarian? Maybe that dish was a vegetarian dish or could become one easily. So start with that favorite dish. You may not even know that some dishes are vegetarian.

For example you can start with vegetable pasta or lasagne or pasta primavera. There are thousands of choices.

2. Buy a Vegan Recipe CookBook

Being a vegetarian means that you have to learn to prepare your food sometimes. So why not follow some proven tips and recipes from a good vegetarian cookbook?

3. Don’t Push Yourself

So you decide to switch to a vegan diet but you find yourself so tired and really hungry. Well, you may not be eating enough!

Don’t pressure your body. Try to stay balanced and get enough calories and nutrients to keep you going. Don’t just stick to only a few different types of food.

4. Get support from your friends

Make your friends understand the fact that you’re vegetarian. Make them respect your choices. A good example would be to get them to try some of your food and taste what you eat.

5. Do not compare yourself with other vegetarians.

If you’re reading vegan magazines or articles or talking to longtime vegetarians then you will notice that everyone has something to say. And they claim they have the best solution for you. Well, ignore them. Do not compare yourself and your body with anyone else’s! You want to be a vegetarian for your own reasons. So find out what’s right for you and be comfortable with your decisions.

6. Timing matters

Feel free to start on a vegan diet at any time of the year. But be wise. Remember that if you start during the summer you’ll have the chance to try a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Moreover, people have the tendency to eat lighter during summer months. During the winter there’s the advantage of eating soups or baked food.



By: Maria Markella

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How do you connect with other vegetarians and vegans? If you are single and looking for a mate who you can go out to dinner with and not have to explain why you don’t eat chicken then it is important to try and connect with other vegetarians and vegans. The problem is that people don’t usually walk around with signs announcing their dietary preferences. And you don’t want to walk around asking every cute guy or girl if they like meat (you may get some unusual looks). Luckily there are some easy tips for connecting with other Veg-heads in your community.

First, try the Internet. There are a number of dating websites that are specifically for vegetarians and vegans. www.veggiefishing.com is one of my favorites (it’s free by the way). Just be wary of any sites that ask for upfront payments or long term contracts with upstart companies. You don’t want to pay money only to discover they only have a few matches in your area. Even some of the larger and better known dating sites now allow you to specifically look for other vegans and vegetarians. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security just because someone claims to be a vegetarian. With any internet dating site follow general safety rules. Always meet in a public place, and if possible bring a friend with you. Don’t share any personal information like your address. Give work or cell phone numbers if possible since your home phone number can be tracked back to your address. If you get a bad feeling about someone then listen to it. Your gut instinct is your greatest asset.

Those who would rather meet people in the real world should get involved in animal rights activism and organizations. I’ve found that these groups have a higher percentage of vegetarians then the general population. And even if you don’t find a love connection you’ll get a good feeling from helping out for an important cause. If you are interested in Easter religions and spirituality you may want to spend some time with your local Buddhist groups or Meditation centers. Many Buddhists choose a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle as a religious choice. Of course if you aren’t interested in the Buddhist religion it would be silly to go just looking for potential dates. But if you have an interest in learning more about the religion or about meditation in general then local Buddhist organizations can be a rich resource.

But what if you live in a city that doesn’t have any of these groups? Well then it is up to you to start one. The internet has made it easy to organize a meeting or gathering by posting them on a community message board. Some potential ideas include arranging a gathering at a local vegetarian restaurant one weekend or reserving a shelter at a local park and host a vegan potluck lunch. Don’t be disappointed if the first few times aren’t raving successes. It usually takes months for a new group to become popular enough to sustain itself. You may be surprised how many vegetarians there are in your community. They were just waiting for someone to take the lead.

But before you do any of these things you need to do some deep soul searching and figure out how important vegetarianism is when choosing a mate. In other words, is it important that they share your exact same beliefs or that they are just accepting of them? If you are a strict vegan can you only see yourself with another vegan, or is it acceptable if they occasionally eat dairy and eggs? And if things are getting very serious you might want to discuss is you will raise your children as vegetarians also. Some vegetarians believe that it is a decision that must be made individually by the child. Others think that it is important to raise their kids with the same ethics as them.



By: Judy Porter

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There are some people who have found that meats and any products made from animals are unfitting for their lifestyle. This decision is made for any number of reasons, whether it’s spiritual, health, or animal rights. These products are completely removed from their daily life, and usually they will find better health or happiness because of it. These people are most commonly known as “vegetarians”, and make the decision to eat no meat, but they still will often have dairy products and other food made with help from animals. People who won’t eat meat or any animal byproducts are known as “vegans”. They will not consume any dairy products, and in many cases even avoid all whey products.

