Simple advice for carb-watching vegetarians...

Several of you posting in this forum have mentioned carbs as a concern, so I thought I'd share some tips...I may not be a nutritionist, and I may be young, but I still have to eat!  My diet used to consist of mostly brown things; oatmeal, rice, cereal...and it wasn't doing me any favors. 

Even though I consider myself to be a good cook, believe it or not it is possible to be a vegetarian and eat in such a way that you develop severe cravings for vegetables.

The hardest thing to do to beat the carb habit is put yourself on the South Beach Diet or something similar.  I did it for one week.  Just forget it, unless you have lots of time to cook and are creative with squash.  Or, if you are driven, yes, it can be done.  I gave up because it was annoying, not because it didn't work (I lost three pounds in two days...water weight?  Who knows).

The easiest thing to do, conversely, is buy a carbohydrates mindful, vegetarian cookbook.  Just do an Amazon search for "vegetarian carb," and 48 results show up.  These will include complex-good-carb options. 

More importantly, though, is training yourself - with or without a cookbook - to eat fewer (stressing FEWER - not NONE) overly-processed carbs.  The simplest way to do it?  Don't buy any.

Find some time to go to the grocery store and wander the aisles - DON'T MAKE A LIST!!!  When you don't have a specific list of items you need, and no time constraints, you'd be surprised at how relaxing the store can be.  If something looks good, get it, especially if it's colorful (fruit's ok?  YES!).

BUT.  Don't buy any bread.  Or rice, potatoes, juice, cookies, ice cream, and so on.  You can't eat it if it isn't there.

I did that for about three weeks, and now it is a lot easier to avoid four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a day.  You may start out doing elaborate recipes that take 40 minutes or so, but that will get old.  Promise.  However, you can quickly learn the best combinations for sautees (I know delicious seven-minute stuffed mushrooms!), faster, fuller meals, and which veggies are great raw for snacks. 

If you have never used them before, in a well stocked store you'll find tons of meat replacements that are practically carbohydrate free and a breeze to cook with.  Most are completely interchangeable with normal recipes, especially "burger" and "sausage" crumbles.  I've bought meatless chicken breasts, which are wonderful with low fat swiss cheese melted on top.

For dessert, try sugar free popsicles or fudgesicles.  They are usually 10 calories each and definitely satisfy a sweet tooth...as does Kool-Aid prepared with sweetener.

Eventually, once you get the hang of cooking without heavy starches, you can add them back in.  But this time, only buy whole grains, brown rices, bulgur, whole wheat flour, etc.

One more recommendation...don't forget fiber supplements.  Benefiber makes a tasteless, grit-free mix in that I put in everything.  Supplements in general shouldn't be forgotten, but fiber especially.  You'll get some from certain fruits and veggies, but it's too important to limit.

I hope that I don't sound like a know-it-all, and this actually helps someone.  And, do share your comments and advice!  

Just forget it, unless you have lots of time to cook and are creative with squash.

AHH LOLOL! I, too, tried the veg low carb route. At the time my kitchen consisted of a microwave and a mini fridge, which made it ridiculously hard. I remember watching some Food TV show and then driving to my parent's house with this big spaghetti squash. I made a mock pasta dish which had like 3 carbs or something. But the prep was torture.

Great advice!

Those are really great tips! I do find that if it isn't in the house with me. I wont eat it!

I have a hard time getting rid of rice though because I have a gluten allergy so I can't eat breads and sadly most veggie "meat" *tear* i loved my morning star *sigh* mini corn dogs.

Although a lot of vegan companies are now making vegan/wheat gluten free products and Whole Foods *Puts hands up in praise* has a Gluten Free Bakery...Hoorah!

Ok so here's the question, I use protein shakes now because I really have a hard time getting that without eating almond after almond after almond. Do you guys have any great tasting shakes you'd like to share? I use a whole foods brand shake and its chocolate and i love it and i put some in my oatmeal and its chocolate. Ok haha but seriously any other sources of Protein?!?! that I'm completely missing?

I have been using EAS Whey Protein powder in vanilla and chocolate.  It's pretty good - 23g protein, 3g carbs in one serving.  If whey isn't an option, soy protein powder is available fairly inexpensively at most stores, usually in their health food section.

The Target where I live has a big selection of protein supplements; you may try checking one out, or shopping for them online.

If you are just looking for different ways of making your shake, try blending fruit in a plain chocolate smoothie, like strawberries or bananas.

I actually switched to wheat pasta (when I make something asian/italian now). It makes it a lot easier since the carb count on that is much, much lower than that of the normal stuff.

I love whole wheat pastas - I can't eat the "normal" kind anymore!  They taste so much better and have a better texture, not to mention the extra fiber.

Much better than "spaghetti squash."  Blech.

egiven. I will try the fruit. I mixed in some orange  juice one
time and I wasn't happy...lol but its always worth another shot! Thanx
for the tips!

Thanks for the ideas, it has been changeling to make good meals and not be carb heavy.  Getting away from over processed has made the difference for me.  I feel I have more energy without all the additives in the processed foods. I never thought of the Benefiber - I'll get some.

I have recently tried some of the whole weat pastas.  They make even better pasta salad than the regular stuff.  they are a bit stiffer, so the veggies and whatever you toss it with have more to stick to without the pasta getting soggy.  My family didn't even notice the switch! :-)  sneeky of me.

I managed to convince my parents and roommates to get the whole wheat pastas instead of the enriched white, and now it's their preference.  It really is better tasting! 

I've been vegetarian for over 5 years, and recently began really watching what I was eating to lose some weight, and I'll admit it, I'm adictted to carbs. I read in a health magazine to make sure during every meal you have at least 3 food groups represented. If you follow this, you'll drastically cut your carb intake. For example, for breakfast instead of cereal, I'll make myself a quick omlet in the microwave out of Eggbeaters and skim milk cheese, along with an apple (protein, dairy, and fruit). Aim for this type of variety in all your meals. Also, if you are trying to avoid carbs, watch what you snack on. Most people will grab something from the pantry which is usually carb laden (think pretzels, cookies, crackers ect.). Instead, snack on fruit or yougart. Finally, the only bread in the house, is low-carb, high-fiber, whole-wheat with 40 calories. I know it may sound gross, but the bread is very good and I don't feel guilty eating a sandwhich rather than a salad.

For those who are allergic to gluten, there is a neat blog called "Recipes from a Gluten Free Goddess" - vegetarian/vegan recipes that are celiac-friendly. She doesn't include nutrition info, but you can use the recipe analyzer on this site maybe. I'm strictly counting calories myself (no food allergies but a strong family history thereof), and I've lost 6 pounds in the last 3 weeks. Huzzah! :)