I used to hear this all the time- the fact that I was a vegetarian for years must have been the reason I was so thin. Well, it turns out that vegetarians aren’t necessarily healthier, or even thinner, for that matter. My being thin has nothing to do with the fact that I used to not eat meat, or that I eat meat now. Learn why a vegetarian diet isn’t really going to make you lose weight.
Many vegetarian foods are high in calories and fat. I was a vegetarian who ate a lot of cheese and pasta, just without the chicken or beef. Not all vegetarians are going to eat a salad with a spritzer on it, and even soy options, like soy cheese and soy hot dogs, are high in calories and fat. Just like any other diet, a vegetarian diet has the no-no options that people go overboard on because they are healthier. Ever ate a whole bag of chips because they were baked and not fried? We often eat too much of food that is considered healthy. The calories add up, even in a veggie lifestyle.
Vegetarians don’t always eat healthier either, most vegetarians just don’t eat meat. To clarify, this means that vegetarians enjoy the same unhealthy eating habits as most unregulated diets, just sans the meat products. Cheese pizza, cheesecake, and even fried bean and cheese burritos- all these are go-to foods so long as they don’t have meat in them. Not all vegetarians eat eggplant.
The only way you will lose weight as a vegetarian is if you eat more fruits and vegetables and more legumes, which are full of fiber and keep you fuller, longer without all the calories. You can add this to even a meat diet. But ask most of your vegetarian friends if they eat a super healthy lifestyle, and they will most likely tell you that all they do is pick the pepperonis off their pizza. Simply not eating meat won’t make you healthier, not by any means.
Sources:
personal experience as a vegetarian
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/AN01580