A plant based diet in my opinion is far healthier than a meat based diet. And it’s easy to get super lean while following a plant based diet.
Unless, of course, you eat like a lot of uneducated vegetarians.
Just removing meat and dairy from your diet doesn’t make you any healthier if you are still eating excessive amounts of junk food.
What will makes you leaner and healthier is eating more fruits and vegetables.
If you base your diet around them you will get shredded in no time.
In our last podcast we talked about 5 mistakes people make when trying to lose weight the Plant Based Style.
Now let me talk about the first mistake most vegetarians make but need to avoid if they want to lose fat fast.
#1 Mistake to avoid on a plant based fat loss diet:
Excessive Starch
What do I mean by that?
Well in many cases it means too many flour products.
Breads, pasta, muffins, cereals and just about all other baked goods.
Many vegetarians rely on these foods and that’s a big mistake. Just because you exclude meat and other animals products from your food intake doesn’t mean that you should replace it with more starch!
These foods increase a hormone named insulin in the body which directly promotes the storage of fat.
Flour also has an inflammatory effect in the body. The last thing you want is inflammation in your joints which can cause pain and prevent you from being active.
I do not see any reason why white bread, pasta, muffins (unless home made with wholesome ingredients), sugary cereals and all kinds of pastries should have ANY role in your healthy plant based diet.
Especially when on a quest to leaner body.
Instead replace it with high protein grains like Quinoa, Amaranth, Buckwheat and oats. When choosing bread go for the organic sprouted versions like Ezekiel.
Remember! A healthy plant based diet should be based around Plants and there more than just several options for that. Try to get most of your carbohydrate intake from vegetables!
Vegetables are low in calories so you can eat large volume and also high in fiber which will keep you full and satisfied for longer time.
Oh yeah…on more trick…
Eat starchy carbs like whole grain rice, whole grain pasta, potatoes and etc. after your physical activity.
Your body is actually in need of these nutrients for recovery and muscle growth.
This trick is quite often a motivation for me to get off my a** and do something active so I can earn that morning oatmeal or rice with my dinner.
Stay tuned as we discuss Fat Loss Mistake #2 In an upcoming post.
Stay Healthy,
Zuzana
This is very insightful. As a long-time vegetarian I have personally experienced getting caught up in pasta as my main source of nutrition. This is not a good habit but easy to fall into. Especially in restaurants where nothing else comes served meat-free. I like the phrase plant based diet should revolve around PLANTS.
Katie, I am glad you enjoyed the article! Be sure to check out our podcasts for more great info as well 🙂
Great post Zuzana, this was a trap I first starting falling into when I made the switch to a plant based diet.