If you're a female vegetarian, a 1500-calorie-a-day diet plan provides you with a healthy way to lose about a pound a week. The diet may be too restrictive for men or very active women, who could add another serving or two of grains and vegetables to meet their needs. Vegetarians can get all the nutrition they need on a moderately restricted diet plan but need to take special care to get vitamin B12, iron and other vitamins and minerals more easily attained by eating animal products.
Vegetarian Food Pyramid
A 1500-calorie-a-day diet should include 6 servings of grains, 3 servings of fruit, 3 servings of vegetables, 2 to 3 servings of dairy and milk products and 6 oz. of protein, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Vegans can substitute soy, almond or rice milk for dairy. Vegetarian protein sources include beans, nuts, seeds and, for vegetarians who are not vegan, eggs and milk. Vegetarians are at a higher risk than omnivores for iron, calcium, zinc and B12 deficiency but can meet these needs with careful food choices or supplements.
Avoid Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency
Fortified breakfast cereals can meet many of these needs. Vegetarians can also meet their daily needs for iron by eating molasses, spinach, black-eyed peas, turnip greens, whole-wheat breads, apricots and raisins. Vegetarians who consume dairy can meet their calcium needs with low-fat milk and yogurt and low-fat cheese. Vegans can get calcium from soy products, calcium-fortified fruit juice and dark-green leaf vegetables. Sources of zinc include legumes such as white and kidney beans as well as wheat germ and pumpkin seeds.
Menu Suggestions
A sample breakfast could include a cup of oatmeal or fortified breakfast cereal, a piece of fruit and a cup of cow, almond, soy or rice milk. Susan McQuillan, author of "Low-Calorie Dieting For Dummies," says that a 1500-calorie-a-day plan for vegetarians could also include a lunch of 1 cup of mixed fruit, 2 cups of salad greens and 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. Portions are key to limiting calories, and McQuillan says a sample dinner entrée would be 1 cup pasta topped with 1/3 cup marinara or other tomato sauce and 4 soy "meatballs." Sample sides would include ½ cup of orange sections and 1 cup broccoli. McQuillan says it's important that, in any successful weight loss program, dieters avoid getting hungry. For vegetarians, a serving of yogurt or a bean and salsa snack---1/3 cup bean dip, ¼ cup salsa and 8 baked tortilla chips---could be be eaten between meals.
Adapting Menus
Most menus can be adapted to fit the needs of vegetarians, says Ellen Frazier, who operates the I Can't Eat Anything! catering service in the Los Angeles area. If you find a 1500-calorie menu on the Internet or in a magazine, just substitute non-meat options. Substitutions may be lower in calories, so be certain you're getting enough nutrition. If you substitute ground soy or kidney beans for hamburger meat in chili, for instance, you would save 50 to 100 calories per serving. You can adjust for the calorie deficit by adding a piece of fruit, a slice of whole-grain bread or a glass of milk---soy or almond for vegans.
Avoid Hunger
Frazier, a vegetarian, says that planning meals is especially important for non-meat eaters who are trying to lose weight. Drive-thru restaurants are tough on dieting vegetarians, especially vegans. Choices are limited and, if you're overly hungry, you'll be tempted to order cookies or French fries, which may be the only things besides an uninspired salad you can eat. Dieting vegetarians will enjoy better success of sticking to a 1500-calorie-a-day diet if they pack snacks and prepare to-go meals at home.
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