In recent years, the vegetarian diet has gained an increasing popularity. In fact, based on study estimates, up to 18% of the global population are vegetarians.

Cutting meat from your diet has ethical and environmental benefits. On top of that, it may also support weight loss, lower your risk of chronic disease, and improve the quality of your diet.

So here we provide a beginner’s guide to the vegetarian diet, as well as a 7-day sample meal plan.

What is a vegetarian diet?

The vegetarian diet involves focusing on plant foods and abstaining from eating animal products, including fish, poultry, and meat.

Most people follow a vegetarian diet for ethical issues like animal rights or for personal or religious reasons.

Others decide to adopt the diet for environmental reasons. This is because livestock production contributes to climate change, increases greenhouse gas emissions, and necessitates large amounts of energy, water, and natural resources.

There exist several types of vegetarian diet, and each has different restrictions.

Vegan diet: Excludes poultry, eggs, fish, meat, and other animal products, such as honey

Pescetarian diet: Allows fish and sometimes eggs and dairy products but excludes poultry and meat

Ovo-vegetarian diet: Allows eggs but excludes poultry, fish, meat, and dairy products

Lacto-vegetarian diet: Allows dairy products but excludes poultry, eggs, meat, and fish

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet: Allows eggs and dairy products but excludes fish, poultry, and meat

Flexitarian diet: Encourages mostly plant foods but occasionally incorporates poultry, fish, or meat

Health Benefits

Vegetarian diets provide a number of impressive health benefits.

In fact, vegetarians have been shown in studies to have better diet quality compared to meat-eaters. They also have a higher intake of important nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, and magnesium.

The diet may promote weight loss

If you’re looking to shed pounds, switching to a vegetarian diet can be a good idea.

As a matter of fact, vegetarians, on average, have been noted in one review of 12 studies to experience a 2-kg weight loss over 18 weeks compared to non-vegetarians.

Moreover, vegetarian diets have been shown in a six-month study in 74 people with type 2 diabetes to be nearly twice as effective at reducing body weight compared to diets that are low in calories.

What’s more, vegetarians have been shown in a study in nearly 61, 000 adults to have a lower BMI than omnivores.

It promotes heart health

Vegetarian diets promote a healthy and strong heart by reducing several heart disease risk factors.

In fact, a study in 76 people has linked vegetarianism to lower levels of LDL “bad cholesterol,” total cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Similarly, a low-calorie vegetarian diet has been found in another recent study in 118 people to be more effective at lowering LDL “bad” cholesterol compared to a Mediterranean diet.

Moreover, another research suggests vegetarianism to be associated with reduced blood pressure levels—another major risk factor for heart disease.

It may help with blood sugar management

Vegetarian diets have been indicated in several studies to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

For example, based on one review of six studies, vegetarianism has been linked to better blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.

Moreover, these diets may also stabilize blood sugar levels in the long term, thereby preventing diabetes.

What’s more, one study in 2, 918 people has found that switching from a non-vegetarian to a vegetarian diet resulted in a 53% reduction of risk of diabetes over five years, on average.

It may help lower cancer risk

A vegetarian diet has been suggested in some research to be associated with a lower risk of cancer, including those of the stomach, colon, rectum, and breast.

However, further research is necessary to fully elucidate how vegetarianism can affect cancer risk because some studies have turned up mixed results.

Potential drawbacks

Though a vegetarian diet can be nutritious and healthy, it may also cause certain nutritional deficiencies.

Fish, meat, and poultry provide decent amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and protein, as well as micronutrients like vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and selenium.

Other animal-derived products like eggs and dairy also hold plenty of B vitamins, vitamin D, and calcium.

Following a vegetarian diet means eliminating these foods; thus, it is important that you get the essential nutrients they provide from other sources.

Vegetarians have been shown in studies to be at higher risk of vitamin B12, iron, calcium, iodine, and protein deficiencies.

Being deficient in these key micronutrients can cause symptoms like weakness, anemia, fatigue, thyroid issues, and bone loss.

