I was talking with a nutritionist who specializes in counseling vegetarians and helping them lose fat.
I asked her for three valuable corrections to a vegetarian diet if someone wanted to lose fat, and then realized they are good pieces of advice for anyone!
So here are her 3 foods you must NOT eat if you are a vegetarian (and I’d suggest these are true for anyone) who wants to lose fat.
#1 Food to avoid on a vegetarian fat loss diet:
Excessive soy products.
Most vegetarians consume too much soy. Often they eat soy milk for breakfast, soy burgers for lunch and soy ice cream for a late night snack.
These foods can stop your fat loss dead in its tracks. In addition to all of the sugar and salt these products contain, soy has an estrogenic effect in the body.
Excess estrogen binds to the fat cells and causes an increase in the size of estrogen-sensitive fatty tissue such as belly fat.
#2 Food to avoid on a vegetarian fat loss diet:
Flour products.
This list of fat loss no-no’s includes: breads, pasta, muffins, cereals and just about all other baked goods.
These foods increase a hormone called insulin in the body which directly promotes fat storage.
Flour also has an inflammatory effect in the body. The last thing you want is inflammation in your joints. Inflammation can cause pain and
prevent you from staying active.
#3 Food to avoid on a vegetarian fat loss diet:
Cheese.
Cheese contains animal based saturated fat which has a negative effect on your carbohydrate metabolism.
In the presence of saturated fat, ingested carbohydrates are directed to your fat cells for storage instead of being diverted to
your muscle cells for energy.
Vegetarian diets are typically higher in carbohydrates and anything that interferes with their utilization should be minimized or
completely avoided.
So whether you’re a vegetarian or not, it’s still best to eat a wholesome diet of fruits, vegetables, healthy fat, and healthy proteins. You’ll notice that all three foods she mentioned, (soy, flour and cheese) are not whole foods and are best eaten in moderation, if at all.
shelli
