View Single Post
  #3   ^
Old Tue, Jan-01-08, 12:25
Gaelen's Avatar
Gaelen Gaelen is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 244
 
Plan: Protein Power
Stats: 216/166/150 Female 60 inches
BF:45%/33.5%/28%
Progress: 76%
Location: CNY
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthPeace
The standard vegetarian way to feel full is with fibre which also sort of holds water without it swooshing around in your stomach. All plant foods contain fibre. If you don't want to consume excess calories, the way to do it is with the lowest calorie plants, the non-starchy vegetables. Really what you want, for a host of reasons, is to eat about a pound of leafy greens a day. They are low carb, even as a percentage of their low calories, high protein, contain some omega fats too, and are rich in many nutrients.


Oh my.
That advice sounds a lot more like the 'standard party line' of 90s era low fat vegetarians than like a practical way to be a 21st century vegetarian low carber. Eating this way is NOT about CONTROLLING YOUR CALORIES, for pete's sake. And that advice is NOT any way at all to 'stay full' or effectively follow a vegetarian low carb plan.

First, many people cannot tolerate 'a pound of leafy greens a day.' To use a pictorial example, that's more than three full 5 oz., 6 cup bags of the pre-washed baby spinach available from the vegetable section of the supermarket (the standard, two bags for five dollars size is only about 5 oz.!) It's an entire HEAD of kale, including the stems. Frankly, that may work for you, NorthPeace, but in practice, a good-sized salad of chopped greens (half of one of those bags of spinach) is only about 3 cups of greens. That's less than a quarter of what you're recommending here. I eat some amount of greens every day--but 1-3 cups is a long way from a full pound.

Second, the human body needs adequate protein and good fats to feel full and stay that way for longer than an hour. The fullness most people would feel after eating a pound of leafy greens is gas, not a feeling of satiety--and you wouldn't be getting anywhere near the recommended adequate protein levels your body needs by going early 90s low fat vegetarian.

Leasmom, I know from other threads you have some food sensitivity issues, and I have no idea what you consider 'low carb' (for me, it's <40g ECC per day and around 12-15g per meal). But off the top of my head, the vegetarian things I would recommend to fill you up would include:
- nuts, seeds, and nut/seed butters
- soybeans in any form (tofu, tempeh, edamame, soybean burgers, soymilk and cheeses made from soymilk if you don't do dairy)
- full fat dairy if you can tolerate dairy--dry curd cottage cheese, full fat ricotta, cheeses of any and all kinds
- extra virgin olive oil
- butter
- small quantities of lentils, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans either whole or pureed with good fats to make dips
- avocados
- wheat gluten or wheat meat, if you can tolerate gluten
- eggs, in any form

If you can tolerate dairy, try making custards with eggs and heavy cream, or cheesecakes without sugar, to use to boost your intake.

If you can tolerate them, commercially prepared low carb wraps and tortillas can be very filling when spread with things like nut butters, cream cheese, black or green soybean spread, etc.

If you can eat eggs, then try quiches, frittatas, egg salads, egg custards.

Nut flours can be made into muffins and pancakes, crusts which you can fill with roasted veggies and cheese, or treat like pizza, and more.

I find that thick vegetable soups, thickened with a puree of veggies and/or cream or cheese, and a carb-appropriate serving of pita, Wasa rye crackers, a low carb wrap stuffed with veggies and cheese or something similar will fill me up from supper to breakfast.

I typically have a protein shake in the morning that is 40g protein and 8g carbs, and it holds me from 7 a.m. to well past noon. I make it from a good quality whey protein powder (Isopure Chocolate Low Carb), cold coffee, kefir and a shot of half and half.

You might also want to try Quorn; some versions of it are low carb (read the labels!) and when I've had it, it's been very filling.

I know you've mentioned you don't really eat fish, but if you're willing to give it a go, things like canned salmon and canned tuna, oyster stew, clam fritters, salmon croquettes with cheese sauces or mushroom sauces are inexpensive, low carb, filling and yes--meatless.

Some of these things may not apply to your personal food tastes or limitations, but the key is to take what you can use from the list and mix/match it to suit you. Remember that when you cut carbs, you NEED fats and proteins. If you don't give those things to your body, you WILL be hungry all the time.

Are you following any specific plan, or just kind of doing your own thing?
Reply With Quote