Vegans? Vegetarians?

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by Gayandgray

My biggest issue with eating vegetarian/vegan is I overeat carbs..... I’m obese to begin with so I don’t need to be pigging out on pasta, rice, etc. I’m trying to get myself psyched up to work a low carb version of a vegetarian plan.

I did a no oil vegan for about a year...I really felt good, but very time consuming. Some things that helped me:

Tofu...well drained tofu can be “stir fried” with many other things like veggies. In order to be oil free, I cooked my veggies in vegetable broth or a little water before adding them to the crumbled tofu. Adding beans (I like black beans the best) can really up the fiber and protein. Yes it adds carbs, but they are good carbs, as are your veggies.

Spaghetti squash with pasta sauce and “meat” crumbles, or sautéed mushrooms and veggies is a hearty dish. Mashed cauliflower (mashed with flavored cream cheese) is a great substitute for potatoes.

A vegetarian needs amino acid, so you may need a bottle of aminos to add to some dishes, as well as nutritional yeast (can be bought in a health food store) to give you a boost. VARIETY of foods will help to keep you from reaching for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich ( nothing wrong with them but high in carbs) or a bag of chips on the go. Keep celery cut up for cream cheese and peanut butter, keep other things like nuts (almonds are a great choice) and yogurt around.

Just some ideas, I’m sure you already have it handled.