Sample vegetarian menu. Vegetarian menu for the week with recipes. Which vegetarian system should you prefer?

At the moment, vegetarianism is gaining more and more popularity as a style of not only nutrition, but also life. Unfortunately, current society is not quite ready to accept such people. Many people are convinced not only that it is impossible to eat enough with such a diet, but also that it is extremely harmful to the body. In this article we will show that vegetarianism is not only an opportunity to eat nourishingly and tasty, but also an extremely beneficial practice for the body. Therefore, below we will demonstrate a vegetarian menu for the week.

Regardless of how a person feels about meat, many scientists have long proven that the absence of animal protein in the diet is not only harmless, but also has an extremely beneficial effect on metabolic processes in the body.

It is worth saying that people choose this lifestyle for completely different reasons. Some for ethical reasons to protect animals, and others for balance and harmony in their relationship with their body.

Before moving on to the vegetarian menu itself for the week, let’s look at the general subtypes of this lifestyle. There are forms such as:

Pure veganism is an option for strict vegetarians; only plant foods are allowed.
Lacto-vegetarianism - in this subtype it is possible to add dairy products.
Lacto-ovo vegetarianism allows the intake of not only plant foods and dairy products, but also eggs.

It is worth noting that there is also a distant branch, such as fruitarianism - only fruits are allowed. We will look at lacto-ovo vegetarianism, that is, the most democratic choice for a vegetarian food menu for the week.

A complete diet should include staple plant foods, such as grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and nuts. A complete vegetarian menu should categorically exclude meat products. Don't worry about the lack of animal protein, because it can easily be replaced with proteins found in nuts, eggs, legumes and dairy products.

It is worth noting that for a proper vegetarian menu you need to have only the freshest vegetables and fruits.

Rational menu for the week

Morning is an important stage, because it is the very beginning of the day. Therefore, food during this period of the day should be very rich. You should start a new day with oatmeal, and be sure to wash it all down with green tea or weak coffee. Oatmeal is an excellent choice for breakfast in all respects. Besides the fact that it is very inexpensive, it is also quick to prepare and contains many nutrients for a good charge for the day. In addition to oatmeal, you can also eat other types of porridge, such as corn or barley. For flavor variety, you can add fruit, because this will not only brighten up your breakfast, but also add a vitamin component.

Lunch is the highlight of the day; refreshment at such a moment is very important for strength for the second half of the day. The vegetarian food menu here must necessarily consist of two dishes. A classic first course should have a liquid component. Ideal here cooking is suitable soups and borscht with the addition of vegetables and mushrooms. You can choose a very different side dish, but you should not forget that your stomach should not be full, because this will only cause laziness. Therefore, you need to use light dishes, which are salads. Their variety is very great; here you can add cabbage, radishes, carrots, and apples. It is important to remember that you are not trying to create a heaviness in your stomach, you want to fill up with light food that is also filling.

The working day is approaching sunset, and to wait until dinner, there is an afternoon snack. This is a light snack so you have enough strength to last home. A good choice is a fruit cocktail with the addition of cottage cheese or kefir. If you want to be more satiated, you can prepare apple charlotte or cheesecakes with jam and condensed milk.

To end the day well, you need to prepare a hearty and delicious dinner. A vegetarian dinner menu should also consist of two components. For the first course, stewed potatoes with mushrooms or olives and lemon are perfect; you can also prepare porridge (preferably buckwheat) with eggs. For the second course, you should prepare a light salad of radish or cabbage with an apple or cucumber.

All of the dishes listed above can be combined to create a menu for the week.

By adhering to such a vegetarian menu for the day and week, you can not only eat deliciously, but also maintain the balance of all the necessary substances in the body.

It is worth remembering that every person is individual personality and the approach to each one needs to be purely personal. You shouldn’t eat foods that you don’t like; you can always replace them with ones of the same calorie content. You need to be extremely creative in your nutrition.

What should a vegetarian menu consist of?

Breakfast should be in the diet of every vegetarian. The necessary ingredients are porridge and warm drinks. What else should a vegetarian menu consist of every day?

Lunch should not include a large number of products. Includes main and additional dishes. The main course is often represented by vegetable soups. To supplement it, you can add dairy products, which are necessary to maintain animal protein levels. It is worth remembering that if the main dish includes components of animal origin, then the second should only contain a vegetable component.

Dinner on a vegetarian menu should be comprehensive. The first course is hot, and in addition to it you need light salads with radishes, carrots or cucumbers.

This menu is suitable for both beginners in this art of nutrition and old-timers of vegetarianism.

Simple tips for beginners:

A vegetarian menu should be varied and appetizing.
Refusal meat dishes- This is not only a way of life, but also a ban on bad habits.
Raw foods should be eaten immediately and not left for later.
Before lunch, it is advisable to eat fruits or nuts.
It is better to use honey as a sweetener.
To maintain normal levels of iron and calcium in the blood, you need to eat mushrooms, legumes and nuts.
Plant foods should be consumed frequently, but in small portions, as they are quickly broken down in the stomach.
To maintain the level of vitamins in the blood in short courses, it is necessary to take preparations of vitamins B and D

As stated earlier, vegetarianism is a creative process. In addition to the fact that you can modify previously familiar dishes, you can also create exclusively new ones. We want to offer several recipes for a vegetarian menu.

How to make vegetarian sausage?

To prepare you will need: beets, sesame vegetable oil (can be replaced with any other to taste), peas good quality, marjoram, distilled water, table salt, garlic, grated nutmeg, ground black pepper.

Pour high-quality peas into a frying pan and heat for a short amount of time (5-7 minutes) without adding vegetable oil. Next, you need to grind the peas to flour, add three glasses of water to it and cook until it becomes mushy.

Pre-cooked beets must be grated on the finest sections of a grater. You need to squeeze one tablespoon of beet juice from the resulting mass and save this liquid. Leave the pea puree to cool. In a separate plate, chop the garlic and add all the necessary spices.

After this, add all the mixed spices, sesame or other vegetable oil and a spoonful of the juice obtained earlier to the peas. All this must be blended with a blender until smooth.

Next you need to prepare the container. Let's take it plastic bottle(preferably a liter one) and cut off the top from it. We compact the resulting mixture tightly into the mold we made, wrap everything in cling film to prevent a crust from forming, and put it in the refrigerator for 12 hours. The tasty and satisfying sausage is ready.

How to make stuffed peppers with vegetable filling?

The pepper must be cleaned of the insides and tail, divided into two parts. We use green beans, cabbage and lettuce as the “meat” filling.

If you like spicy dishes, you can use Korean carrots and boiled beans as filling. You can cook such peppers either by steaming or stewing in a pan. After cooking, sprinkle with fresh herbs, you can add olives or cheese for an aesthetic appearance.

The impact of a plant-based diet on the body's condition

The vegetarian food menu is very beneficial for the body and contains all the necessary microelements.

The herbal component maintains the desired level of glucose in the body, which is extremely useful for patients diabetes mellitus. It has a beneficial effect on digestion, allowing you to prevent not only the exacerbation of chronic diseases, but also stop the occurrence of acute processes and constipation. Allows you to keep blood pressure at a normal level, which is an important aspect for older people. Vegetarianism can help you quickly remove toxins from your body. In addition, vegetarian menus are often used for weight loss.

It is necessary to realize that in order to switch from meat to vegetarianism, a nutritional balance must be maintained and the daily norm for the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates must be met. Dishes according to vegetarian menu recipes should have an amount of energy that will be equal to the cost of the day. Some tips for maintaining balance:

Meet the daily intake of pure distilled water. Tea, coffee and other drinks are not taken into account.
It is necessary to observe the calorie intake to gain the required amount of energy. A food diary indicating the energy value of foods can come to the rescue here.
The urge to eat should not arise from stress, excessive emotions, “for company” or simply from boredom. An important reason to eat should be hunger.
To comply with the regime and to prevent excessive work of the stomach, food should be taken often, but in small portions.

How to add the necessary taste sensations?

Sometimes the dishes on the vegetarian menu get boring, and you want to add something new. In this case, you can abandon the “main dish plus additional” scheme, and cook one on its own, such as a casserole. To spice up dishes, you can add a variety of sauces.

