How to eat a low-carb, vegetarian diet and feel satisfied

Dieting isn't easy, especially when you are wathcing carbs and choose not to eat meat. I will share some of my tips to feel satisfied and cut your carbs without eating any meat.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basic kitchen equipment
• Access to grocery store
• Some discipline

1. First, choose your protein sources. I eat tofu, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, beans, and some vegetarian meat substitutes. These will be your main staples for your protein.

2. Second, choose vegetables that you like that are low in sugar. It's best to stay away from items such as carrots and beets. The greener the better. Stick to fibrous carbs as they pass through your system and are beneficial for the digestive system. Also, choose some fruits that are lower in sugar, such as cherries.

3. Eliminate these foods: flour, white rice, white bread, sugar, pasta. Stick to whole foods as much as possible. The body naturally breaks down food in it's natural state easier than altered foods. This means sticking to the produce department and staying away from frozen items and pre-packaged foods, like mac and cheese or rice-a-roni type items that do nothing but pack on the fat and salt.

4. Do add these foods to your diet: raw apples (my favorite diet trick is when I feel hungry, I eat an apple and a full glass of water (The apple is high in fiber and low in calories and no fat!), healthy fats that keep your appetite satisfied such as olive oil and avocados, lots of water, miso soup, light Wasa crackers (30 calories per slice, a few carbs, good fiber source) are good when you crave bread, low carb tortillas from Trader Joe's are a great way to have a sandwich and not bear the brunt of carbs, and low fat cheeses. These are kept as staples in the kitchen. Also good are condiments such as mustard, light mayonnaise, low fat dressings and the like.

5. Stop eating out and start cooking at home. It's much cheaper and you control what goes into your body. Do not buy high carb items for your kitchen. If it is not there, you cannot break your diet. See TIPS for some of my staple quick and easy low carb vegetarian dishes and snacks.

Tips & Warnings

• Asian stir fry vegetables with tofu and lite soy sauce
• Tofurky roll ups with lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard on low carb tortilla.
• 3-egg omelette (one yolk) with lowfat cheese, mushrooms, and veggie Morningstar sausage.
• Three Wasa Lite crackers each with a slice of fat free sharp cheddar cheese.
• Chickenless chicken strip salad with romaine, tomatoes, red onion, and tomatillo salsa.
• Bunless veggie cheeseburger with two vegan Morningstar Farms patties, two slices fat free cheese on top of romaine lettuce, tomato slice, and onion slice.