Vegetarian, Low Carb

swinnie239

I recently got a PCOS diagnosis (based on ultrasound and blood tests).

Now, I also have hypertension (that one's largely genetic, I've had it since I was about 15 or 16).

Anyhow, my doctor told me yesterday that I need to start a high protein, low carb diet. I've transitioned to being vegetarian over the last 4 months or so and am completely off meat and fish and I really like it. I've never felt better, I have more energy and less stomach issues than I used to have. I'm losing weight more easily. My blood pressure has gone down to a normal number (I am still on meds, but even with meds before, it was usually elevated). I don't want to give it up.

At the same time though, she's telling to me severly limit carbs and avoid all soy products. I just can't see being about to do that as the protein sources remaining would be peas (which I don't keep in the house as my SO is deathly allergic to them), dairy, nuts (although she said to limit those too) and eggs. The usual ones, bean-based food, whole grains, rice, and quinoa, would be ruled out. At the same time, upping my dairy and eggs to the point where they are my main protein sources seems wrong and like it would skyrocket my blood pressure.

Can anyone help me figure this out? I'm not quite sure what.

EDIT: Btw, I prep my foods for the week, so yeah, carbs are still there now. This won't happen until next week. I'm not throwing away everything right now because that seems wasteful.

BarbieAS

Are you a vegetarian for health reasons or for ethical reasons?

Low carb is really really hard as a vegetarian. It can be done, but it's not easy. A low-carb diet is something that's pretty well established as being really effective for most women suffering from PCOS, in terms of weight loss and relief of symptoms. If you've become a vegetarian for your health, it seems like the healthiest thing for your body is to consume more protein and fat and fewer carbohydrates, so even though you feel better right now, maybe returning to consuming meat might be the right call. At least on a trial basis - give it 4 to 6 weeks.

If it's for ethical reasons, are you willing to seek out local/organic/humane farming and maybe purchase meat from companies and farmers who are committed to raising and slaughtering their animals in the most humane way possible? Depending on where you live, there are some beef and pork farmers who will even let you go out to their farms and see their operations and decide for yourself if they meet your standards. Again, since it seems like it's the right thing to do for your health, maybe that might satisfy you.

If adding meat back to your diet isn't acceptable to you at all, get out your Googler and seek out some blogs by vegan or vegetarian low-carb dieters. I can't point you to any specific ones right now, but I know for a fact they exist.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

rivka_m

Try adding seitan. It's wheat-based but it's the protein part of wheat so it's actually fairly low-carb.

Not sure how many other high-protein low carb vegetarian options are out there, so I second the idea of searching blogs.

nicca_jb

I will second the protein-is-a-pain as a veg thing, having been raised as veg and being used to eating things like pasta and potato dishes for dinners. I'm moving away from that, but I still do have a bit of a bread addiction and I like some good cheese tortellini on rare occasion.

Seitan is a good option. I also eat tempeh or black bean burgers, which help, as well as other Morningstar Farms products (sausage links, etc.) which are totally vegetable protein. That said, they're still lower than many meat sources.

Try this site for ideas:
http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins

Also, I'm not a Paleo person, but I get the benefits of eating "clean". Here are some Paleo-ish veg options:
http://www.paleovegetarians.com/recipes-and-resources/

Lastly, try this:
http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/4408/stocking-the-low-carb-vegetarian-kitchen

p.s. - homemade hummus is phenomenal if you have time to make it.

redraidergirl2009

Make salads in jars and pack them with beans and seeds or high protein pasta like quinoa.