But for bodybuilding, it is nothing but rigorous physical demands and a diet that will require massive meat consumption. So what happens to some bodybuilder that determines that being a vegan or vegetarian is the right lifestyle for them? How is it possible for this transition to take place? The following are a few easy steps to make this kind of transition a little smoother.

Change Gradually

If you’re a bodybuilder who goes from taking in 2 pounds of meat and 5 protein shakes a day, switching over to a vegetarian or vegan diet overnight will have a horrible effect on your body. It’s much better to take out meat slowly, maybe just cutting back to chicken only for a few days. If the transition is to completely vegan, do the same thing with whey protein. The total transformation should usually last for about 2-4 weeks.

Watch the Numbers

It is very important to count your daily intake of calories. If the number of calories you are taking is drastically reduced, it will result in a loss of muscle. The exact same thing can be said for your intake of protein, if a large portion suddenly gets removed from your diet, you’re going to lose muscle. As you find substitutes for the food you no longer eat but still need the nutrients from, keep track of all the numbers. Doing so will ensure you stay consistent with your muscle gains.

Vitamin Intake

After a consultation with your doctor, take all of the supplements you need to make sure you aren’t lacking any of the important vitamins and minerals. B12, Calcium, and Iodine are excellent things to supplement your diet with. Sometimes nutrient deficiency is common for people undergoing this change, this might cause set backs for gains, so be sure to watch for health side effects during the transition.

Feeling Good

Once the transition is finally complete, you should feel great about changing your life for the better while keeping true to your bodybuilding goals.



By: Dane Fletcher

About the Author:

Some people have found that animal meat and byproducts don’t fit their lifestyle, whether it is for spiritual, health, or other reasons. They remove these products from their life, and find better health or happiness as a result. Some are known as ‘vegetarians’, and choose not to eat meat, but will often consume dairy products and other animal byproducts. Others, known as ‘vegans’, choose not to eat any foods in which an animal has been consumed in any way. They do not eat dairy, and many even abstain from whey products.

Bodybuilding is known for its rigorous physical demands and enormous meat consumption. What happens when a bodybuilder determines that a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is right for him/her? How should he make the transition? Are there any long-term pitfalls of which he should be aware?

Make the change gradually

If you’ve been consuming two pounds of meat and 4 protein shake a day, changing over to a meatless diet overnight will be have a tremendous negative impact on your body. Remove meat slowly, perhaps scaling down to fish only for a week. Then remove whey protein, if going completely vegan. Take two to four weeks to make the complete transition.

The numbers matter

Count the calories. Watch the macronutrients. If your caloric intake drops off by 1000 calories per day, you will lose muscle. Likewise, if your protein intake drops from 350 grams to 50 grams per day, you will lose muscle. Track your numbers as you substitute soy and other products to ensure you stay consistent to keep your muscle.

Take your vitamins

Consult with your doctor and take all required supplements to ensure you don’t miss out on any vital vitamins and minerals. Be sure you supplement your diet with adequate B12, Calcium, Iodine, and others. Watch for any health side effects over the coming weeks, and be prepared for setbacks if your health falters due to a nutrient deficit.

Enjoy it!

Finally, make the best of your new, cleaner diet. Remember that vegetarianism, like bodybuilding, is a tool designed to improve the quality of your life.



By: Dane Fletcher

About the Author:

Three years ago I decided to go “meatless.” It wasn’t a difficult decision as I wasn’t a voracious carnivore to begin with, however there were a few dishes that I missed that contained meat and wondered how I was going to live without these favorites.

Rather than resign myself to the notion that these dishes could never be converted over to a meatless status, I decided to pull myself up by my vegetarian boot strings (cotton, of course), and see if I could find a way to convert these meat-is to meatless.

The first was my Grammy’s recipe for American Chop Suey, actually, almost everyone’s Grammy made this or some variation of it. I tried different ways but this one comes the closest:

Meatless American Chop Suey

1 vidalia onion chopped

1-2 tbsp. butter

1/2 pkg Quorn (brand name) veggie grounds frozen

2 cans Campbell’s Tomato Soup

1 tblsp. catsup (yes catsup, you can’t really taste it, it just adds a rich color to the sauce)

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 lb of your favorite fancy pasta in its rigati form, that means with lines, or something like gemelli or rotini

Melt butter in a medium sized skillet over low heat. Add vidalia onion and gently saute until translucent. Add frozen Quorn grounds and heat till thawed. Add 2 cans soup and cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add catsup salt and pepper and cook an additional 102 minutes.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain thoroughly and add sauce to pasta. Stir to incorporate completely. Serve. Serves 4-6 people as a side.

