QuestionHi, my name is mary. I have been a Lacto ovo vegetarian for about 8 years now. I am currently wanting to exercise and diet to loose weight. I Don't know what good Lacto ovo vegetarian food to eat. I want something that taste good and not to bland tasting. I would like to have some tips on what is good out there for me that also doesn't cost and arm and a leg since vegetarian food is already expensive. I want to start eating right and loose weight. Any tips?
AnswerHi Mary!
So fab to see your commitment to your veggie diet! Eight years is a long time and since you've been a vegetarian for such a long time this will be a piece of cake! To start, the best way to accommodate both your desire to eat healthy and lose weight would be to incorporate more fresh, organic, live foods. Live foods are nutrient dense so they fill you up faster and the feeling of satiety will last longer. Additionally, you're going to have to give up the processed foods and reduce (or eliminate if possible) your intake of dairy and eggs. Honestly, the dairy and eggs are not going to help you lose the pounds, nor will they provide you with the energy that you will need to maintain your workout regimen. Dairy and eggs are loaded with unhealthy fats, pesticides, antibiotics and other chemicals that slow you down, sit in fat deposits and won't serve your interest at hand. Also, if you're going to eat cooked food, do the cooking yourself so that you know whats going into it. So, for instance, pass on the canned beans and cook your own. Canned beans are loaded with sodium.
As for palatable eating, since more and more people are exploring this diet the options are now endless. From the abundant amount of scrumptious salad recipes floating around to the vast array of succulent fruits now in season I know you'll do this with ease.
Regarding cost, eating in this way will help you to eat less, which will ultimately translate into weight loss as well as cost savings. If you're eating less, you won't need as much food so the expenses will balance out. I can and do maintain a live food vegan diet easily on a budget of about $100 to $150 a month. This may sound unfathomable, but I do. Since changing my diet from cooked to live vegan foods I find that I eat significantly less. Processed and cooked foods are more expensive because you need to eat so much of it to realize satiety. Moreover, because they don't provide your body with enough of the nutrients that it needs your body craves more of it in an attempt to compensate. So its an endless cycle.
In taking these steps, you'll find that your body will begin to reacquaint itself with natural foods, which will cause the cravings for all that is not nourishing your body to fade. Nature has provided us with all of the tools that we need to maintain optimal health and vitality. We just have to reacquaint ourselves with those tools. We all come from the same source, both plants and animals alike. As such, its only logical that we look to that source for our sustenance, which brings us full circle and right back to natural foods. Our pure, unprocessed human bodies need pure, unprocessed foods for nourishment.
Good luck and I hope this helps. However, I'm confident that you'll have no issues considering that you've been vegetarian for 8 years. Way to go Mary!!!
Sunflower Smooches!
Amirah B (aka "The Sunflower Vegan")
Amirah Bellamy is a Vegan Transitional Coach, Vegan Fitness Meal Planning Expert, and Author. To learn more about her fabulous Vegetarian Meal Plans and Healthy Eating eBook or to INSTANTLY grab her FREE Vegetarian Starter Kit go to www.AmirahBFit.com
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