I'm excited to introduce Jedha, today's Weight Loss Motivation guest blogger, from Paleo Weight Loss Coach. What is the Paleo diet ? Jedha's site explains that " The Paleo Diet is a lifestyle system that gets you eating the types of foods you were designed to eat. The benefits of eating the Paleo way is that you can lose weight easily and control your weight long term"
I love the quote on her site that says,
"Real food that gets real results".
Weight Loss Bootcamp: Here is her the new article with a program for weight loss support ! click here
Although the typical Paleo diet is geared to meat eaters, I asked Jedha if there were a way for vegetarians to be able to make the diet adaptable too.
Here's Jedha:
Weight Loss With A Vegetarian Paleo Diet
I’m a paleo weight loss coach and if you’ve heard of the paleo diet you may know that it is largely based on meat as your protein source, therefore you may have excluded it as a lifestyle choice for you. I was a vegetarian for over 15 years so I know a thing or two despite the fact I now eat meat again.
And Judee asked me if I would explain if a vegetarian paleo diet is possible, and what you would eat in order to lose weight. So that’s what I’ll be covering today J
The paleo diet is a clean and simple diet based on eating good quality protein sources, lots of fresh vegetables, some fruit, nuts and seeds, and good quality fats. It goes one step further than gluten free and cuts out all grains and grain products, all beans and legumes, junk food and processed foods, sugar, and dairy (for some).
Making The Paleo Diet Vegetarian
In paleo terms a vegetarian paleo diet is not considered optimal because of the need to include beans and legumes and the fact that it’s difficult to get enough good quality protein, but I believe it is still possible to modify the diet and get results with weight loss.
Step one is to cut out all grains and grain products, processed foods, junk foods, and excess sugars. When you are trying to lose weight one of the key objectives is to normalize you blood sugar levels. Most processed foods, junk foods and sugars are the obvious contributors. But grains and grain products like rice turn to sugar once they hit the blood stream as well. So for weight loss purposes they are best left out all together.
Eating loads of fruits and vegetables is obviously not going to be an issue for a vegetarian but you want to minimize starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, and sweet potatoes due to their high GI and sugar factor. You also want to limit your fruit intake to one piece a day.
The next step is you need to include lots of protein into your meals. This is one area vegetarians need to address regardless of weight loss because if you are just eating vegetables, then you are consuming way too many carbohydrates. This can affect your health in many areas so you absolutely need the balance.
· Eggs: will be a staple source of protein and should be used the most.
· Dairy: Because many people find dairy can slow down weight loss, I’d cut it out for the most part but I would recommend eating cottage cheese because it is an excellent source of protein for vegetarians.
· Beans and legumes: cooked and prepared very well. These contain some protein but also carbs as well so choose the higher protein ones like adzuki, garbanzo, and kidney beans or some lentils.
· Soy products: organic, non-GMO, fermented forms of tofu (the firm is better), tempeh or natto. Soy products are not considered optimal but for vegetarians they need to be included.
· Supplements: A good quality protein supplement will often need to be includedin order to meet your overall protein requirements.
· Nuts and seeds: a good handful a day.
The key is to rotate your protein sources on an everyday basis for best results.
Next will be good quality fat sources. Despite popular belief, fat does not make you fat. You need fats for your brain and many other bodily functions. Fat also makes you feel fuller and is a great addition to any vegetarian diet.
You need to include avocadoes, eat olive and flaxseed oil dressings, coconut oil, sesame oil, macadamia or pecan oil, good quality butter or ghee, some healthy homemade mayonnaise, and nuts and seeds. Cut out all the vegetable oils such as soy, canola, grape seed and so forth as many of them are hydrogenated and processed.
So What Might A Day On Your Plate Look Like?
Breakfast: A huge mixed vegetable omelet drizzled with light olive oil
Lunch: Some adzuki bean patties and salad, topped with cottage cheese and mayonnaise
Dinner: A tofu egg bake with vegetables or a lentil and nut loaf made with egg and served with steamed vegetables and guacamole.
Snacks
· One piece of fruit
· A protein shake smoothie made with your protein supplement and some mixed berries or banana
· A handful of nuts
· Vegetable egg muffins
· Vegetable sticks and guacamole
· A bean patty topped with cottage cheese
You can see how all the meals will be a combination of protein, vegetables, and a small amount of good quality fats.
So I hope that’s helped you see how you can change the paleo diet to suit the vegetarian lifestyle. And the tips I’ve given you here will not only help you lose weight but they will improve your vegetarian diet overall.
Try Jedha's Paleo Weight Loss Bootcamp!!
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