If you are interested in knowing more about the Atkins diet for vegetarians, then go through the following article to decide whether you can trust this diet plan or not…
First of all, let us get into the details of what is the mechanism behind the Atkins diet. I am sure you must have heard about many fad diet plans coming up for many years now and must have come across Atkins diet sometime or the other. This is basically a ketosis diet which involves cutting down the carbohydrate intake and concentrating on a high protein diet, consisting of mainly animal proteins. Ketosis is a state of body achieved when the cells start using energy from the protein breakdown instead of carbohydrates and is characterized by ketone body production. Now this is fine for non-veg eaters but what about hard core vegans? No worries, cause below is an Atkins diet plan for vegetarians that is modified particularly for vegans.
Atkins diet is essentially a low carb diet plan. This ketosis diet plan was developed by Robert Atkins few years ago to solve his own obesity problems. It consists of 4 phases; the Induction Phase, the Ongoing Weight Loss Phase, the Pre-maintenance Phase and the Lifetime Maintenance Phase. All these phases require the dieters to consume carbohydrates in specific lesser amounts along with the inclusion of proteins and some fat foods. Now generally dieters rely on meat and fish, but there are several vegetarian options to substitute these with. What matters here is that, you need to choose low carb vegetables and fruits and rely on high protein foods, given below.
Foods to Eat
- Tofu
- Eggs
- Brown rice
- Cottage cheese
Apart from the foods given above, vegetables are an important part in the diet schedule. See the list of vegetables on Atkins diet given the following table.
- Artichokes
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Bok choy
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Chives
- Celeriac
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Daikon
- Endive
- Eggplant
- Fennel
- Jicama
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Leafy herbs
- Leafy greens
- Mushrooms
- Olives
- Onions
- Okra
- Parsley
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Summer squashes
- Sprouts
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
Foods to Avoid
Beans (great northern, lima, favas and mung beans) and nuts and seeds (pumpkin and sunflower seeds) are some foods that are high on carbs and have to be excluded from the Atkins diet.
The key to succeed in such a diet plan for vegetarians is to trust milk and dairy products, mainly tofu, yet have a balanced vegetarian diet. Another thing to remember is, to cut down sugars and oily stuff which is not going to help. This would come into picture when one is following the Induction Phase wherein the carb intake is supposed to be only 20 grams per day. Also, it is a prerequisite to include vitamin and nutrient supplements so as to get adequate nutrition during the initial weeks of the phases. Since the options are pretty less, let’s see some Atkins diet recipes which you could include as a part of low carb diet for vegetarians.
Recipes
Below are some recipes which you could include either for breakfast, lunch or for dinner. You could eat boiled eggs or yogurt smoothie for breakfast. Make sure your lunch and dinner consists of salads or brown rice.
Recipe #1: Vegetarian Salad
Ingredients: Coarsely chopped broccoli (2 cups), Chopped red onion, Mayo, Vinegar, Splenda.
Procedure: Take a large bowl to which add mayo, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and Splenda. Then top with the vegetables and mix them all together. Your salad is ready! You could use various other vegetable options to change the taste of the salad.
Recipe #2: Baked Custard with Splenda
Ingredients: 4 eggs (beaten), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups cream, nutmeg, and half cup Splenda.
Procedure: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and sprinkle with nutmeg. Meanwhile take a baking dish half filled with water. Put the mixture into another container and bake the mixture for around 50 minutes at 325 degree F. Enjoy this dessert recipe!
This was all about Atkins diet. This low carb diet plan has been used over and over by many people all around the world and is definitely a great option to lose weight. Give it a try!
