Diet & Fitness 

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Vegetarian diet traps

Although a vegetarian diet is often considered healthy, it can also be loaded with fat - the last thing you want if you're trying to lose weight. If you're a vegetarian or are thinking of becoming one, watch out for these five common pitfalls

Diet trap 1: Cheese
Milk, cheese and yoghurt are great sources of protein, calcium and vitamin D. However, these foods are often made with whole milk, which contains fat. Most of this fat is the saturated kind, which clogs up our arteries and leads to heart disease. For example, most cheeses contain seven to nine grams of fat for every ounce, and an ounce is about the size of your thumb.

Solution: Stick to skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurt. Choose reduced-fat cheeses and keep the portions small—no more than one or two ounces per meal.

Diet trap 2: Nuts
Nuts and seeds play a big role in a vegetarian diet because they are great sources of protein, and the fat they contain is the healthy unsaturated type. Nuts have even been shown to help prevent heart disease, but because of their high fat content, if you overeat you gain weight.

Solution: Sprinkle nuts or seeds on top of salads, cooked vegetables, cereal, or in stir-fries. To avoid eating too much fat, limit yourself to two tablespoons or twice the size of your thumb.

Diet trap 3: High-fat recipes
Many vegetarian recipes are loaded with fat because they call for ingredients like butter, sour cream and oil. Fat adds flavour and texture to food, but it also contributes calories.

Solution: Limit added fats (margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, sour cream and cream cheese) to no more than one teaspoon per meal. Saute foods in vegetable broth or wine instead of oil, and choose a hearty whole grain bread. Avoid high-fat toppings.

Diet trap 4: Fast food
Everybody is strapped for time, and it often shows in the foods we choose to eat. Crisps, chips, fizzy drinks, biscuits, chocolate and sweets contribute hefty amounts of calories to our diet. Even vegetarians need to be wary of packaged foods, frozen meals and high-fat snacks.

Solution: Use as many natural, unprocessed foods as you can, and save the fast foods and packaged meals for occasional treats. Not only will you take in fewer calories, you'll also reap the benefits of more vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Diet trap 5: High-calorie juice
Vegetable and fruit juices provide healthy nutrients, but they also contain far more calories than you would get from fresh produce. One apple has about 80 calories, yet an eight-ounce glass of apple juice contains 120 calories. Eating fruits or vegetables satisfies our hunger much more effectively than drinking juice because the fibre in fresh produce makes us feel full.

Solution: Drink water to satisfy your thirst. Eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables every day.

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