When cooking, you can be guided not only by adding standard vegetables and fruits, but also by adding exotic products, if funds allow.

How can you lose weight on a plant-based diet?

A large amount of plant foods in the diet allows you to influence the metabolism of fats in the body, stopping the synthesis of new ones. This leads to a decrease in harmful lipoproteins in the blood, increased muscle tone, and promotes smooth functioning of the digestive system.

By following such a diet, it is possible to achieve colossal results - losing weight from one to four kilograms per week.

What are the main tenets of a vegetarian diet menu for the week?

Complete exclusion of meat dishes from the diet and complete replacement of them with dairy products and eggs. Honey should be used as a sweetener instead of sugar. It's much more useful. You need to drink a lot, at least one and a half liters of liquid, preferably clean water. It is necessary to do one fasting day a week, adhering to the principle of partial fasting.

If you want to stay on a vegetarian week for a certain period of time, then you are advised to immediately give up eating meat. But if you prefer such a menu on an ongoing basis, then it is better to gradually reduce the amount of animal protein consumption. This is due not only to a sharp metabolic disorder, but also to the fact that meat gives the stomach a feeling of fullness, and a sudden refusal will only increase your appetite.

It is worth warning that at first you will feel a feeling of hunger, but it is deceptive and does not indicate that you do not have enough food, but that it was easy to digest.

In general, such a vegetarian menu for the day will allow you not only to healthy image life, but also to lose weight and always be in shape.

Is winter a problem for a true vegetarian?

The cold season is always energy-consuming for the body, and even more so for people who adhere to a vegetarian diet. Our body does not have enough animal proteins and fats to maintain normal heat production functions. Vegetable proteins, milk fats and eggs will help eliminate the deficiency of essential components.

It is necessary to use a large amount of vegetable oils, for example, sesame, corn and sunflower. You should also consume butter and nuts in small quantities, which are rich in fats of varying densities.

Eating a small amount of cottage cheese and eggs daily (no more than five per week) will help replenish necessary for the body protein level for construction. It is advisable to eat a small piece of bread with bran during lunch or dinner for better digestion in the stomach and absorption in the intestines.

A variety of dairy dishes are ideal for dinner, but it is better to start breakfast with a light snack with the addition of a warm drink (green tea or weak coffee).

Using fractional nutrition will help you lose weight, which means that your portions should always be small in size, but you need to eat many times a day.

Vegetarian menu - method of treatment

Many health professionals agree that lacto-vegetarianism and lacto-ovo-vegetarianism are extremely beneficial for health. Doctors recommend using such a diet for medicinal purposes for diseases such as atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease (pyelonephritis), gout, hypertension, liver cirrhosis and many others. Vegetarianism also helps prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

People who adhere to such a diet always have normal blood pressure numbers and their risk of heart failure is extremely low. Another important factor is that vegans are not afraid of obesity, which in itself is one of the most serious factors in the development of problems with the heart and endocrine system.

It is also worth being informed about the dangers that may await you with a permanent vegetarian diet. One of them is an insufficient amount of minerals entering the body, for example, zinc, calcium, vitamins B, D and others. The problem here is not at all that plant foods do not contain them, but that their absorption is extremely low and a deficiency may occur.

Excluding animal proteins can lead to disruption of protein metabolism. Therefore, many doctors do not advise athletes, teenagers and pregnant women to adhere to such a diet.

But these problems can be easily solved by rationally designing a vegetarian diet that will have the required amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is also recommended to use vitamin complexes in order to prevent vitamin deficiency from developing.

Before becoming a vegetarian, you must honestly answer the question: “Why?” IN modern world veganism is a fashion trend. If you are guided only by this principle, then it is better not to start at all. Vegetarianism is not only your food, but also a pure mind and correct thoughts, it is the whole meaning of life.

Psychological self-training

Sometimes a noisy feast of friends or relatives gathers. How not to break down at such a moment and not eat a meat dish? Everything here depends on two main factors.

The first is your self-conviction. Vegetarianism is not only a diet, but also a meaningful position in life.

The second is a rational menu. If your diet consists of the necessary dishes, you get a complete complex of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, then you will want to quit everything and eat juicy meat you won't have.

conclusions

Guided by these simple tips, you will not only always receive healthy nutrition, but also protect yourself from many diseases associated with excess meat consumption. You will always be in shape without fear of gaining excess weight. By the way, it is important to note that a vegetarian diet for weight loss (the weekly menu, various dishes and recipes were presented above) really has good results, so those who want to lose weight should definitely use this method!

Thus, vegetarianism is a complete lifestyle that is gradually becoming the norm in our society. Of course, no one forces you to give up meat, because it’s only your choice and your life, but trying something new is always interesting, isn’t it? Today we discussed the vegetarian menu for the week with recipes, so prepare new dishes and constantly develop. Bon appetit and good mood to you and your family!

All more people give up meat and switch to a vegetarian menu. The reasons for this can be very different. Some people approach this from a spiritual point of view - they feel sorry for the animals that are slaughtered in slaughterhouses, and they realize how much feed goes into maintaining such industries. From their point of view, it is much more profitable and environmentally friendly to eat plant foods - it does not pollute the environment and saves the lives of animals. Every year an adult eats approximately 200 kg of meat - this is the weight of an average cow or pig.

But there are people who preferred a vegetarian menu purely for health reasons - giving up meat cleanses the body and improves general condition. In any case, there are advantages here. Few people know that there is a vegetarian menu for weight loss - not at all hungry, tasty and nutritious.

Vegetarianism: what to pay attention to

To avoid health problems from not getting enough nutrients when switching to a vegetarian menu, you need to carefully monitor the balance of your diet. Everyone knows that vitamin B12 is synthesized only in animal products. There are 2 options here - take special vitamins or eat fish. In the first case, many problems disappear, but there are opponents of synthetic drugs. In the second case, you may have a question: Yes, some people eat.

Vegetarians, unlike vegans (who do not eat any animal products, including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, etc.), exclude only meat and sometimes fish from their diet. There are vegetarians who eat seafood. In this article you will learn about a complete vegetarian menu for the week with recipes for fish and its replacement. The choice is up to you.

Financial side of the issue

There is an opinion among meat eaters that vegetarianism is very expensive. Yes, there are people who buy organic products in specialized stores, but among those who eat meat there are lovers of marbled beef and lobsters. You just have to draw a parallel, and everything will fall into place.

Tofu, a high-protein soy cheese, costs less than a piece of beef or pork, but is much healthier. The problem can only arise with vegetables; nowadays they are expensive. But the balance is replenished by giving up meat.

Vegetarian menu for the week

Below is a menu that includes fish products. Calculate your balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates so that your nutrition is complete and balanced. There will also be several recipes for a vegetarian menu.

Monday

It’s worth starting a “green” lifestyle with a good mood, so treat yourself to your favorite delicacy for breakfast (not barbecue, of course). The transition to a full vegetarian menu every day should be comfortable and enjoyable.

For lunch you can cook delicious mackerel with lemon.

Ingredients:

mackerel - 1 fish;
lemon - half the fruit;
seasoning for fish - to taste;
salt.

Preparation:

Let's start with preparing the fish. Wash and dry the mackerel, remove the entrails and cut along the belly. Remove the milk or caviar and set aside.
Wash the fish again, sprinkle with spices and salt, and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Take our lemon and cut off a few rings. Squeeze the juice from the rest directly onto the fish. Decorate with lemon slices.
Wrap the fish in foil and bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

This fish will go well with mashed potatoes, a vegetable salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs, seasoned with sour cream or vegetable oil.

We snack on fruits, dried fruits or nuts, you can eat snacks and bread.

For dinner, you should give preference to protein foods with fiber; you can make cottage cheese and vegetable salad. Carbohydrates in the afternoon are harmful to your figure, because we don’t spend energy after 18 hours, there’s no point in getting it from food.

Tuesday

We'll prepare it for breakfast on the second day delicious porridge with chocolate and nuts.

Oatmeal for those with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

oatmeal - 30 grams;
milk - 100 ml;
any chocolate - 2 slices;
any nuts - 20 g;
apple - half a medium one.

Preparation:

Boil or steam oatmeal in milk. Add sugar or honey to taste.
Add chocolate chips, nuts and chopped apple to hot oatmeal.
Stir in the melted chocolate and enjoy!

