Vegetarians tend to be of lower weight than meat eaters says Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. of MayoClinic.com. Vegetarians avoid most animal products, and strict vegans consume no animal products at all. Although most vegetables and other plant-based foods are naturally lower in fat and calories than meat, becoming a vegetarian does not guarantee weight loss. A low-fat vegetarian diet may follow a specific plan like the one Dean Ornish details in "Eat More, Weigh Less," or may simply involve limiting high fat foods and monitoring calorie intake.
Features
A low-fat, vegetarian diet for weight loss may be vegan, or contain milk or milk and eggs. The strictness of the plan depends on your personal preferences. Meals are built around lots of watery, fibrous vegetables, fresh fruit and ½-cup to 1-cup servings of whole grains. Beans, nuts and seeds provide protein. For this diet to stimulate weight loss, you must take in fewer calories than you burn. While you may eat large servings of low-calorie, low-fat fruits and vegetables, pay attention to portion sizes of grains, beans and nuts so you do not overshoot your daily calorie goals.
Expert Insight
A vegetarian diet can be effective for weight loss says the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In April 2006, the organization released a press statement regarding a scientific review of 87 studies about vegetarianism and weight, noting that vegetarians' body weights tend to be 3 to 20 percent lower than those of meat eaters. The study authors, Neal D. Barnard, M.D. and Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S. assert that the body may metabolize plant-based foods more easily rather than storing them as fat.
Ornish Plan
One of the best known low-fat, vegetarian diets is the Ornish Plan. This diet, written by Dr. Dean Ornish discourages all animal proteins except for fat-free dairy and egg whites. Seeds, nuts, oils, avocados, other fats and refined carbohydrates like white bread and sugar are also eliminated from the plan. While a low-fat diet might contain less than 30 percent of calories from fat, just 10 to 20 percent of calories come from fat on the Ornish plan, notes Every Diet. In the "Journal of the American Medical Association" from 2007, a study found that the high-protein, potentially high-fat and high-meat Atkins Diet yielded greater weight loss than the Ornish plan after 12 months in premenopausal women, indicating that you do not have to follow such a strict low-fat, vegetarian plan to lose weight.
Considerations
Going vegetarian alone may not be enough to stimulate weight loss. Vegans who load up their meals with nuts and avocados can easily eat too many calories and not lose weight. While you may not want to count every calorie and fat gram, stick to ½-oz. servings of nuts and a slice of avocado just once or twice per day.
Fat
Eating too little fat can be bad for your health. The Institute of Medicine recommends a minimum of 20 percent of your daily calories come from fats. Fats are necessary to pad internal organs, facilitate vitamin absorption and promote hormone production. An advantage of a vegetarian diet is that most of the fats come from plant sources, which are usually the healthy, unsaturated types. If you do eat dairy or eggs, make sure you choose low-fat dairy and monitor whole egg intake to avoid saturated fats. Overeating saturated fats can cause health problems along with weight gain, says the American Heart Association.
Sample Meals
A low-fat, vegetarian diet might begin with a breakfast smoothie containing almond milk, frozen bananas and fresh berries. At lunch, eat a large salad containing romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and chickpeas dressed with a small amount of olive oil and lemon juice. Add 1 oz. of feta cheese if you choose to eat dairy. For dinner, enjoy lentil soup made with vegetable broth and root vegetables with a whole-grain roll. Snacks might consist of a ½-oz. of almonds with an apple or whole-grain crackers with hummus.
References
- "Journal of the American Medical Association;" Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women; Christopher D. Gardener, Ph.D. et al; 2007
- EurekAlert: New Scientific Review Shows Vegetarian Diets Cause Major Weight Loss
- EveryDiet: Ornish Diet
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes
- MayoClinic.com: Vegetarian Diet: Will it Help Me Lose Weight?
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