A balanced vegetarian diet is a must for healthy weight loss. A balanced vegetarian diet is based on the MyPlate plan. The plan ensures that you get the right proportion of nutrients without consuming meat, fish, or their derivatives. You should consume five portions of fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods like potato, whole grains, cereals pasta, bread, and rice. You should also include dairy products like milk, curd, paneer, and cheese in your diet.
- The best way to lose weight is by reducing calories. Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes daily to boost the metabolism and burn fat. You can take up high-intensity exercises like aerobics, swimming, and cardiovascular exercises to burn calories faster.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Consume a protein and fiber-rich breakfast to stay full for a long time.
- Drink 2 liters of water every day. Water aids digestion and flushes out the harmful toxins and metals from the body. Replace your cold drinks and alcohol with fresh fruit juices, water, buttermilk, and coconut water.
- Reduce your oil, sugar, and salt consumption. Two tablespoons of refined or olive oil per day are sufficient. Avoid consuming butter and margarine in high quantities.
- Processed and junk foods like chips, cookies, biscuits, and instant noodles must be avoided. Highly processed foods are low in nutrients, which can lead to overeating.
- Fiber-rich foods are excellent for weight loss management. Include fiber-rich foods like cereals, whole grains, oats, vegetables, and fruits in your diet. Fiber is required to maintain bowel movements and prevent constipation. It will also keep you full for a long period.
- Include antioxidant-rich foods in your diet. Brightly colored vegetables and fruits like carrot, beetroot, and spinach are rich in biotin, a potent antioxidant. High levels of antioxidants in the body will improve your immunity, protecting you from several diseases.
This 7-day healthy vegetarian weight loss diet plan will not only give you the energy to carry on with the day to day activities but will also provide resistance against diseases. Please note that this is a generalized plan. Consult a dietician or nutritionist for a customized weight loss plan.
A typical well-balanced vegetarian diet is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates and low in saturated fat. It should include:
1. Fruits And Vegetables
You can have all kinds of fruits and vegetables in your diet. It is recommended that you have five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. These vegetables and fruits have all the minerals and nutrients required by the body.
You can consume them raw, cooked, or as juice to suit your palate. They are a rich source of fiber and antioxidants. These are effective for weight loss as they have fewer calories. For greater weight loss, it is best to opt for fruits and vegetables rich in water content.
You need to consume a variety of vegetables and fruits to obtain all the necessary nutrients and minerals required by the body. A dietician would tell you to eat across the rainbow, i.e., you need to consume vegetables and fruits in all colors. This way, you can obtain optimum nutrients from these plant-based foods. Have papaya, apple, grapes, grapefruit, lime, lemon, orange, plum, pear, pluots, figs, peach, blueberries, strawberries, starfruit, green apple, watermelon, and muskmelon. Have mangoes in moderation.
2. Grains And Cereals
You can include whole grains, cereals, brown rice, muesli, oats, barley, etc. in your diet. You can have bread, pasta, and plenty of other foods made from these whole grains and cereals. They are highly nutritious and have good quantities of zinc and iron.
3. Legumes, Nuts, And Seeds
There are various kinds of legumes, nuts, and seeds that you can add to your diet. Products like kidney beans, soya beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, etc. are good sources of iron, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and healthy fats. They help reduce cholesterol and keep your heart healthy. They also contain good amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Dairy And Soya Products
Milk, cheese, yogurt are sources of minerals and vitamins that can be included in your diet. These are rich sources of calcium and protein for the body. Various fat-free and reduced calorie options are available in the market.
5. Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are an important ingredient required by the body. These fats keep the joints lubricated and makes movements easier. They also help maintain cell integrity and prevent inflammation. You need to have unsaturated fats that can be found in nuts, avocados, and certain other foods. Avoid saturated fat that is usually available in the form of animal meat as it is bad for the body.
6. Choose smaller plates and bowls
This really works. This has to do with the psychology. According to a new research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, decreasing the plate sizes can help in reducing the amount of food consumed. Hence a smart and easy trick to eat lesser and lose weight. [1
7. Limit the usage of sugar and salt
Ditch the salt shaker and those additional spoons of sugar for your tea. Both sugar and salt should be taken in moderation. While excess sugar may affect blood sugar levels, excess salt may cause water retention and these contribute to weight gain.