For lunch, try experimenting with tofu. Let's make a Japanese dish.

Tofu in sesame sauce.

Ingredients:

tofu with any filling - 200 g;
soy sauce - 50 ml;
honey - 20 g;
ground garlic - 5 g;
sesame seeds - 5 g;
sesame oil - a tablespoon.

Preparation:

Prepare the sauce. Mix honey with garlic and soy sauce, leave for 15 minutes. At this time, we are dealing with tofu cheese.
Cut the cheese into cubes. Heat sesame oil in a thick-walled frying pan, add tofu and fry for 5 minutes.
Pour the prepared sauce into the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
When serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

You can serve this dish with homemade noodles or spaghetti - a real Japanese pleasure! When using a vegetarian menu, you can experiment with different sauces every day.

Wednesday

Today we will treat ourselves to a delicious cleansing smoothie and great ice cream. Desserts should also be included in the vegetarian menu for the week. Their recipes are simple. Very tasty creamy ice cream is obtained without adding cream. How? Very simple!

Creamy ice cream "Bon Appetit".

Ingredients:

banana - 2 pcs;
"Snowball" - 200 ml;
cinnamon - 5 grams;
jam or sugar - to taste;
coconut shavings for decoration.

Preparation:

Peel the banana, cut into small pieces, put in a bag and freeze.
Take the frozen bananas, place them in a blender bowl and add cinnamon, sugar or jam.
Beat until smooth.
Pour in “Snowball” (you can use fermented baked milk) and beat again.
Place in ice cream makers or beautiful cups and garnish with coconut flakes.

This ice cream has a creamy, sweet taste. Your household will definitely ask for more!

Cleansing green smoothie.

A vegetarian menu for the day should not only be balanced, but also healthy. Smoothies cleanse the body of mucus and toxins. It contains spinach, which has no flavor at all, so don't worry if you don't like greens.

Ingredients:

spinach - 120 g;
banana - 1-2 pieces;
orange - 1 fruit;
ginger - a piece the size of a fingernail (do not overdo it);
water and honey

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a blender and add honey and water to taste.
It must be consumed fresh so as not to lose all its beneficial properties.

Wednesday can be a good fasting day, while bringing only pleasure.

Thursday

On Thursday you can experiment with sandwiches. The filling can be very varied.

The base is whole grain bread (like bananas are the base of any smoothie). It can be fried without oil or dried in a toaster.

egg + spinach + low-fat cheese;
avocado + arugula + flax seeds;
avocado + tomato + lettuce;
low-fat cheese + tomato;
natural nut butter + banana;
banana + cinnamon.

As you can see, there can be a lot of combinations. You can make a vegetable sandwich, or you can make a sweet, fruity one. From the above, you can leave only one product if you want it to be simple. Everything is as you want, the main thing is tasty and beautiful!

For lunch, you can make a smoothie ball (or smoothie soup). Add the recipe to your vegetarian menu!

The basis will be a smoothie of one banana and 1/2 mango.

As a topping (filler):

cut one banana into slices;
Cut 1/2 mango into cubes;
2-3 tablespoons of any berries (can be frozen).

Friday

On Friday, it is worth paying great attention to ensuring that the vegetarian menu for every day is complete. This is the last meal of the day, so you need to make it not only light, but also tasty, so as not to break down and go into the world of gluttony. We forget what a breakdown is! So check out the dinner options.

There are a lot delicious options, believe me. This:

freshly squeezed juice or a simple smoothie (such as citrus);
crispy fruits, vegetables;
dried fruits with herbal tea;
kefir, milk (also natural nut and banana milk);
nuts for energy;
bitter chocolate;
muesli bars, cereal bars (look at the composition so that everything is natural);
cottage cheese with low fat content (not 0% for sure!), you can add some fruits and nuts;
a glass of kefir with cinnamon if you don’t feel hungry.

With so much variety, it's easy to create a vegetarian menu for the week, with plenty of delicious dinner options.

Saturday

On Saturday we will devote time to a full breakfast. Every meal should be balanced and tasty!

Let's look at the correct and useful options.

Our favorite oatmeal. You can do whatever you want with it: lazy oatmeal, oatmeal (with water!) with fruits, nuts, any healthy sweeteners (stevia, honey).
Healthy toast made from whole grain/bran bread (any wholemeal flour) with low-fat cheese, vegetables, maybe even banana and avocado. Whatever you find useful, put it in. Fantasy in the kitchen is great!
If you want something tasty, you can make yourself an oat pancake or cheesecakes (oatmeal instead of flour), decorate it all with nuts/fruits and top it with honey/paste.
Omelettes (just don’t overdo it with oil and salt, it’s better in a dry frying pan with a closed lid).

Well, now we offer you several options to make your every day start special.

Smoothies - mix your favorite foods, drink green smoothies after a heavy dinner. You are your own boss here, and we’ve covered the basics.
Muesli with juice or banana milk (grind water and banana in a blender).
Dates and herbal tea if you want something sweet.
Sprouted green buckwheat porridge with flax seeds and banana (all in a blender).
Porridge + banana + flax seeds + honey (prunes + flax seeds).

Sunday

Lunch is one of the heaviest meals, especially if your breakfast was light. For lunch you can choose something from the menu in the breakfast section. We will provide a list of tasty and healthy options.

You can cook tofu or fish.
Vegetable salads are a priority, of course.
Boiled corn (you can also use canned corn).
Boiled, steamed buckwheat is welcome) with vegetables or meat. An alternative to buckwheat is rice and durum pasta.
Hearty smoothies, you can even make vegetable ones.
Soups, of course.
Want something interesting? Make cold raw food soup (vegetables in blender + chopped)

Snacks

These are small “monsters” that harm our figure and metabolism in general. You need to snack not on candy or cookies on the go, but on healthy food that can be easily and quickly digested so that by the time the main meal arrives your stomach is not filled with all sorts of nonsense! A complete vegetarian menu for every day includes healthy snacks:

fruits;
vegetables;
dried fruits;
nuts;
smoothie.

Using these tips, you can lose weight well on vegetarianism, improve your health, and gain lightness in your body and mind. The main thing is to approach this wisely and avoid eating harmful foods, such as:

everything fried in oil (we stew or use vegetable oils, or better yet, in a dry frying pan);
flour ( White bread, buns, bagels for tea, etc.);
sweets (chocolates, cakes);
spicy and salty;
carbonated drinks and packaged juices;
any fast food;
fatty dairy products (milk is acceptable at a normal percentage of fat content);
sausages, sausages, pasta (only hard varieties are allowed);
fatty meat (pork and other meats with a high fat content);
forget about mayonnaise (salads can be dressed with low-fat sour cream).

Lately everything large quantity people are turning to vegetarianism. The modern poor environment, many incurable diseases and widespread obesity make people think about the harmfulness of the lifestyle they lead. It is no secret that vegetarians do not have problems with excess weight, and are also much healthier and more active than those who eat meat.

British scientists have found that the average weight of vegetarians is 1/5 less than the weight of the average meat eater. Agree, this is a significant difference. And oncologists have long argued that among adherents of a vegetarian diet, cancer, especially colon cancer, is several times less common.

But not all people can completely rebuild their body to become a vegetarian and forever give up eating meat, fish and seafood. Many women resort to a vegetarian diet, which lasts 1-2 weeks, to achieve effective weight loss and cleanse the body. Without a doubt, the effect of such a diet is simply amazing, however, it is important to exit it correctly so as not to gain weight later.

Many people mistakenly believe that the vegetarian menu is very meager and uninteresting, and plant-based foods cannot be tasty. In this article we will dispel this myth by giving you examples of a varied, healthy and tasty menu for the week, and also share recipes for some popular vegetarian dishes.

A vegetarian diet can be quite balanced and healthy, provided that it is lacto-ovo-vegetarianism, that is, in addition to plant foods, you can eat eggs, milk and dairy products, as well as honey. Only meat, poultry, fish and seafood are prohibited. Such food may well be very tasty and healthy, because many important substances of animal origin can be obtained from eggs and milk.

