Vegetarian Diet Plan for Weight Loss: How to Lose Weight with Plant-Based Foods

What is a Vegetarian Diet?

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A typical vegetarian diet excludes the use of meat, fish, and poultry. However, there are several types of vegetarian diets. Let’s take a look at how they are different from each other.

• Lacto-Vegetarian: It excludes the use of meat, fish, and poultry but includes dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter.
• Ovo-Vegetarian: This diet excludes meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products but includes eggs.
• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: It excludes meat, fish, and poultry, but allows dairy products and eggs.
• Pescatarian: This diet excludes meat, poultry, dairy products, and eggs but allows fish.
• Vegan: It eliminates meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and all animal-derived products. A vegan diet is completely plant-based.

Following a healthy vegetarian diet helps in the prevention and management of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. Let’s take a look at how a vegetarian diet aids weight loss.

How can a Vegetarian Diet aid in Weight Loss?

A vegetarian diet is highly nutritious. It typically focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. All of these are rich in fiber, micronutrients, and beneficial plant compounds. They are also low in fat and protein when compared to animal products. Therefore, a vegetarian diet is much lower in calories when compared to animal-derived foods. These factors together make a vegetarian diet perfect for weight loss.

However, the benefits you reap from a vegetarian diet depend on the choices you make and the portions you consume. Overeating or choosing highly processed or refined vegetarian foods can cause more harm than good.

Being a healthy vegetarian takes commitment and you have to ensure that you replace the nutrients that you are deprived of because of eliminating animal food sources. Therefore, a lot goes into planning a vegetarian diet for weight loss. Here is a list of foods that you can include in your weight loss diet.

Ready to kickstart your weight loss journey? Whether you’re looking for diet plans, low-calorie snacks, or insights into intermittent fasting, the table below has you covered. Click through to find tailored strategies that fit your goals and lifestyle!

Best Vegetarian Diet Plan for Weight Loss

Include these in your vegetarian diet plan for weight loss:

Fruits and Vegetables 

Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which makes them perfect for weight loss. They are low in sugar and fat. Consuming fruits and vegetables regularly helps in boosting your metabolism and thus in burning more calories.

You can include fruits such as watermelon, papaya, orange, and apple, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage, and parsley in your daily diet.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts are packed with protein and fiber. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Including nuts such as almonds, cashew nuts, and Brazil nuts in your daily diet can help fulfill your protein requirement and aid in weight loss.

Seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower, chia, and flax seeds are rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates. Regular consumption of these seeds can boost your metabolism and help in burning more calories. They also help curb your sugar cravings and keep you away from unhealthy snacking.

Whole Grains

Whole grains are rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. They speed up your metabolism and aid in fat loss. You can include food items made from whole grains such as whole wheat, brown rice, barley, and oats, in your daily diet.

Beans and Legumes

The high protein and fiber content in beans and legumes makes them perfect for weight loss. They keep you full for long and thus help in curbing your hunger between meals. This way, you avoid munching on unhealthy snacks that can add on to your calories. You can include a variety of beans and legumes such as chickpeas, peanuts, soybeans, and pulses in your daily diet for weight loss.

Lean Protein

Lean protein should be an essential part of your weight loss diet. They are relatively low in fat and therefore have fewer calories. Lean protein includes foods such as low-fat milk, plain yogurt, and tofu.

Healthy Fats

Mono-saturated or polyunsaturated fats are considered as healthy fats since they help in lowering your cholesterol levels, aid in weight loss, and benefit your overall health. Sources of healthy fats include nuts, seeds, soy milk, corn, and plant oils such as olive oil and sunflower oil.

One-Day Vegetarian Diet Plan for Weight Loss

Here is a one day Indian vegetarian diet plan that you can kickstart your weight loss journey with:

• Early Morning Drink: 1 glass of detox water (lemon in warm water with honey/cucumber water/coconut water).
• Breakfast: Include oats with skimmed milk (1 bowl)/brown bread toast (2 slices)/fruits such as oranges, apples, or bananas (1 each or a bowl of cut fruits). You can also choose idli (2)/upma (1 bowl)/dosa (1 or 2 depending on size)/ paratha (1 or 2 depending on size).
• Lunch: Dal (1 bowl), seasonal vegetables (1 bowl), salad, and 1 chapati/1 bowl rice with mixed salad.
• Snacks: A fruit or a handful of nuts with tea or coffee.
• Dinner: Dal khichdi (1 bowl)/1 chapati with curry or dal/a bowl of fruits with yogurt/a bowl of sprouts salad.

• Breakfast: 2 idlis with sambar and vegetables.
• Mid-Morning Snack: An apple.
• Lunch: Brown rice (100g), green leafy dal (100g), vegetable curry (100g), and a vegetable salad.
• Evening Snack: A cup of green tea and a handful of roasted chana (chickpeas).
• Dinner: Vegetable khichdi (100g) with cucumber raita.

Day 2:

• Breakfast: Poha (flattened rice) with veggies.
• Mid-Morning Snack: A handful of almonds.
• Lunch: Whole wheat chapati (2) with paneer (100g) and cucumber-tomato salad.
• Evening Snack: A cup of herbal tea and a small bowl of sprouts.
• Dinner: Vegetable pulao (100g) with mixed veggie raita.

Day 3:

• Breakfast: Upma (semolina dish) with vegetables.
• Mid-Morning Snack: A pear.
• Lunch: Quinoa (100g) with mixed veggies and a bowl of curd.
• Evening Snack: A cup of warm milk with a pinch of turmeric.
• Dinner: Lentil soup (100g) with whole wheat bread.

Day 4:

• Breakfast: Vegetable sandwich with whole wheat bread.
• Mid-Morning Snack: A handful of walnuts.
• Lunch: Rajma (kidney beans) curry (100g) with brown rice (100g).
• Evening Snack: A cup of masala chai and a small banana.
• Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry (100g) with quinoa.

Day 5:

• Breakfast: Oats with fruits.
• Mid-Morning Snack: A banana.
• Lunch: Whole wheat chapati (2) with spinach (palak) curry (100g) and cucumber raita.
• Evening Snack: A cup of buttermilk.
• Dinner: Vegetable biryani (100g) with mint-coriander chutney.

Day 6:

• Breakfast: Moong dal chilla (savory pancake) with mint chutney.
• Mid-Morning Snack: Roasted chana (chickpeas).
• Lunch: Vegetable pulao (100g) with mixed veggie raita.
• Evening Snack: A cup of green tea and a small apple.
• Dinner: Baingan bharta (eggplant curry) with whole wheat chapati (2).

Day 7:

• Breakfast: Daliya (broken wheat porridge) with nuts.
• Mid-Morning Snack: A guava.
• Lunch: Whole wheat chapati (2) with vegetable curry (100g) and a side salad.
• Evening Snack: A cup of herbal tea and a handful of roasted makhana (fox nuts).
• Dinner: Tofu stir-fry (100g) with brown rice (100g).

Remember to adjust portion sizes based on your individual needs and preferences. Stay consistent, and you’ll achieve your weight loss goals!

What Foods to Avoid?

• Highly Processed Food:

This includes meat and dairy replacements, packaged, frozen, and preserved foods.

• Refined Carbs:

Sources of refined carbohydrates include white bread, pasta, pastries, and breakfast cereals.

• Sugary Foods and Beverages:

These include sweets, candies, aerated drinks, and sugary fruits juices.