This next one is an adaptation of a Greek-Middle-Eastern recipe for Dolma. I loved this dish as a youngster summering on Cape Cod. A wonderful Lebanese family “turned me on” to this dish and I have finally found a way to make it meatless and spectacular!

Veggie Dolmas

1 jar of Grapeleaves in brine

Filling:

2 cup basmati rice cooked

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup of pine nuts ground

1/2 cup quorn grounds thawed

2 tbsp. dried mint (or 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped fine)

1 tbsp. dried parsely (or 1/4 cup fresh parsely chopped fine)

1 tsp dried oregano (or 1/8 cup fresh oregano chopped fine)

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp pepper

1 small can tomato paste

Juice of 2 lemons

Remove the grape leaves from the jar, rinse and unfold carefully and rinse again. Lay paper towels and pat dry. Gently remove any stems that are still on the leaves.

In a large bowl mix the filling ingredients together till they are well incorporated.

Carefully separate a few of the leaves and line the bottom of a 1-2 gallon stock pot.

To roll take a leaf, place 1 heaping tsp of filling in the center of the leaf about 1/2 inch up from the bottom edge. Fold 1/2 inch up over the filling, fold each side toward the middle, then beginning at the bottom again roll the whole package up till you have a 1-2″ “log.

Continue with the rolling process till you use up all the filling.

Line the rolled leaves up in a circular pattern in the stock pot till all are in. Pour the juice of both lemons gently over the rolled leaves. Place a dinner plate on top with a stone in the middle to keep in place. Gradually add cold water till it just covers the leaves.

Bring contents to a boil then reduce and simmer for abount 1/2 hour till tender. Drain water by holding on to stone to keep plate in place and gently pour out cooking water. Leave plate on till almost cool.

Remove plate and serve with plain yogurt, yummy.

These can be frozen in 1-2 serving sizes for later. I like to do it this way then microwave them for a minute and a half for a quickie meal.



By: DEV DAAS

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Rabbit food. That’s what my dad calls vegetarian cooking and cuisine. Salads and vegetables – can’t be anything more to it, can there? Oh, but there is. Vegetarian cooking is at least as varied as ‘regular’ cooking – and in some cases, far more imaginative.

Nearly thirty years ago, Diet for a Small Planet, and the follow-up cookbook, Recipes for a Small Planet hit the bookstore shelves with a resounding thud that still echoes. While many of the theories of protein complementarily that Frances Moore Lappe presented have been proven to be naïve by further research, the basic theories of eating and the wonderful meatless – and truly vegetarian - recipes endure. The Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest followed, and then an avalanche of cookbooks devoted to the vegetarian gourmet.

Vegetarian cooking is more than just ‘meatless’. There’s an art to mixing flavors and textures in just the right combinations to create masterpieces that are as appealing to carnivores as to those who’ve eschewed meat. For Hindi chefs who practice Ayurvedic cooking, food is more than nutrition – it is a meditation, a gateway to the higher consciousness. There are three major components and six tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent) to be considered in the preparation of every dish, and a meal prepared according to the Ayurveda is a feast for the eyes, the nose, the mouth and the mind.

The very best vegetarian meals are not ‘meatless’ versions of dish that usually has meat in it. ‘Meatless’ lasagna suggests that something is missing from the recipe. Anyone who has dined on spinach lasagna knows that there’s nothing missing – the blend of creamy cheese and spinach and spices is perfect in and of itself. Polenta with spicy black bean sauce has no need of meat to make it more complete – made right it melts on the tongue AND sticks to the ribs at the same time.

Even within the overall umbrella of ‘vegetarian cuisine’ there are variations. Outside Western culture, most meals have little or not meat at all – so it is not surprising to find vegetarian main dishes in Indian and Chinese cuisine, nor in Russian cooking and African regional cuisines. Many base main dish meals on legumes and nuts. Peanut and cashew soups, humus with spices and lemon, fermented black bean sauces ladled over bread and pasta and rice and couscous – Middle Eastern and African cooking offers all of those and more.

If one approaches vegetarian cuisine as a ‘substitute’ for cooking with meat, one is sure to be disappointed. It is a way of eating and cooking, of spices and combinations that can be as light and fluffy as a meringue or as dense and chewy as the best seven grain bread. If you’ve never tried a real vegetarian meal – as opposed to a ‘meatless’ or ‘meat substitute’ – the very best place to start is at your nearest Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant. You’ll be amazed at the flavors and textures – and you won’t even notice that there’s no meat.