Surely everyone knows that plant foods contain a small amount of protein and it is much less digestible than animal foods. You can’t do without it completely, because protein is “ construction material"for our body. There are some herbal products that contain a large amount of protein, for example, all legumes, soybeans, nuts, buckwheat. Their quantity in food should be maximum, because they are the basis of a vegetarian diet.

However, the protein contained in eggs and milk is much better absorbed, so they should not be excluded from your diet if you do not want to harm the body. They also contain useful unsaturated fats, essential amino acids, iron, calcium and phosphorus. All these substances are almost impossible to obtain in sufficient quantities from plant foods.

In addition, plant foods practically do not contain B vitamins, which are responsible for the normal functioning of the body. nervous system. Their content can also be fully replenished from eggs and dairy products. In addition, fermented milk products effectively improve the functioning of the intestines, seeding it with beneficial microflora. Cereals, vegetables and fruits contain a large amount of fiber and dietary fiber, which remove waste, toxins, stagnant digestive waste from the body, and also lower cholesterol levels. With a vegetarian diet or eating pattern, the intestines work like clockwork. Thanks to these properties, vegetarians are much less likely to suffer from cancer and cardiovascular diseases, which rank first in mortality.

A vegetarian diet has another important advantage for losing weight: it requires frequent and small meals, which completely eliminates the feeling of hunger. As a result, metabolism improves and sudden weight gain does not occur after stopping the diet. However, despite all its benefits, it should not be used by children and pregnant women, since a lack of certain substances can lead to serious illnesses.

It is very important to drink a lot of clean water during vegetarianism, at least 2 liters per day. It helps digest and absorb food, improves intestinal function and removes heavy metal salts and toxins from the body. Since a vegetarian diet does not prohibit the consumption of sugar and sweet foods, in order to lose weight it is better to reduce it to a minimum and eat only in the first half of the day. Even if you are a vegetarian, it is important to remember about fast carbohydrates, which can cause weight gain. For example, if you eat fried potatoes and wash it down with sweet soda, then in a week you will not only not lose weight, but also gain extra pounds. Try to eat foods rich in slow (complex) carbohydrates. These are durum wheat pasta, cereals, whole grain bread, low-fat cheese, cottage cheese, dried fruits, nuts, etc.

Sample vegetarian menu for a week for weight loss

If it seems to you that it is impossible to diversify your diet and make it balanced with a vegetarian diet, we bring to your attention a sample menu for 7 days for healthy weight loss, which is based on the principles of vegetarianism. When creating your menu, remember that you need to eat at least 5 times a day, and the most high-calorie meals should be breakfast and lunch.

First day:

Breakfast: oatmeal with milk or water with a little sugar, a slice of wholemeal bread with cheese, black or green tea.
Lunch: nuts, dried fruits.
Lunch: buckwheat porridge with vegetable sauce, a slice of bran bread, a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and cabbage, dressed with flaxseed oil, a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Afternoon snack: fruit salad with a handful of pine nuts.
Dinner: green apple or a glass of low-fat kefir.

Second day:

Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with fruit, a slice of whole grain bread with homemade jam, black or green tea.
Lunch: Whole grain and nut cookies.
Lunch: vegetarian borscht with low-fat sour cream or kefir, lentils with stewed vegetables, a glass of juice.
Afternoon snack: dried fruits or banana.
Dinner: salad of fresh cabbage, onions and cucumbers, dressed with olive oil, a glass of kefir.

The third day:

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with green onions and tomatoes, a slice of whole grain bread with cheese, green or black tea with lemon and 1 teaspoon of honey.
Lunch: nuts and dried fruits.
Lunch: vegetable soup with rice, boiled beans with tomato sauce, a piece of bran bread, a glass of juice.
Afternoon snack: several different fruits.
Dinner: smoothie made from low-fat kefir and banana (or any other fruit or berries).

Fourth day:

Breakfast: muesli with milk, honey, nuts, raisins and fruits, a piece of rye bread with low-fat cheese, black or green tea.
Lunch: diet bread with vegetable caviar, such as eggplant or squash.
Lunch: soup with vegetables and seaweed, a slice of whole grain bread, soy meat, a glass of juice.
Afternoon snack: apple or banana.
Dinner: salad of carrots, celery and apple, dressed with low-fat and unsweetened yogurt.

Fifth day:

Breakfast: rice porridge on water with raisins, dried apricots and honey, a slice of whole grain bread with jam, black or green tea.
Lunch: low-fat cottage cheese and fruit.
Lunch: vegetable stew with beans or lentils, whole grain bread with low-fat cheese, a glass of fruit juice.
Afternoon snack: nuts and dried fruits.
Dinner: a glass of low-fat yogurt.

Sixth day:

Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with raisins, a slice of bran bread with cheese, black or green tea.
Lunch: salad of young radishes, wild garlic and boiled eggs, seasoned with low-fat sour cream.
Lunch: buckwheat porridge with mushroom sauce, salad of boiled beets and garlic, dressed with flaxseed oil, a glass of juice.
Afternoon snack: nuts and dried fruits.
Dinner: a cocktail of low-fat kefir, cinnamon, ginger and hot pepper.

Seventh day:

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes with low-fat cheese and olive oil, a slice of whole grain bread, black or green tea with honey.
Lunch: vinaigrette salad dressed with vegetable oil.
Lunch: green borscht with low-fat sour cream, salad of young cabbage, radish, herbs and cucumber, seasoned lemon juice and butter, a piece of bran bread.
Afternoon snack: bread with vegetable or mushroom caviar.
Dinner: fruit salad of apple, banana and orange.

As you can see, vegetarian food can be very varied and tasty. The main thing is that you will not feel hungry all day, and your body will be full of strength and energy. In 1 week of such a diet, you can easily lose up to 5 kg of body fat. If you want to achieve more noticeable results and also maintain them for a long time long years, we recommend that you make this kind of nutrition a lifestyle.

Recipes for preparing simple and healthy vegetarian dishes

Vegetarian dishes are very simple to prepare and do not require any special culinary skills from you. The main thing is to cook with soul and not use harmful products, such as mayonnaise, flavor enhancers and artificial flavors. We bring to your attention several recipes for vegetarian dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner that even a novice cook can prepare.

Vegetable stew

Preparation

To prepare it, fry the onions and carrots in a small amount of vegetable oil until golden color, add bell peppers, zucchini and cauliflower and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Add boiled red beans, a little salt and spices to taste to the stewed vegetables. At the very end of cooking, sprinkle the stew with chopped dill and parsley. The result will be the most healthy and very tasty vegetarian stew, rich in fiber, vitamins and microelements.

Oatmeal

Preparation

To prepare vegetarian oatmeal, pour two glasses of water over a glass of oatmeal and simmer over low heat.
After boiling, add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey, a handful of raisins and any nuts. Cook the porridge for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
This porridge is ideal as a healthy and satisfying breakfast. If you are a lacto-vegetarian, you can cook it with low-fat milk, so it will gain more nutritional value and fills the body with calcium.

Buckwheat porridge with mushroom sauce

For a hearty and tasty vegetarian lunch, you can prepare buckwheat with mushroom sauce.

Preparation

Boil the buckwheat porridge separately by pouring clean cold water over the buckwheat kernels and simmering over low heat.
To prepare the gravy, fry the chopped mushrooms and onions in a small amount of vegetable oil until golden brown. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of flour into the pan with the mushrooms and continue frying for another 2 minutes, stirring thoroughly.
Add hot water to the mushrooms, onions and flour so that it covers the mushrooms and onions. Don't forget to add salt and spices to taste. Stirring thoroughly, cook the gravy for 10 minutes. It should acquire the consistency of thin sour cream.
Place boiled buckwheat on a plate and pour mushroom sauce on top. This dish is ideal as a hearty vegetarian lunch; even a very hungry person can get enough of it.

A fresh vegetable salad

The favorite delicacy of many vegetarians is a salad made from a variety of fresh vegetables. It is best to use seasonal vegetables that contain maximum benefits and vitamins. For example, you can prepare a spring salad from young cabbage, herbs, cucumbers, radishes and tomatoes.

Preparation

To prepare it, young cabbage needs to be finely chopped and, adding salt to it, crushed a little with your hands.
When the cabbage releases its juice, add chopped dill and parsley, sliced young radishes, cucumbers, tomato slices and season the salad with olive oil mixed with lemon juice.
For maximum benefit and greater saturation, you can sprinkle the salad with a handful of pine nuts before serving.

