Low Carb Vegetarians... any luck?

So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!
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Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Not a vegetarian but I have an enduring interest in food. I suggest trying to do both is too hard. Instead, how about focusing on higher-protein, higher-fat vegetarian? Find ways to include more legumes in your diet.

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  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    It dawned on me that I had meat once in three days, getting my protein from a Mexican quinoa casserole one evening, and Hungarian bean soup the next. Oh, except for the back bacon in the soup. Cheater.

    I'm planning on a baked tofu stir fry tonight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    OP...you'd basically have to do a high fat diet...lots of nuts, seeds, avocados, etc. IMO, it's pretty impractical...but that's just me.

    If it were me, I'd just focus on getting better, balanced nutrition.
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    With just one sentence you managed to communicate 3 restrictions you put on yourself:
    1) vegetarianism (understandable)
    2) low carbs (why? Any health issues?)
    3) "not great at nutrition" (fixable with effort)

    Unless you have your personal chef, I'd say you put 3 obstacles in your way to good nutrition.
    I.e. doomed to failure.
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
    Lots of nuts, avocados, and oils. Cheeses galore! My favorite go-tos for that are tofu lasagna bake (slice the tofu thinly and use it instead of the noodles, everything else the same and you can use chopped up mushrooms for a 'meaty' consistency) and cheesy cauliflower stirfry (oil, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes with seasonings of your choice in a skillet. Add full fat cream cheese until it melts and everything gets all gooey.)

    You can also add in beans if you don't care about carbs being a little higher. They have protein and fiber. Good stuff. Beans, a low carb wrap, seasoned tofu, and some cheese makes a fine burrito substitute.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    I don't know why you want to go low carb but keep in mind that whole vegetables (and fruit) have a balance of carbs and fiber. That isn't the same as processed carbs that have all the fiber and nutrition removed.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Eggs !
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    I was before. It was tough. I ate a lot of eggs, veggie burgers, quorn, tofu, and other vegetarian "meats" and a lot of stuffed vegetables.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    Low carb vegetarian really is not possible. Even moderate carb vegetarian is quite challenging and unlikely to lead to a balanced diet.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    If you're an ovo/lacto vegetarian, being a low carbing veggie is entirely possible.

    Cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, tofu, and eggs are all loaded with protein and relatively low in carbs. Add in plenty of leafy greens, some berries, nuts and avocado and you have a low carb plan.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Almonds and macadamia are nuts that are somewhat lowish carbs.
  • SLE0803
    SLE0803 Posts: 145 Member
    I'm a vegetarian. I focus more on protien centered meals rather than low carb. I recently started eating eggs again, so some of my protiens come from eggs. Other than eggs I eat a lot of beans in various forms and quinoa. I eat nuts as snacks. I don't eat dairy due to an allergy. I've lost 20lbs(ish) so far.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    Hi

    I'm vegetarian for religious reasons (I do eat dairy, but no meat, fish, eggs)

    It means I can't go for the steaks and bacon and eggs.

    I eat a lot of vegetables, salad, a bit of nut butter and I use a plant based protein powder for proteins and mct oils to supplement fats. Make sure you get enough fibre, drink enough etc

    And I use a vitamin supplement, watch my electrolytes and my water intake.

  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    Low carb vegetarian really is not possible. Even moderate carb vegetarian is quite challenging and unlikely to lead to a balanced diet.

    Depends on what you want to heal. I'm highly insulin resistant, so high carb is out of the question for me.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    I don't know why you want to go low carb but keep in mind that whole vegetables (and fruit) have a balance of carbs and fiber. That isn't the same as processed carbs that have all the fiber and nutrition removed.


    Especially with fruit, that's not true. Better to eat vegetables than fruit. Fructose is fructose and will be processed as such, no matter what the source is.

