Alternatives to dairy on vegetarian diet

skeeewur

Hi guys sorry if this is confusing but I just need some advice! I'm a vegetarian and it is really important for me to get enough protein in order for me to have energy each day! I tend to eat a lot of dairy... string cheese, milk, yogurt, whey protein shakes. Dairy is a huge pArt of what I eat on a daily basis however I've read that dairy can be very fattening and isn't the best when trying to lose weight. Any suggestions on what I should do instead? Or am I being misinformed and dairy is ok as long as I'm calorie counting and not over doing it. Thanks!

MichelleSilverleaf

You can eat whatever you want if your goal is purely weight loss. Keep the dairy if you like it, it's not making you ill and you're staying under your calories.

malibu927

The only thing that is fattening is a calorie surplus, not any specific foods

VeronicaA76

Dairy isn't bad (unless you are allergic or intolerant of it). Just keep your calories in a deficit and enjoy your dairy. As long as you remain calorie deficient, you will lose weight.

rheddmobile

There is nothing wrong with dairy unless you have a lactose tolerance problem.

You don't have to guess whether dairy is fattening, that's why there's a database of different foods. Look up the specific food you want to eat and see how many calories it has. Foods are not magic, they are fattening or not fattening based on caloric content and not on anything else.

AnnPT77

I've been vegetarian (ovo lacto) for 43 years. I lost a third of my body weight, 60+ pounds, in less than a year, and have been in maintenance at around BMI 21 for over 18 months since . . . all while eating lots and lots of dairy every single day (and I'm old, 61; hypothyroid; and not very big , 5'5" & 120s).

If you want to reduce dairy for ethical reasons, or some other specialized reason, I'd fully support you (and suggest soy foods, legumes, higher-protein grains, etc.).

But if you like dairy, you can definitely lose weight while eating it.

nowine4me

Some dairy is better than others from a calorie density perspective, so if you like them, pick the stuff that has the most protein bang per calorie buck. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. Then maybe replace cows milk with lower calorie almond milk and protein fluff ice cream over Haagen daz. And then there's delicious cheese......feta often, bleu cheese on special occasions. You get the idea......

theabsentmindednurse

Dairy is an excellent source of protein and calcium. ( Among other essential vitamins and minerals).
As a vegetarian, a varied, well balanced plant based diet ensures you have all your nutritional needs covered.
Legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, grain bread and pastas, green leafy vegetables are all excellent sources of protein.
Their is nothing wrong with you consuming plenty of dairy each day. As long as you are within your caloric intake that is up to you.
The only problem is, if we focus on just one food group, we may risk excluding fibre or essential vitamins from other food groups.
You could compromise.
For example. Include some dairy in vegetable dishes. Cream of cauliflower soup. Cheese vegetable bake. Grated cheese scattered on red lentil soup.

Ultimately However. The choice is yours.