Although there are several types of vegetarian diets, ranging from vegan to pescetarian, the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is most common and has many potential health benefits. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, vegetarians have a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, high-blood pressure, diabetes, kidney stones and gallstones. Vegetarians also tend to weigh less and eat less fat and fewer calories, according to Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky. Adopting the diet for just a week can help get you on a healthier track, but it won't bring long-term benefits unless you keep it up for an extended period of time.
Foundation
Vegetarians don't eat any meat, which means red meat, poultry or seafood. The core of their diet is five food groups: lean proteins, dairy products, grains, fruits and vegetables. In essence, a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet has all of the main food groups that an omnivorous diet has, but it replaces meat proteins with plant-based proteins and allows for dairy and eggs. Some vegetarian foods that are particularly high in protein include eggs, cheese, milk, nuts, beans, legumes, whole grains and tofu.
Guidelines
The Mayo Clinic website recommends that vegetarians get about six servings of grains per day, five servings of protein-rich foods, four servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit and two servings of healthy fats, such as olive oil or peanut butter. If you're following a vegetarian diet for purposes of weight loss, you'll also want to make sure the foods you choose are low in calories.
Benefits
In just a week, a vegetarian diet can help you lose weight, although you are not likely to see dramatic results. The amount of weight you might lose depends on the calorie deficit you can create by dropping meat from your diet. It takes 3,500 calories to lose one pound, so if you can manage to eat 500 fewer calories daily by switching to vegetarianism, you'll lose a pound in the week you follow the diet.
Downsides
Although a vegetarian diet has many long-term health benefits, you must follow the diet for longer than just a week to enjoy them. For the best results, follow the diet indefinitely. If you go back to the way you ate before after being vegetarian for a week, you may not notice any positive effects.
Considerations
Before making any significant adjustments to your diet, speak with your health-care provider or a registered dietitian, especially if you have a chronic health condition. Because of the benefits of long-term vegetarianism, consider adopting the diet for at least several months, during which you can get used to adding more plant-based foods to your diet and making permanent changes that can benefit your health even if you do go back to eating meat.
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