If you properly balance a vegetarian menu, you can eat a very varied, satisfying and nutritious diet without harming the body. Moreover, with such nutrition you can forever forget about excess weight and digestive problems. By eating plant foods, you will maintain your youth, slimness and beauty for a long time.

Vegetarian menu for the week with recipes

Vegetarianism is a very common food system throughout the world. It is based only on two main considerations, which we will discuss later.

Principle of non-violence, ethical principle

Essentially, it is a 100% belief that killing for food is unacceptable.

In addition, in recent years, more and more adherents of a vegetarian diet are refusing not only animal food, but also wardrobe items made from natural materials, cosmetics and other chemicals supplied by companies that test their products on animals.

The principle of non-violence is the absolute belief that killing for food is unacceptable

This principle helps people to be convinced that their daily activities do not cause any harm to the animal world.

The second principle is the so-called health principle

This refers to both the physical aspect of health and the spiritual. This principle can be illustrated by a famous aphorism which states: you should eat to live, not the other way around.

Adhering to the principle of health, adherents of the vegetarian food system observe certain rules relating to the choice, method of preparation and consumption of food products; and in addition, they pay attention to their psychological comfort.

How to switch to vegetarianism correctly

Note! Switching to a vegetarian diet should not cause harm to the body. Therefore, you should create a balanced menu, choosing a complete replacement for the products that you will have to give up when switching to vegetarianism. A new, unusual menu for every day should ensure a safe transition to new system nutrition without causing damage to the body.

Vegetable Protein Sources

So, where should a person start if he has realized that vegetarianism is the optimal way of life for him? Such a beginner needs to remember that the body will not adjust to a new diet right away. The rebuild will take at least 3 weeks.

Therefore, the transition to complete abandonment meat products during these 3 weeks it should be smooth, since a sharp transition “from tomorrow” can cause significant harm to the pancreas. To begin with, you should simply make fewer days with meat food during the week; and the missing one replace part of the meat with fish.

In the future, gradually giving up meat and fish, you should not just exclude them, but replace them with other products containing a sufficient amount of protein - for example, soy products, cottage cheese, cereals, nuts, mushrooms, legumes.

You should add foods rich in iodine and phosphorus to your diet, because these elements will no longer be supplied with fish.

Products containing iodine

It is advisable to replace butter with peanut butter. You should not completely exclude bread and pastries. So, there are recipes that do not involve the use of eggs.

What to exclude from your diet

So, the decision to switch to a vegetarian diet has been made. What diet should I follow now?

Vegetarianism means eliminating the following products:

meat;
bird;
fish;
seafood of animal origin.

Some vegetarians also do not consume:

dairy products;
eggs.

You should create a balanced menu, choosing a complete replacement for the products that you have to give up.

It is necessary to distinguish between:

veganism– adherents consume only products of plant origin;
lacto-vegetarianism involves the consumption of dairy products, which are products of animal origin;
ovo-vegetarianism– this menu provides for the consumption of eggs every day;
lacto-ovo vegetarianism allows consumption of both dairy products and eggs.

Advantages over diets

Vegetarian diet for weight loss

Why does a vegetarian diet help you lose weight?

The reasons are as follows:

Regular intake of a sufficient amount of plant fiber into the body, which improves proper functioning gastrointestinal tract.
Low calorie content in plant foods.
Substances contained in plant foods remove toxins from the body.
A large amount of vitamins and minerals.

Delicious recipes (sample menu for 5-7 days)

Vegetarianism is also an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. The menu for every day can be diversified through modifications of both previously familiar dishes and new ones, which can be gleaned from numerous cooking manuals, or invented by yourself.

Zucchini soup

This is a very easy to prepare dish that contains very few calories.

Zucchini soup

The zucchini should be cut into cubes and placed in boiling water. After boiling, cook for 5 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of flour and vegetable oil. And after another 5 minutes - fresh herbs. The finished zucchini soup should sit a little, so it will be more flavorful.

Stuffed bell peppers

Vegetables should be freed from seeds and stuffed with minced meat. As a filling, add a finely chopped mixture of green beans, cabbage, lettuce and fresh herbs.

You can steam stuffed peppers, or you can simmer them in a pan.

If you want something spicier, you can make the filling from boiled beans and Korean carrots. You can steam stuffed peppers, or you can simmer them in a saucepan. Serve on the table, first sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Mix grated and juiced raw potatoes with 1 tbsp. l. flour, finely chopped onion and 1 egg; salt. Stir, form not too thick cakes (cutlets) from the resulting mass and fry until golden brown in a small amount of oil.

Draniki can be served with vegetarian sour cream and herbs

A small amount of garlic or grated ginger will add spiciness and piquancy to the dishes.

Vegetarian sausage recipe

Meat of different varieties is considered, in principle, an indispensable product for modern man, since it contains proteins of animal origin and other essential elements, without which the full functioning of the internal systems of the human body is simply impossible.

There are many different recipes for “sausage” products from fruits and vegetables, which can also be prepared at home

At the same time, for certain reasons, people sometimes have to refuse such a product, and some consciously refuse meat products for some “ideological” reasons, while others are temporarily not recommended by doctors to eat meat.

In all of the above cases, you have to look for an alternative to meat dishes, and this turns out to be not easy to do. True, now a solution has been found, and manufacturers who constantly listen to the wishes of consumers are increasingly offering “sausage” products that do not contain a single gram of meat.

Many different recipes for “sausage” products from fruits and vegetables have also appeared on the Internet, which can also be prepared at home without any difficulty.

So, housewives can please their family with vegetable “sausage” own production, A It can be prepared from the following foods:

medium-sized beets (one piece);
sesame or some other vegetable oil (52 g);
the highest quality peas (190 g);
dried crushed marjoram (half a teaspoon);
filtered water (620 ml);
table salt;
large garlic cloves (three pieces);
cardamom (half a teaspoon);
freshly ground black pepper (half a teaspoon);
grated nutmeg (half a teaspoon).

First you need to prepare a full glass of peas of the highest quality, then it should be poured into a frying pan and heated for five minutes without using oil.

Grind the roasted peas into fine flour, then pour three glasses of filtered water into this bulk mixture, mix everything and cook the porridge over fairly low heat for seven minutes.

Roast peas without oil

Using a grater with the smallest sections, grate the pre-peeled beets, then squeeze out the juice in the amount of one tablespoon through nylon or cheesecloth. Cool the prepared pea porridge, then chop the garlic very finely, then mix it with spices.

Add all the spices in the required quantity to the cooled pea puree., add sesame or other vegetable oil, as well as freshly squeezed beet juice, and then beat all these components with a blender until smooth.

Place soft pink pea puree into a plastic soda bottle, the neck of which has been previously cut off.

A clear example of how to put pea puree in a plastic bottle

Compact the vegetable mass in the bottle, then additionally wrap this container in cling film so that the puree does not become covered with a hard crust, and then place the prepared sausage product in the refrigerator overnight.

A healthy menu is why many people switch to vegetarianism.

The menu for each day may look like this:

1 day

Morning: 25-30 g oatmeal flakes, fresh fruit salad.
Dinner: boiled potatoes (in their jackets).
Dinner: vegetable stew (150 g), fresh fruit.

Day 2

Morning: fresh vegetable salad sprinkled with vegetable oil, diet bread.
Dinner: Pasta (preferably made from coarse flour), canned green peas or corn.
Dinner: boiled rice with stewed vegetables.

Day 3

Morning: Porridge, baked apples.
Dinner: Fruit salad, diet bread.
Dinner: Spaghetti with herbs and garlic (or ginger).

4 day

Morning: Fresh vegetables baked in the oven or on an electric grill.
Dinner: Boiled rice or buckwheat with zucchini caviar.
Dinner: Vegetable salad with boiled red or white beans.

5 day

Morning: Vegetable (for example, carrot) casserole.
Day: Braised cabbage.
Evening: Spaghetti with canned peas (or corn).

Day 6

Morning:
Dinner: Seasonal grilled vegetables.
Dinner: Fruit salad.

Day 7

Morning: Baked apples with honey or jam.
Dinner: Zucchini soup with fresh herbs.
Dinner: fresh vegetables, fruits.

