Vegetarian and Low Carb

I did keto as a vegetarian for about 6 months... it's certainly not impossible but I don't think I was hitting all of my nutrition markers... peanuts and cheese was a frequent meal for me lol. You can do lots of things with cauliflower! If you want to send me a message I can send you some recipes! If you're just doing "low carb" and not keto you'll have an easier time. I ultimately quit doing keto because I missed eating fruit and would feel bad about myself if I ate too many carbs (even if they came from vegetables!)

I am a vegetarian (ova-lacto) I have done low carb and Keto and they are both doable but just need thought and planning. Now I try to get in at least 100 grams of protein and maintain my calories this generally results in lower carbs. Favorite protein sources: eggs, egg whites, greek yogurt, chickpea pasta, cheese, milk/almond milk, Morningstar products-bacon, grillers and crumbles. When I did Keto I ate a lot of eggs and cheese. Tofu is also an option.

I don't believe in "bad carbs," but if you're eating plenty of whole grains, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, fruit, and vegetables, you'll be able to meet your nutritional needs as a vegetarian while avoiding the foods you listed and never even eating a salad (unless you want one).

baileykemper7 wrote: »

I should say bad carbs! Such as chips, white bread, pasta! I eat beans, chickpeas, tons of leafy veggies etc. I am awful at putting thing together to make meals!

Ah, that's different from low carb, which is about keeping overall carbs low and (depending on how low you go) would mean you need to limit or avoid fruit, starchy carbs like potatoes, beans, grains of all kinds, so on.

I wouldn't call pasta an unhealthy food -- there are many really nutrient dense meals that can be made with it (you can get whole grain pasta, although the nutritional difference is slight). One thing I enjoy is some pasta made with lentils or the like (higher protein) with a sauce made with lots of vegetables, mushrooms, some olive oil, some pinenuts or other nuts or seeds, and some white beans or chickpeas (you can also use some kind of meat substitute like seitan).

You can do a similar sauce on spaghetti squash (or try different ones, spaghetti squash doesn't taste like pasta but goes with similar sauces and is delicious) for a greater reduction in carbs and calories.

Similar idea for a stirfry with brown rice -- tofu stirfried with lots of vegetables, add to rice, add soy sauce if you like it, or (highly recommended by me) Japanese 7 spice or explore different pepper sauces if you like spicy.

Bean or bean and rice based meals are great.

Loaded baked potato.

If you like trying to make different ethnic foods, Indian and Ethiopian (and Japanese, Chinese, etc.) will have lots of plant-based options.

Egg dishes are great if you are a vegetarian and eat eggs -- my favorite "breakfast for dinner" is a 2-egg omelet with mushrooms, some kind of greens (spinach is easy), and whatever other veg is around (asparagus, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, leeks -- not all, obviously), and maybe a little feta cheese. Have some avocado on the side, or cottage cheese if you want more protein.

I'll note that a lot of what people think of as "bad carbs" (chips, from the things identified above, white bread or potatoes with butter, french fries, pasta with a high cal sauce made from cream, and of course cookies and cakes and so on) are as much fat as carbs.