I don’t think anyone would argue that the average vegetarian is healthier than the average human carnivore – agreed?  I mean, come on – if you’re going to make a health decision to never eat a New York Strip Steak or even a flakey, crusted delicious piece of Orange Roughy or Mahi Mahi, you’re pretty hardcore!  Someone that serious about their health is likely going to be working out, taking vitamins and doing other things to improve their lives and longevity.  But, do they have a leg up on weight loss as well?  If you don’t eat lean protein – the cornerstone of most diets today – aren’t you depending on too much carbohydrate?  Can you lose weight eating more carbohydrates?  Yes.

            Many low-carb dieters actually depend too heavily on protein.  Most of my clients in the general population have a difficult time eating much protein at all.  But many of those with a dieting history have tangled themselves up in the low-carb web enough that protein levels can actually become too high as they try to avoid starch and sugar at all costs.  Unsuspectingly, too much protein causes insulin to be released, similar to what happens with high levels of carbs, and the body goes into a fat-storing mode.  Even the leanest animal protein contains saturated fat, so most non-vegetarians get more “bad” fat.  Also, when the body is short on carbs, it can turn dietary protein into glucose.  These are things that low-carb dieters are trying to avoid; yet with excess protein, they unknowingly slow down their own progress. 

            According to Susan Berkow, Ph.D. and Neal Bernard, M.D., the average vegetarian is between 3 and 20% lower in body weight than the non-vegetarian.  In their own research, they found that they could place people on a low-fat vegan diet without limits on overall calories, carbohydrates and portion sizes, and without additional exercise, the average person lost a pound per week.  They concluded that “there is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently as fuel for the body, as opposed as being stored as fat.”  Their remarks also state that insulin sensitivity is increased by a vegan diet (a good thing in order to avoid Type II Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome). 

            Using a vegetarian diet does have several health benefits and can indeed be very effective for weight loss.  Some vegetarians, however, go only as far as not eating animal protein, not necessarily avoiding desserts and other high-fat foods like nuts and peanut butter.  If you’re interested in keeping carb cravings at bay, staying satisfied – not hungry, keeping energy levels up and creating an environment for weight loss: whole grains, vegetables and meat alternative foods made with legumes and tofu are legitimate choices.  It doesn’t have to be just traditional meat protein as many dieters are used to.  Let me state outright that I am a huge fan of a macrobiotic, limit-animal-products, avoid-saturated-fat, get-rid-of-pesticide/herbicide contamination, ban-hormones and save-the-whales type of eating.  I eat as many servings of fruits and vegetables as I can, I avoid sugar and starch as much as I need to and I’m as responsible as I can be in selecting organic and safe foods.  I have even scored 92,000 on the Pharmanex Biophotonic Scanner – a device that measures internal antioxidant levels – and that’s almost 500% greater than the national average.  BUT, we’re talking about weight loss, and the average person is not going to be readily moved to broccoli and tofu if their fare has been 42-ounce soft drinks and super-sized meals twice a day.  So, I suggest making slow movement, trying new foods gradually, and working your way to a healthier overall diet.

            A vegetarian diet will also, as the researchers indicated, reduce insulin sensitivity if you replace sugar and starch-based foods to more complex grains, fruits and vegetables. A vegetarian diet will be way better at that task than the typical American diet, but on such a diet, starch and sugar have to be decreased.  Protein also has the greatest thermic potential of the three macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat) so, though eating low-glycemic index, healthy, vegetarian-friendly carbs are better than refined, sugary carbohydrates, the post-meal “calorie burn” is greater after a lower-carb, higher-protein meal.  I agree with Dr.’s Berkow and Bernard in their desire to promote this type of dietary transition, but neglecting protein entirely for the sake of being vegetarian can be a mistake.

            So, here’s the breakdown:  if you’re willing to eat low-fat, all-vegetarian food, then by their research you can eat as much as you want and you’ll lose weight.  You just won’t want as much and you’ll be full and satisfied.  I like that.  In my world, however, you can and should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and even a healthy amount of grains, but a certain amount of protein will help you moderate starch and sugar, will increase your metabolism (too big of a topic for this article) and I have even seen many vegetarians lower their cholesterol and improve their blood chemistry by adding some protein to their diet.  Your liver produces about 80% of the cholesterol in your body from high glucose levels (from dietary carbs) and controlling sugar and starch is just as important for a vegetarian as a non-vegetarian.  Most vegetarians I convince to add protein do it with protein shakes and through lacto-ovo vegetarianism (eating products from animals that don’t require their destruction – like dairy products and eggs).  So, move that direction, eat healthy, but don’t be afraid of either approach.  Be a vegan or a vegetarian or add some lean animal protein, but keep it all in context and be consistent with the big picture.  Eat to live, don’t live to eat.

Sample Vegetarian (not Vegan)

 Protein             Carbs               Fat

Breakfast:

1/3 cup oatmeal                                   

3                      18                    2

1/2 cup blueberries                              

0                      9                      0

1 tbsp flaxseed oil or flax seeds            

0                      0                      11

 

Snack:

Small yogurt                                        

5                      22                    0

 

Lunch:

Large salad, vegetables only                 

0                      10                    0

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese 

14                    7                      3

1/8 cup almonds                                  

4                      4                      8

 

Snack:

Apple or other fruit                              

0                      25                    0

(Optional protein shake            

24                    3                      2)

 

Dinner:

Tofu “meat”loaf                                   

22                    18                    6

Steamed vegetables                             

0                      8                      0

1/2 cup wild rice                                  

2                      22                    0

 

Snack:

2 cups popcorn                                   

2                      10                    0

(or a rice cake with peanut butter,

small smoothie, etc.)

 

                                                            52                    143                  30  (1,050 calories)

[1,050 calories is a semi-aggressive pace for weight loss for most women.  1,200 calories or slightly more may be a better level for those who are active.)