The effects of vegetarianism on the body

Plant products contain a large number of substances beneficial to the body.

This is the reason for the beneficial effects of such products on the body:

ensuring optimal blood glucose levels;
helps remove toxins from the body;
normalization of blood pressure;
normalization of the gastrointestinal tract.

Plant products contain a large number of substances beneficial to the body.

What results can you expect:

establishing the optimal level of blood pressure;
thanks to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract, constipation is eliminated and the symptoms of chronic diseases of the digestive system disappear;
beneficial effect on the immune system;
getting rid of excess weight and congestion;

Important to remember that achieving positive results after switching to a vegetarian diet can only be expected with a balanced diet. That is, all animal products excluded from the menu must be replaced with equivalent content of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The menu for every day with vegetarianism should be compiled taking into account all the needs of the body and daily energy costs.

What to do to avoid eating too much

Some simple rules can help:

You should drink enough fluids throughout the day; It's better if it's plain water.
It is necessary to calculate the required number of calories so that the diet has the “correct” energy value. A food diary will help you stick to the right amount of calories.
The reason for eating should only be a feeling of hunger, and not boredom, stress, other emotions, or just free time.
Let one serving be the amount of food that fits on one small plate; More frequent meals in small portions will promote optimal digestion.

How to diversify your diet

It is in order to improve their diet that most people switch to vegetarianism. The menu for every day should be healthy and varied and include the required amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The menu for every day with vegetarianism should be compiled taking into account all the needs of the body and daily energy costs

Refusing the stereotypical “hot + side dish” scheme, you should prefer independent dishes - stews, casseroles.
Using a variety of sauces when cooking.
When cooking, use as many different fruits and vegetables as possible, including exotic ones; Don’t limit yourself to the usual zucchini and potatoes.

How not to get upset at the holiday table

Everything will depend on how strong the beliefs of each individual vegetarian are. If he has sufficient motivation, and the diet is varied and complete, such problems should not arise. If the menu for every day is compiled correctly, then vegetarianism will not cause discomfort, and, accordingly, there will be no “breakdowns”.

Important to remember! Regardless of the views that a person prefers to adhere to, the menu for every day should be complete and balanced, no matter whether he adheres to vegetarianism or some other diet. Only then can food be considered healthy.

Whatever nutrition system you choose, we wish you health and good mood!

In this video you can get acquainted with vegetarian dishes:

This video will help you diversify your diet:

Step-by-step recipes for vegetarians in this video:

Losing weight and at the same time reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer - all this is possible on a vegetarian diet. Get recipes for delicious and healthy dishes that will restore your slimness and health.

The main principle of a vegetarian diet is the avoidance of animal products: meat, eggs, fish. Vegetarianism is a way of life that helps improve its quality and reduce the number of extra pounds.

Losing weight with a balanced vegetarian diet always gives effective results. In addition to the cleansing effect and loss of kilograms, supporters of vegetarianism note a feeling of lightness in the body and a good mood. There is an opposite opinion, noting that dietary nutrition does cause harm to the body. But there are very few examples to prove the validity of the statement. The vegetarian regime still holds a leading position among many other weight loss methods.

Vegetarian system for weight loss and health

Doctors, nutritionists and scientists say that a vegetarian diet is useful for losing weight and improving the health of the body, since it limits the accumulation of harmful cholesterol and fats. Adherents of this nutritional system eat foods of plant origin, rich in dietary fiber, enriched with vitamins and beneficial components.

Geobotanical products contain much less calories and fat than animal products. Fruits and vegetables help normalize intestinal motility, improve general condition, and satisfy the feeling of hunger. Medical sources note that vegetarians are not susceptible to cancer, and hypertensive patients are rare among them. Strokes and heart attacks are very rare among them.

Leo Tolstoy, T. Edison, Leonardo da Vinci preferred the vegetable table. What a wonderful legacy the greats left, justifying the just opinion about useful action vegetarianism on brain activity.

What are the benefits of plant foods

A properly organized plant-based diet has a positive effect on the human body, promotes its cleansing and loss excess weight, slows down the aging process.

Eating plant-based foods daily helps reduce the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. Such a nutritional system can reduce the risk of cancer.
The use of root vegetables, cereals, herbs and fruits helps to avoid infection of the body with E. coli and salmonella.
Scientific studies have shown that vegetable eaters live longer than those who eat regular foods, animal fats, and deli meats.
The diet of lovers of lean foods, containing grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, fruits, helps to provide the body with necessary vitamins, folic acid. Crop products contain minerals necessary for the normal functioning of organs. Legumes, tofu, seeds provide proteins, leafy greens serve as a supplier of antioxidants.
The minimum content of saturated fats and cholesterol normalizes excess weight and reduces the risk of developing diseases associated with its excess.

Negative sides

Like any type of pollotarianism, vegetarianism has some negative properties.

If animal protein, which is contained in beef or pork meat, is absorbed by the body completely and quickly enough, then the body spends more time absorbing plant proteins, absorbing only half.
Some doctors argue that without animal fats, immunity decreases and susceptibility to colds increases. Perhaps the cause of anemia is loss of calcium, which weakens the skeletal system.
It is not recommended to follow this system for children, pregnant women, as well as young people under 30 years of age, so as not to deprive the growing body of some amino acids that affect growth and B vitamins.
If you are a vegan, you should take into account that the absence of milk and its derivatives in the diet causes problems with the hematopoietic and nervous systems.
The predominance of coarse fiber and legumes in the diet can lead to bloating.

This is not a complete list of the pros and cons of plant-based diets. There are a number of indirect arguments related to the disadvantages of vegetarianism. The positive side is that some long-lived vegetarians attribute their good health entirely to their diet.

And the indirect disadvantage lies in the financial side of the issue. In our conditions, in order to provide a varied, complete menu without meat and animal fats, significant costs will be required. Yes, not every doctor will accept responsibility for the future of a child if his pregnant mother eats only plant foods.

Rules

A vegetarian diet for weight loss is aimed at natural fat burning and renewal of the body. If you strictly follow the rules and correctly combine the components of your diet, it helps you lose 10 kg in one to two weeks.

To correctly calculate calorie intake and portion sizes, you need to purchase simple electronic scales, learn to count the calorie content of dishes, and the number of calories your body needs. It is important to follow the rules for preparing dishes for a vegetarian diet, namely:

exclude fried foods;
use salt sparingly;
avoid the use of spices and other flavorings, including vinegar; it can be replaced with lemon juice.

Menu for the week

Creating your own balanced vegetarian diet menu for a week is quite simple. Below is a diet for seven days, which can be used as the basis of nutrition, changing products to those identical to those indicated. It should be remembered that the total volume of servings consumed at one time should not exceed 500 grams.

Monday

Breakfast: one hard-boiled egg, a sandwich of rye bread with Adyghe cheese.
Lunch: steamed buckwheat, seasoned with oil, salad of fresh vegetables and herbs, seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice.
Afternoon snack: any sweet fruit, except bananas, compote.
Dinner: baked vegetable stew - potatoes, carrots, eggplant, zucchini. Vegetables can be seasoned with olive oil and sprinkled with lemon juice.

Breakfast: cottage cheese with fresh fruits or berries. You can add honey to the curd-berry mixture as a sweetener.
Lunch: potatoes stewed with onions and mushrooms (fresh or frozen, but not canned), green salad of escarole and celery, seasoned with olive oil, bran or rye bread.
Afternoon snack: berry jelly and diet biscuits.
Dinner: rice porridge cooked in milk.

Breakfast: warm salad of boiled vegetables with rapeseed oil and lemon juice, boiled egg. Vegetables will be tastier and healthier if you cook them in a double boiler.
Lunch: lean soup with mushroom broth, tomato salad with onions, seasoned with unrefined sunflower or olive oil.
Afternoon snack: 50 g assorted nuts and compote of berries or dried fruits.
Dinner: country cottage cheese with honey and a glass of kefir.

Breakfast: omelette made from one egg and milk, baked in the oven or steamed, natural low-fat yogurt mixed with fresh fruit.
Lunch: oatmeal soup with vegetables, fresh or sauerkraut, Rye bread.
Afternoon snack: cocktail of kefir and berries or fruits.
Dinner: buckwheat porridge in milk with the addition of steamed raisins.

