How To Become A Vegetarian While In A Low Carb Diet

The combination of a vegetarian and a low carb diet can bring several health benefits. For one, limiting your carbohydrate intake helps promote insulin sensitivity, optimizing the function of insulin to burn glucose more effectively for energy production. A vegetarian diet also aids in regulating blood cholesterol, sugar levels, blood pressure, and heart rate because of minimal or zero animal fat and protein in the diet. Lastly, an effective vegetarian and low carb diet also help in weight management. 

But how do you become a vegetarian while you’re in a low carb diet? Read below to find out the effective ways and best practices when following a vegetarian and low carb diet. 

What Is a Vegetarian?

A vegetarian abstains from eating meat and animal by-products, including milk, cheese, and other dairy products. Vegetarianism comes in different types, depending on the foods allowed and not allowed to eat, including the following:

• Vegan: Vegans don’t consume any animal related products, such as red and white meat, fish, fowl, eggs, and dairy products. Also, vegans don’t use gelatin, beeswax, honey, and other animal by-product ingredients. They don’t also use leather, wool, and silk. 

• Lacto Vegetarian: While lacto vegetarians don’t eat meat, eggs, fowl, and fish, they consume dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and milk.

• Ovo Vegetarian: They don’t consume meat, fish, fowl, and dairy products but eat eggs and egg products. 

• Lacto-ovo Vegetarian: Lacto-ovo vegetarians don’t eat meat, fowl, and fish, but consume eggs and dairy products.

• Pescatarian: They eat fish and seafood but not red or white meat and fowl. 

• Pollotarian: They’re semi-vegetarians who only eat fowl and poultry only. They don’t eat meat and seafood.

• Flexitarian: While this diet is not technically vegetarian, it mostly consists of plant-based foods, like immi, but also take meat occasionally. 

How To Become A Vegetarian While You’re in A Low Carb Diet 

1. Keep Everything Plant-based 

Plant-based foods apply the principle of food substitution, wherein high carbohydrate starches can be replaced with food items that have fewer calories. Sticking with plant-based food helps maintain your low carb and vegetarian diet. 

Here are some examples of plant-based butter and oils: 

• Vegetable Broth: Use vegetable broth to sauté vegetables. Add several tablespoons at a time and let the veggies simmer enough broth without filling up the pan. Vegetable broth can also be used in baked-veggie recipes to replace fat. 

• Bananas: Mashed bananas can be a replacement in quick bread, cookies, or pancakes. 

• Applesauce: Applesauce makes a good replacement option for butter, allowing you to make dense pastries, like muffins and cakes.

• Prune Puree: To make this, place a tablespoon of water for every ounce of pitted prunes in the food processor and process until it’s smooth. Prune puree works well in chocolate-flavored recipes, such as brownies.

• Nut Butter: It’s usually used as a fat replacement that works well in muffins, cookies, and bread recipes. For a dense end-product, use a creamy variety.

2. Eat Low-calorie Filling Foods

There’s a notion that vegetarianism makes a person feel deprived of satiety, most especially when on a low-calorie diet. However, vegetarians don’t need to suffer from hunger when they’re on a low carb diet. 

Check the following low-calorie foods that satisfyingly fill your appetite:

• Oats: Vegetarians can consume oats, which are low in calories and high in protein. The rich fiber content of oats makes you feel full. A half-cup of dry oats contains 3.8 grams of fiber and 5.5 grams of protein, which cause a significant impact on hunger and appetite.

• Berries: Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are packed with vitamins and minerals and they have high fiber content. Berries reduce hunger and boost weight loss. A cup of blueberries provides 84 calories and 3.6 grams of fiber.

• Popcorn: It’s a low carb food that can be consumed by vegetarians when cooked in plant-based oil. It has high fiber content, which is good for gut health. 

A cup of popcorn (8 grams) provides 31 calories and 1.2 grams of fiber. Popcorn reduces appetite and enhances feelings of fullness than other snacks. 

Make sure to avoid ready-made varieties because they have plenty of unhealthy fats, added sugar or salt, and artificial flavorings. 

3. Implement Healthy Food Substitution 

As an excellent way to stick with their diet and keep calorie counts low, vegetarians implement food substitution. For example, milk can be replaced by plant-based substitutes. 

Here are some of the best plant-based substitutes for milk: 

• Almond Milk: It’s a popular non-dairy milk that’s low in calories. Almond milk is usually fortified with vitamin B12 and will satisfy your daily protein needs. 

It also contains vitamins and minerals, like vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium.

• Cashew Milk: This milk-alternative has a very close flavor and consistency with dairy milk. Like almond milk, cashew milk is also low in protein with rich amounts of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, and iron.

• Soy Milk: It contains about 7 grams of protein per cup and has a generous amounts of vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, phosphorous, and folate.

• Other Milk Substitutes: Hemp milk, rice milk (given to those with sensitivities to soy and nut), flax milk, and pea protein milk.

Regardless of the food substitute you choose, avoid sweetened versions to prevent unnecessary high sugar or calorie intake.

4. Keep A Food Journal 

One way to monitor your food intake, whether you’re taking too high sugar or calorie, is writing and keeping a food journal. To be effective, you should have an idea of the calorie count per serving of vegetarian food you take. 

Be a healthy vegan by being aware of what you eat every day. 

5. Talk To An Expert 

Dieticians and nutritionists are the best professionals who can educate you on healthy vegetarian and low carb food choices. It also pays to discuss your diet plan with your physician to ensure that your medical condition is also considered when selecting food substitutes or eliminating certain foods in your diet. 

Seeking expert help will give you peace of mind and assurance of your good overall health and well-being. 

Conclusion 

By following the tips shared above, vegetarians can stay in a low carb diet. Using food replacements or substitutes, such as plant-based foods, effectively keeps your calorie intake low. 

Make sure to avoid artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and preservatives because they usually have high sugar and may ruin your vegetarian diet. Don’t forget to watch what you eat by keeping a food journal, too.