    It's about glycemic load, not glycemic index.
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    With just one sentence you managed to communicate 3 restrictions you put on yourself:
    1) vegetarianism (understandable)
    2) low carbs (why? Any health issues?)
    3) "not great at nutrition" (fixable with effort)

    Unless you have your personal chef, I'd say you put 3 obstacles in your way to good nutrition.
    I.e. doomed to failure.

    That's a sweeping statement if ever there was one.



  • jessica_sodenkamp
    jessica_sodenkamp Posts: 34 Member
    High carb vegan and thriving over here! :D7ta8m59c2c1x.jpg
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  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    Yes, that's nice if you have the metabolism to handle the insulin response. If you don't, and many people don't, it's another matter. Few people realize that insulin resistance now hits up to 50% of the population. So this is fit for how your metabolism works, at the moment. When I was on your diet, approximately, my blood pressure and triglycerides were through the roof and I gained a lot of weight in fat, much of it of the visceral kind and my cholesterol was frightening. We'll see how you do after 50.
  • jessica_sodenkamp
    jessica_sodenkamp Posts: 34 Member
    lodro wrote: »
    Yes, that's nice if you have the metabolism to handle the insulin response. If you don't, and many people don't, it's another matter. Few people realize that insulin resistance now hits up to 50% of the population. So this is fit for how your metabolism works, at the moment. When I was on your diet, approximately, my blood pressure and triglycerides were through the roof and I gained a lot of weight in fat, much of it of the visceral kind and my cholesterol was frightening. We'll see how you do after 50.

    Going on 100 here!
    One things that a most people overlook is how the high (and even moderate) consumption of fats in the diet keeps blood sugar high by coating the cells and not allowing glucose to exit efficiently. High fat + high carbs = nightmare for the body. But when you lower the fat (especially from animal sources)...carbs no longer become an issue. By lowering the fat in his diet my diabetic father-in-law has experienced improvements with his levels!
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    lodro wrote: »
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    With just one sentence you managed to communicate 3 restrictions you put on yourself:
    1) vegetarianism (understandable)
    2) low carbs (why? Any health issues?)
    3) "not great at nutrition" (fixable with effort)

    Unless you have your personal chef, I'd say you put 3 obstacles in your way to good nutrition.
    I.e. doomed to failure.

    That's a sweeping statement if ever there was one.



    If you say so.
    Instead of casting aspersions, please explain how you expect someone who's:
    1) superficially acquainted with the subtleties of nutrition,
    2) has already restricted herself from animal proteins/fats/micros (honorably perhaps but a restriction nevertheless)
    3) and is now seeking to further restrict herself to low carb (no medical reason given) vegetarianism.

    Keep in mind that all the above restrictions would have to become a sustainable lifestyle (not a fad diet that is doomed to failure like all others) that would provide all the required macros and micros for good physical mental health and energy.


  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    lodro wrote: »
    Yes, that's nice if you have the metabolism to handle the insulin response. If you don't, and many people don't, it's another matter. Few people realize that insulin resistance now hits up to 50% of the population. So this is fit for how your metabolism works, at the moment. When I was on your diet, approximately, my blood pressure and triglycerides were through the roof and I gained a lot of weight in fat, much of it of the visceral kind and my cholesterol was frightening. We'll see how you do after 50.

    Going on 100 here!
    One things that a most people overlook is how the high (and even moderate) consumption of fats in the diet keeps blood sugar high by coating the cells and not allowing glucose to exit efficiently. High fat + high carbs = nightmare for the body. But when you lower the fat (especially from animal sources)...carbs no longer become an issue. By lowering the fat in his diet my diabetic father-in-law has experienced improvements with his levels!

    I tried this because I wanted it to work but for me it didn't. LCHF does work for me, personally. It may not work for you, but metabolism changes as we grow older and the amount of glucose you can handle also changes over time.

    I stay under 20g carbohydrates a day. I never gave the impression that high carb-high fat should be viable. Interesting that you choose to read my response that way.

