4. 8 Vegetarian diet

Just by following a Vegetarian diet doesn't guarantee we will keep a proper weight. Those communities which follow a vegetarian regime also have obese patients. The question is, how can there be Obesity in a vegetable and fruit based diet?

The answer is quite simple: there is an excess in consumption of the different types of starch, both in quantity as in frequency, which affect the total amount of calories ingested. Since meat is not consumed, there is a tendency of ingesting an excess of dough (in tarts), pasta, rice, potato, sweet potato, lentils, peas and maize (corn), among other things. We recommend you choose your food using the proper quantities and combinations. We should distribute our daily meals into 6 or more meals.

Food we shouldn't miss.

• dairy products: 3 servings daily. Choose between skimmed milk or skimmed yogurt and cheese (low-fat), a piece or in slices.
• eggs: 1 unit daily plus 1 egg white.
• vegetables: 2 to 4 servings daily, choosing from every type and colour, specially yellow and orange, such as pumpkin, marrow (squash), courgette (zucchini) and carrots, and those in intense green, such as spinach, chard, lettuce and broccoli.
• legumes: lentil and peas, 4 times a week, form ½ to 1 cup (cooked).
• rice: whole-grain, 3 times a week, ½ cup (cooked).
• fruit: 3 servings daily. We shouldn't miss 2 citrus fruits per day: orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon fruit or kiwi.
• bread: whole-grain or cereal
• jams or sweets: without any added sweetener
• brewing yeast: 2 tablets daily (any brand)
• dry fruit: 2 whole nuts or 6 hazelnuts, almonds or chestnuts.
• wheatgerm: 2 large spoonfuls.
• oil: olive, sunflower, or soy

These are suggestions of some combinations which optimise the nutritional value of proteins

• yogurt with wheatgerm or walnuts
• whole-grain rice with dairy products or with legumes
• whole-grain bread with mozzarella
• spinach with egg and walnuts or with cheese
• lentils with pumpkin
• white cheese with walnuts
• salad or mashed potatoes with egg and yogurt, milk or white cheese
• vegetables with cheese
• Cheese and vegetables Omelet or cheese with legumes
• Cucumbers with yogurt.

Example of meals for 1 day

Breakfast

1 orange
Infusion with skimmed milk
toast with white cheese and sugar-free jam
2 tablets of brewing yeast

Mid-morning

1 skimmed yogurt with wheatgerm

Lunch

Vegetable soup
different vegetables with whole-grain rice , dressed with oil
1 fresh fruit

Mid-afternoon

1 yogurt with cereals

Snack

milk with vanilla
pita bread with cheese and sugar-free jam

Dinner/Supper

Vegetable cream soup
Vegetable tart with whole-grain dough or

• 1 portion of whole-grain pasta with olive oil and grated cheese
• A meal made with whole egg, scrambled or omelet, or a meal with legumes, cooked or in salads

 1 dairy dessert light.

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