Breakfast: vinaigrette with beans and flaxseed oil, boiled egg in a bag.
Lunch: boiled rice with vegetables, seasoned melted butter, bread. You can supplement your diet with a small handful of nuts.
Afternoon snack: natural yogurt or fermented baked milk with fresh berries and fruits.
Dinner: boiled or steamed vegetables, seasoned with curry and hemp oil.

Breakfast: a mixture of natural cottage cheese with berries or fruits, seasoned with honey.
Lunch: peppers stuffed with vegetables with added butter, bran or rye bread.
Afternoon snack: nuts with honey, freshly squeezed apple juice.
Dinner: vinaigrette with beans, seasoned with unrefined sunflower oil.

Sunday

Breakfast: omelette of one egg and milk, baked in the oven, sandwich with Adyghe cheese.
Lunch: borscht or cabbage soup cooked in vegetable broth, bread, green salad with flaxseed oil.
Afternoon snack: sweet fruits with juice or compote.
Dinner: mashed boiled potatoes and milk.

A balanced geobotanical program is the key to weight loss, rejuvenation and good health. However, doctors strongly recommend supplementing such a strict diet with foods containing iodine and calcium. It would be useful to include in the menu seaweed, seafood and fish.

Recipes

Many dishes familiar to us in everyday life will become vegetarian if animal protein is removed from their composition. Therefore, it is impossible to cover all vegetarian cuisine in one article, so below are several Lenten recipes that will help those losing weight organize their meals at the initial stage.

Lenten cabbage soup or borscht

Despite the absence of meat, vegetarian soups are rich and satisfying. They are prepared easier and faster than with beef or pork broth.

To prepare vegetarian cabbage soup, you will need:

a small head of white cabbage;
one carrot;
a small head of onion;
2 medium sized potatoes;
homemade tomato paste or one large tomato;
clove of garlic.

Cooking process:

Pour 2 liters of clean water into a saucepan and boil it.
Cut the cabbage into thin strips and place in boiling water for 15 minutes.
While the cabbage is cooking, you need to grate or finely chop the carrots and onions, fry them in vegetable oil, at the end add tomato paste or finely chopped tomato, peeled garlic to the vegetables and simmer the dressing over low heat with the lid closed.
Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes.
Add chopped potatoes to the boiled cabbage and bring the soup to a boil.
Add vegetable seasoning to the pan and tomato paste, turn off the heat and let the cabbage stew for 10-15 minutes.

Cooking tips:

If you prefer borscht, then simply add small beets to the frying.
The soup will be lighter if you do not fry the carrots, onions, tomatoes and beets, but add them fresh to the pan.
To make the soup more nutritious and satisfying, you can add pre-boiled beans to it.
Vegetarian cabbage soup and borscht go perfectly with fresh herbs. Chop parsley, dill, green onions and add them to the bowl of soup.

Cereals and porridges

Cereals themselves, in any form, belong to the vegetarian table, since they are of plant origin. They are prepared for breakfast in the form of porridges, for lunch and dinner as a side dish or main dish. If you adhere to a vegetarian diet in order to lose excess weight, below are tips for preparing the main varieties of cereals for the diet table.

Buckwheat will be more beneficial if you steam it rather than boil it. You need to add washed buckwheat and boiling water to the pan at a ratio of 1:2, that is, two glasses of water per glass of cereal. Close the pan tightly and leave for 10-12 hours. You can add honey, berries and fruits, and dried fruits to the finished porridge.
Steamed oatmeal will also preserve more useful substances than cooked. Pour 1 glass of water into the pan and bring to a boil, add salt to taste and remove the pan from the heat. Add a glass of oatmeal to boiling water, close the lid tightly and let it brew for several hours. You can add nuts, fresh fruits and berries, dried fruits, and honey to the finished porridge. It is recommended to prepare one portion at a time, since during long-term storage this porridge greatly loses its taste.
Rice groats can also be steamed, but this process will take several days, and the properties of the porridge will not differ from cooked ones. Rice is prepared immediately before consumption: boil two glasses of water, add a glass of washed rice, close the lid and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the cereal stand for another 10 minutes. This cereal goes perfectly with vegetables, so it is often eaten for lunch or dinner as a main course.

Other Diet Options

In essence, the prefix “veg” means eliminating meat from the diet. But vegetarianism contains many nuances relating not only to food, but to lifestyle. There are more than a billion vegetarians on the planet. Adherents of this food system are divided among themselves into groups that differ from each other not only in ideology, but also in the products they consume. The main groups are vegetarians and vegans. A significant difference between a vegetarian and vegan diet is the strictness of the diet.

Vegans do not eat any meat, refuse milk and fish, and exclude eggs from their diet. In rare cases, honey can be consumed. Official medicine and science consider such a very rigid system harmful. Complete rejection of animal protein entails vitamin deficiency, decreased iron levels to the point of anemia, and severe weight loss. Naturally, strict adherence to the requirements causes serious health problems. In their lifestyle, vegans are guided by moral principles, placing at the forefront of their worldview an uncompromising attitude towards the exploitation of animals and, accordingly, towards meat and milk. Along with excluding meat dishes from their table, vegans do not wear clothes or use household chemicals obtained as a result of the addition of animal materials during production. They refuse to visit zoos and circuses, citing the fact that animals are kept in captivity there, etc.

Vegetarians prefer plant foods, but also consume milk and dairy products, eggs, fish and seafood, and poultry. Their diet completely lacks pork, beef, and lamb. There are ambivalent attitudes towards honey, but this group’s soft attitude towards some types of food allows it too. For some, a plant-based diet is a way of life, for others it is a way of eating that maintains health. Doctors note that such a rich diet benefits the body.

A large group of ordinary vegetarians is divided into several subgroups:

Lacto vegetarians, eating geobotanical food, can afford milk, kefir, sour cream, and butter. This system is widely propagated by Indian philosophical and religious movements.
Ovo - a vegetarian program excludes the consumption of milk, but allows the use of eggs and honey for food. From an ethical point of view, diets containing eggs are justified because modern poultry farming supplies unfertilized eggs, meaning their contents are not a living thing. In addition, eggs are present in many dishes and baked goods. Thus, this system is considered a democratic form of fasting. It is good for those who cannot tolerate dairy delicacies.
The most popular subtype is considered lacto-ovo vegetarianism. Adherents of this trend do not eat poultry and animal meat, fish and seafood, but add eggs and milk to their food.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians are divided into two subgroups:

The first group refuses to eat meat for ethical reasons and compassion for animals;
The latter adhere to a similar eating regimen, wanting to improve their health.

There are several other types of dietary systems related to each other:

Fruitarianism, for example, involves eating only fresh fruits, provided that they are grown and obtained without damaging the plants themselves. This very dangerous eating pattern leads to catastrophic weight loss and serious health problems.
Su vegetarianism is widespread among Buddhists. The main principle is the exclusion from the diet of livestock and crop products that have an unpleasant odor (for example, onions, garlic).
A system based on the consumption of cereals and legumes is called macrobiotic. However, it is considered vegetarian only because it contains fish.
Raw foodists eat any vegetables, fruits, and nuts without subjecting them to heat treatment.

When choosing your diet from the above options, it is imperative to consult a doctor or professional nutritionist. Refusal from animal protein, and even more so switching to fruits or raw vegetables, can lead to undesirable consequences and deprive the body of important substances it needs.

Sports

An athlete's standard menu necessarily contains a large amount of animal protein. The vegetarian sports diet suggests replacing animal proteins with plant proteins and achieving results without consuming meat or even dairy products. Contrary to the standard view of sports nutrition, the benefits of a plant-based diet have been proven by the practice of vegetarian athletes. It is important to adhere to the following rules:

You should not completely exclude or greatly reduce foods containing carbohydrates from your diet. Their use is necessary to support the body’s performance during intense training. Slow carbohydrates should be eaten before training in combination with a small amount of protein.
Plant protein should be consumed immediately after training in combination with a small amount of carbohydrates. This will allow the body to build muscle tissue.
When dieting in combination with physical activity You need to drink plenty of clean water to avoid dehydration.