  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    lodro wrote: »
    andrikosDE wrote: »
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    With just one sentence you managed to communicate 3 restrictions you put on yourself:
    1) vegetarianism (understandable)
    2) low carbs (why? Any health issues?)
    3) "not great at nutrition" (fixable with effort)

    Unless you have your personal chef, I'd say you put 3 obstacles in your way to good nutrition.
    I.e. doomed to failure.

    That's a sweeping statement if ever there was one.



    If you say so.
    Instead of casting aspersions, please explain how you expect someone who's:
    1) superficially acquainted with the subtleties of nutrition,
    2) has already restricted herself from animal proteins/fats/micros (honorably perhaps but a restriction nevertheless)
    3) and is now seeking to further restrict herself to low carb (no medical reason given) vegetarianism.

    Keep in mind that all the above restrictions would have to become a sustainable lifestyle (not a fad diet that is doomed to failure like all others) that would provide all the required macros and micros for good physical mental health and energy.


    I guess that's a judgement call on her part, not on yours
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    Vegetables have carbs.
    If you want to go low carb, eat steak, eggs, pork chops, setian.
    If you want to be vegetarian, eat beans, chic peas, lentils, tofu, nuts seeds.
  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    Low carb is generally considered anything under 150g... you can definitely be a vegetarian and be low carb if that's what suits you. I would concentrate on getting getting enough protein and skip the more refined carbohydrates like bread and pasta if that is your goal.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    Oh wow so much ignorance here. Guys meat isn't a freaking multivitamin lol. Things to keep in mind: you'll be looking at net carbs, veggies are high carb but also high fiber. Try looking at the subreddit vegetarian keto, MFP is generally is pretty anti vegetarian and you'll find more actual information and support there than here. Low carb vegetarian is possible and can be healthy but requires some though, just like any well balanced diet does.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    lodro wrote: »
    Yes, that's nice if you have the metabolism to handle the insulin response. If you don't, and many people don't, it's another matter. Few people realize that insulin resistance now hits up to 50% of the population. So this is fit for how your metabolism works, at the moment. When I was on your diet, approximately, my blood pressure and triglycerides were through the roof and I gained a lot of weight in fat, much of it of the visceral kind and my cholesterol was frightening. We'll see how you do after 50.

    Source for the bold?


    OP, if you aren't great at nutrition, you should probably concentrate on that before trying to add additional restrictions.
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    lodro wrote: »
    Yes, that's nice if you have the metabolism to handle the insulin response. If you don't, and many people don't, it's another matter. Few people realize that insulin resistance now hits up to 50% of the population. So this is fit for how your metabolism works, at the moment. When I was on your diet, approximately, my blood pressure and triglycerides were through the roof and I gained a lot of weight in fat, much of it of the visceral kind and my cholesterol was frightening. We'll see how you do after 50.

    Source for the bold?


    I don't know if there are specific statistics about IR, but in 2009−2012, based on fasting glucose or A1C levels, 37% of U.S. adults aged 20 years or older had already prediabetes (and another 12.3% diabetes)
    source:
    http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Google eco-atkins for starters.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    soulcake99 wrote: »
    So I thought I might try low carb, but I am a vegetarian and I'm not sure how this would work. I'm also not incredibly great at nutrition.

    Please share your success if you have had any. Thanks!

    Vegetables have carbs.
    If you want to go low carb, eat steak, eggs, pork chops, setian.
    If you want to be vegetarian, eat beans, chic peas, lentils, tofu, nuts seeds.

    One could easily stay below 100 grams of carbs while eating plenty of vegetables.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited August 2015
    I don't really understand how the low-carbers get all their nutrients...or even if they do. There is a group for it, though.

    You don't have to be a nutrients on expert to lose weight. I've lost a lot and know very little about nutrition. You don't need to know much to be a vegetarian,either, but if you want to be a healthy vegetarian, you should put some time into learning about proteins. If you're limiting dairy and/or eggs, really spend an hour learning about it. The easiest way is to visit a dietitian, but almost any library and even many websites can help you out there. :)