A simple way of getting appropriate nutrition is to include a variety of whole grains, protein sources, fruits, vegetables, and fortified foods in your diet.

If you want to rapidly increase your intake and recompense for potential micronutrient deficiencies, taking supplements and multivitamins can also be effective.

What do vegetarians eat?

A vegetarian diet encourages eating a variety of proteins, grains, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables.

There are various protein-rich plant foods to substitute the protein provided by meat in your diet. These include legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, and seitan.

Dairy and eggs can also help level up your protein intake if you are following a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet.

Nutrient-dense whole foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are a great provider of essential vitamins and minerals. Consuming these foods can help fill in any nutritional gaps in your diet.

A vegetarian diet allows the following healthy vegetarian foods:

• Grains, such as rice, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, and barley
• Legumes, such as peas, chickpeas, lentils, and beans
• Fruits, like apples, oranges, bananas, melons, berries, peaches, and pears
• Vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, leafy greens, carrots, and tomatoes
• Nuts, like cashews, chestnuts, almonds, and walnuts
• Seeds, like chia, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds
• Proteins, including eggs, dairy products, nutritional yeast, natto, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and spirulina
• Healthy fats, such as olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados

What they don’t eat

Different forms of vegetarianism have different restrictions.

The most common type, which is lacto-ovo vegetarianism, involves excluding all fish, meat, and poultry, while other types may also eliminate foods like dairy and eggs.

The most restrictive form of vegetarianism is the vegan diet. It eliminates fish, poultry, meat, and animal products like eggs and dairy.

The following foods may be eliminated on a vegetarian diet, depending on your needs and preferences:

• Meat, such as pork, beef, and veal
• Poultry, such as turkey and chicken
• Fish and shellfish (not applicable to pescetarian diet)
• Meat-based ingredients like lard, gelatin, isinglass, carmine, suet, and oleic acid
• Eggs (applicable only to vegans and lacto-vegetarians)
• Dairy products (restriction on yogurt, milk, and cheese is applicable to ovo-vegetarians and vegans)
• Other animal products (vegans may opt to avoid pollen, honey, and beeswax.

7-Day sample meal plan

Here’s a 7-day sample meal plan for a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet to help you get started.

Monday

Breakfast: Tofu scramble with sauteed onions, spinach, and peppers

Lunch: Burrito bowl with brown rice, avocado, beans, veggies, and salsa

Dinner: Vegetable paella with a salad on the side

Tuesday

Breakfast: Kale and sweet potato hash

Lunch: Bell peppers stuffed with tempeh with zucchini fritters

Dinner: Black bean tacos with cauliflower rice

Wednesday

Breakfast: Greek yogurt with berries and chia seeds

Lunch: Farro salad with tomatoes, cucumber and feta with spiced lentil soup

Dinner: Eggplant parmesan with a salad on the side

Thursday

Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries and flax seeds

Lunch: Grilled veggie and hummus wrap with sweet potato fries

Dinner: Tofu banh mi sandwich with pickled slaw

Friday

Breakfast: Whole-wheat toast with nutritional yeast and avocado

Lunch: Marinated tofu pita pocket with Greek salad

Dinner: Quinoa-black-bean meatballs with zucchini noodles

Saturday

Breakfast: Smoothie of bananas, berries, kale, nut butter, and almond milk

Lunch: Red lentil veggie burger with avocado salad

Dinner: Flatbread with grilled garden vegetables and pesto

Sunday

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes

Lunch: Zucchini boats stuffed with veggies and feta with tomato soup

Dinner: Chickpea curry with basmati rice

Conclusion

Most vegetarians don’t eat fish, poultry, and meat. Some also avoid animal-derived products like dairy and eggs.

A well-rounded vegetarian diet with nutrient-dense foods like grains, produce, plant-based protein, and healthy fats may provide impressive benefits. However, if poorly planned, it may also increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies.

Playing close attention to a few key nutrients and including a variety of healthy whole foods into your diet will help you experience the benefits of vegetarianism while minimizing the side effects.