Sometimes vegetarian athletes include protein shakes in their diet that are made without the use of animal protein. However, you can do without them.

Menu for the week

The selection of dishes for a sports diet is quite varied and satisfying. The food package for athletes includes the main types of food:

all vegetables, stewed, boiled or raw;
fruits - all types, prepared in any way;
greens, all types of leaf salads;
legumes: lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas;
grain crops: brown rice, buckwheat, millet, wheat, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.;
pasta, bread;
oils – rapeseed, sunflower, flaxseed, olive, grape, etc.

Portion sizes are selected individually, depending on the initial data and physical activity. If you feel that you are full, it is acceptable to refuse some dishes. If you are actively involved in sports, variety in your diet will be ideal for staying in shape.

The menu below is designed for athletes who consume protein shakes during or after training. If you don’t want to drink them, be sure to include chicken eggs in your diet.

The first day

Breakfast: a glass of low-fat cow's milk (can be replaced with soy milk, but not advisable), one piece of bran bread.
Second breakfast: oatmeal with water, soy flour bun, freshly squeezed juice.
Lunch: a bowl of vegetable soup, steamed or grilled fish, soy sauce. As a side dish for fish, boiled legumes (beans, beans, peas). For the third, a glass of herbal tea.
Afternoon snack: a glass of low-fat kefir, rye bread.
Dinner: boiled rice, preferably brown or brown (200 g) and shrimp (15-20 pcs.), a cup of unsweetened green tea.
If you still feel hungry, eat one small orange before bed.

Second day

Breakfast: oatmeal with water, preferably steamed, orange, herbal tea.
Second breakfast: 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese mixed with fresh fruits or berries, for example, pear, dates, plums.
Lunch: milk soup, seafood, vinaigrette made from steamed vegetables, soy bun with berries.
Afternoon snack: a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice, a small soy bun.
Dinner: buckwheat porridge with stewed mushrooms, a glass of green tea.
At night you can eat a small piece of bun with butter and drink apple-sea buckthorn juice.

The third day

Breakfast: 100 g of fresh cottage cheese with a little honey, a cup of black coffee without sugar or tea.
Second breakfast: fresh pineapples about 200 grams. Canned fruits are acceptable, but only if they do not contain sugar.
Lunch: vegetable soup in fish broth, boiled new potatoes, salad of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and olives, seasoned with lemon juice and vegetable oil, fresh juice or compote without sugar.
Afternoon snack: a handful of walnuts, a drink of still mineral water with fresh lemon or orange juice in a 1:1 ratio.
Dinner: rice with boiled vegetables, green tea without sugar.

Fourth day

Breakfast: Rice pudding and half a glass of skim or soy milk.
Second breakfast: fruit salad dressed with natural yogurt, a glass of pineapple juice.
Lunch: lean vegetable soup, boiled seafood (mussels, squid, shrimp), stewed zucchini, wholemeal bread with bran, a glass of sparkling mineral water.
Afternoon snack: fresh apple, bran bun, herbal tea.
Dinner: low-fat boiled or steamed fish, a small amount of durum wheat pasta, fresh juice or compote.
Before going to bed, you can eat an orange or kiwi.

Day five

Breakfast: oatmeal with nuts or dried fruits, unsweetened tea or coffee.
Second breakfast: fresh cottage cheese with banana, berry jelly.
Lunch: Vegetable okroshka, lightly salted herring with new potatoes, rye bread, fresh berries or fruits.
Afternoon snack: fresh fruits and berries with honey.
Dinner: boiled rice with stewed mushrooms, salad of fresh tomatoes and onions, seasoned with vegetable oil and lemon juice.
Before going to bed, you can drink a glass of kefir.

Sixth day

Breakfast: a bun with poppy seeds and honey, a glass of prune compote.
Second breakfast: oatmeal with water, two tablespoons of sunflower seeds, unsweetened green tea.
Lunch: seafood soup, mashed potatoes on soy milk, green olive salad with fresh herbs, natural grape juice.
Afternoon snack: low-fat fresh cottage cheese with raisins, mineral water with lemon or orange juice.
Dinner: stewed fish, baked zucchini, boiled green peas, unsweetened green tea.
At night you can eat an orange or kiwi.

Day seven

Breakfast: a glass of kefir with fresh fruit or berries, a wholemeal bun.
Second breakfast: fruit salad of banana, apple and nuts, unsweetened tea or herbal infusion.
Lunch: buckwheat porridge with stewed mushrooms, green salad of celery, lettuce, dill and parsley, seasoned with vegetable oil, fresh apple juice.
Afternoon snack: a glass of kefir with wheat bread.
Dinner: boiled rice, stewed seafood, green tea.
Before going to bed, you can drink fruit or berry jelly.

Protein

A protein diet for vegetarians differs from a classic low-carbohydrate diet due to the specifics of the diet, so the diet is based on the consumption of foods with increased content protein and the right combination of dishes.

Plant sources of protein include legumes, soybeans and soy-based products, barley and corn. Nutritionists strongly recommend including milk and dairy products, quail and chicken eggs in your diet. If your diet is strictly vegan, you need to be prepared for the following problems:

excess protein leads to increased stress on the kidneys and adrenal glands, contributing to the development of chronic diseases and the formation of stones;
excessive loss of fluid contributes to the rapid leaching of calcium from the body, thereby harming bones, teeth, hair and nails;
reduction of cholesterol below the permissible level, which is fraught with emotional disorders, circulatory disorders, and chronic digestive system disorders;
increased blood clotting, increased risk of blood clots.

In addition to the above problems, there is also a risk of gaining weight rather than losing it. Protein is necessary for the body to build muscle mass, but simply putting it into the body is pointless. Low-carbohydrate diets should always be combined with active physical activity, otherwise the effect will be either weak or negative.

Menu

The menu below for vegetarians contains chicken and quail eggs, cheeses, and yoghurts. Nutritionists strongly do not recommend giving up these foods. At one meal you should consume no more than 300 grams of total weight of food. During the day, you need to drink plenty of fluids - at least two liters of clean drinking water.

Monday

Breakfast: steamed oatmeal porridge, a cocktail of natural unsweetened yogurt and berries, wholemeal wheat bread.
Lunch: lean soup based on green lentils, boiled quinoa with almonds and raisins, diet bread, berry or fruit juice.
Afternoon snack: nuts or fruits.
Dinner: boiled corn with stewed vegetables (carrots, zucchini, eggplant, onions, tomatoes), green tea.

Breakfast: sprouted wheat or legumes, carrot and orange smoothie.
Lunch: vegetable soup with legumes, durum wheat pasta, soy sausages or sausages, fruit compote.
Afternoon snack: nuts or fruits.
Dinner: vegetable salad with chickpeas, steamed buckwheat porridge, a glass of milk.

Dinner: vegetable puree soup, boiled hummus or green peas, rye bread, fruit compote.
Afternoon snack: cashew nuts.
Dinner: vegetable stew, soy cheese tofu, glass of fermented baked milk.

Breakfast: pearl barley porridge, pumpkin smoothie, green apple.
Lunch: vegetable soup with chickpeas, vegetable stew, baked in the oven, diet bread, a glass of juice.
Afternoon snack: roasted chestnuts or fresh vegetables.
Dinner: boiled broccoli, egg, hard-boiled, a glass of soy milk.

Breakfast: chicken or quail egg, hard-boiled, natural unsweetened juice, rye bread.
Lunch: Indian dhal soup based on beans and coconut milk, green peas, rye bread, compote or juice.
Afternoon snack: any nuts.
Dinner: flax seed porridge, a glass of unsweetened yogurt.

Breakfast: soy cheese, strawberry and banana smoothie, green tea.
Lunch: pumpkin puree soup, stewed beans with vegetables, asparagus, juice or compote.
Afternoon snack: cottage cheese with fruit.
Dinner: brown rice with corn, fermented baked milk or natural unsweetened yogurt.

Sunday

Breakfast: barley porridge with raisins, whole grain wheat bread, cocoa with milk.
Lunch: light vegetable soup with rice cereal, pilaf with chickpeas, diet bread, juice or fruit drink.
Afternoon snack: unsweetened yogurt or fruit.
Dinner: stewed vegetables, tofu cheese, a glass of kefir or fermented baked milk.