“No-Meat Meals for You and Me”
My colleague consulted me if having no-meat diets over a period will help in weight lose and slimming purposes. My answer is YES, to a certain extent (depends on its cooking method and ingredients mixed).
Just to share my experience and personal view with you here…
I had no-meat diet, for a period of 3-month long. It indeed helps me to slim down my body, in weight controlling and gain better health.
My initial intention for having no-meat (vegetarian) diet was due to religious purpose, at the same time, for slimming effect (chuckling).
During the 3-month period as a vegetarian dieter, it was pretty tough to me in the initial few days. It was not due to weak body or stuff like that. The reason being, I got hungry so easily (laughing)! With just consuming vegetables which are easily digested, I need to eat more often. So, I ate more than 4 meals a day.
Break up 3 large meals into 4 – 5 small meals is more beneficial for both health and slimming purposes as we do not consume too much calorie at one go which we cannot finish using up so fast.
I said going on no-meat meal makes me feel hungry faster while others said such diet makes them feel sluggish. Most of the people claimed that vegan will not be getting enough nutrients, from just the vegetables!
How to overcome these kinds of issue if you really wish to go for long term no-meat meal?
Like I mentioned, eat more small meals rather than big ones. It will curb your hunger. In fact, I ate normal 3 meals with addition of 2 light ones during tea break and supper (winking smile). Eating balance vegetarian diet will help to reduce fatigue issue, at the same time, obtain a balance nutrition from it. For general no-meat dieter, drink more milk (2 full glasses a day). Dairy products like yogurt and cheese are also some key contributors to no-meat diet. Egg and tofu (beancurd) are essential food, too. However, remember do not consume more than 5 eggs per week for adults. No-meat dieters with gaut or high uric acid problem are not advisable to take bean product, too.
As for some strict vegan, seems like vegetable is the only choice. Who says so? Eat more fruits and some wheat or gluten food products are definitely fine! Even the selections of just vegetables alone are wide enough to make your vegetarian diet interesting and motivated!
Most important for being a vegetarian dieter, your intake of food is crucial to keep you healthy. Take at least 3 colours vegetables proportionately in each meal with a total of 6 – 9 serving of different colours and types of vegetables and fruit in a day. For examples, you will eat 3 servings of different colours vegetables in each meal:
e.g. 1 portion each of carrot (orange colour root vegetables), spinach (dark green leafy vegetable), and shitake mushroom (dark colour fungi).
e.g. 1 portion each of cauliflower (dark green flower bud type), potato (underground stem), and tomato (red fruit).
e.g. 1 portion each of sweet corn (yellow seed type), asparagus (green stem), and brinjal aka eggplant (purple fruit).
Properly planned no-meat diet benefits our health and also able to achieve the need of balance nutrition from such diets. There was once (more than once, I believed), a newspaper article on health issues pointed out some merit points on balance no-meat diets which help to reduce risk from getting cancerous illness such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, and diseases like heart attack, high blood pressure, and etc.
If your main purpose of having no-meat meals is to lose weight, I’ll suggest going with no-meat diet which includes dairy product and eggs instead of having pure vegetarian diets. To me, such planning will help in sustaining such diets for longer period, and hence, easier and more achievable of your goal.
I saw slimming effect on me over the 3-month no-meat diet. Not sure if it works for all, but it’s surely worth a try, for your health concern, too! Perhaps, you may wish to consult your doctor or dietition before going on a strict vegetarian diet for long term period.
As for now, how about starting this no-meat diet with just 2 to 3 days per week?! Vegetarian