By: Dolly Kapil

About the Author:

I grew up in a vegetarian family. As a child, I had more grains, vegetables, and soy products than most people will eat in a lifetime. When I was about 16 years old, I had had enough–I wanted to eat meat! At first, it was strange cooking with real meat. After all, I had never touched meat before, so I was a little repulsed by it at the beginning. But over time, I learned how to cook meat and found that I really loved cooking. But, I never really felt quite right about eating meat. Since my formative years were spent living a healthy vegetarian lifestyle, the new meat-eating me felt sluggish and unhealthy. Sluggish or not, I continued to eat meat into my adult years. I knew I needed to make a change in my diet, but I wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it. How could I have ever guessed that my daughter would be that catalyst for a change that I’d needed since I was a teen myself?

One of the unique joys of motherhood has been nurturing a mutual relationship with my children: I inspire them, and they inspire me. As they grow into their own personalities and pursuits, I am constantly amazed–and sometimes caught entirely off guard–by their independence and self-declarations. For example, a short while ago, my eldest daughter stood up at the dinner table, after stirring her food around on her plate for a while, and announced that she wanted to be a vegetarian. I was surprised at her announcement. I was not surprised at all, however, when–without any arguments–the rest of the kids and I decided that we would all “go vegetarian” together as a family. I’d been considering it for quite some time, but wanted the kids to decide for themselves.

The impact of that decision was bigger and better than I could have ever imagined. I quickly realized that, not only was I reducing injury to the health of our planetary body and our animal friends, I was also starting to see an amazing difference in my own body. Within weeks, my digestion improved; I had more energy; and, the insomnia I had suffered from for so many years was suddenly gone! But, with all this positive affirmation, I was quite surprised to find that I wasn’t experiencing the kind of weight loss I had anticipated when I returned to my vegetarian ways. Frankly, I was disappointed because–health aside–I wanted to lose weight.

I began my search for the perfect, veggie-friendly weight loss solution. As have so many others, I read extensively on the most popular low carb diets on the marketplace today, including the Atkins Nutritional Approach™, the South Beach Diet, The Zone, and other low-carb diet plans. Although I could readily see the benefits of living the low carb lifestyle, I found no low carb diet plans available in the marketplace that would be acceptable to vegetarians. Meat is at the center of each and every low carb plan.

If I wanted to lose weight by using a low carb diet, I would have to either be A) willing to eat meat, or B) put my research, cooking, and vegetarian skills to good use and develop a plan that allows vegetarians to successfully lose weight without compromising their food and lifestyle ideals. Since eating meat was not an option for me or my family, I chose Plan B!

To those ends, I was particularly interested in the G.I. Diet, a book by Rick Gallop, which emphasizes a healthy, low carb diet plan that doesn’t completely exclude carbohydrates from the daily meals. The diet is more focused on the process of reducing and/or eliminating foods in the diet that increase blood sugar while increasing foods that are low on the Glycemic Index scale. This combination leads to effective and healthy weight loss.

The G.I. Diet asks people to consider changing the way they think about themselves, the foods they eat, and dieting in general. As such, if the commitment is made, the diet is sustainable and nutritionally-viable so one could reasonably maintain it long after the weight has come off. However, the G.I. Diet is not vegetarian.

So, with research in hand, I began thinking about how I could merge the valuable contributions of Gallop and a low carb diet together with a vegetarian lifestyle. After extensive trial and error in the kitchen–some things just don’t taste right no matter how good they are for you–I created a series of fun, easy, and amazing ways to re-design some of the most delicious recipes to make them both low carb and vegetarian. I’d finally found a way that I could lose weight, be healthy, and live well as a vegetarian.

When my family and friends saw me lose over 20 pounds in less than 3 months, the questions started pouring in:

How did you do that?

What are you eating?

How do you make vegetarian chicken parmesan and vegetarian beef stroganoff?

Where’s the meat?

Where do you get your protein?

How can you eat low carb when you aren’t eating meat?

My answers to those questions and the countless recipes that I scribbled down for my friends and families became the backbone of this FREE book, Living La Vida Low Carb: The Vegetarian Way, which can be found for free at http://www.VegetarianLowCarb.com,that I share with you now. I can’t tell you that you’ll experience the same results as I did. I can tell you–with pride and honesty–that these recipes can help you achieve a healthier, more balanced diet. And, thankfully, the book demonstrates that losing weight as a low carb vegetarian no longer means peanut butter and tofu at every meal! Good luck and good health!

Ready to learn more about this revolutionary way to eat healthy, without sacrificing taste? Visit http://www.VegetarianLowCarb.com/Article_Vegetarian-Meets-Low-Car b.html

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By: Sylvie Charrier

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