A study published in a May 2009 issue of “Diabetes Care” found that following a vegetarian diet may help protect you from obesity and type 2 diabetes. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, consuming a low-carb diet containing less than 35 percent of your daily energy intake from carbohydrates yields a reduced calorie intake and is effective for weight loss. This means consuming fewer than 140 grams of carbohydrates per day for a 1,600-calorie diet and less than 105 grams of carbs per day for a 1,200-calorie weight loss diet. Your low-carb, vegetarian grocery list is based on the type of vegetarian diet you’re following.
Mayo Clinic reports that low-carb diets often contain 50 to 150 grams of carbs per day. Vegetarians following a vegan diet only consume plant-based foods, such as vegetables, grains, soy products, nuts and vegetable oils. Vegetarians following an ovo-vegetarian diet eat plant-based foods plus eggs, and lacto-vegetarians consume plant-based foods plus dairy products. Lacto ovo-vegetarians eat plant-based foods, eggs and dairy products.
Although beef, pork, poultry and seafood are high in protein and very low in carbohydrates, they are not typically consumed by vegetarians. High-protein, low-carb vegan foods to add to your grocery list include tofu, seitan, soy milk, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds. Three ounces of seitan, a wheat protein, contain about 20 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbs; tofu, a soy-based protein, contains about 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbs in each 3-ounce portion. Most nuts and seeds contain about 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of carbs per ounce. If you follow a lacto-vegetarian diet, you can add cottage cheese and reduced-fat cheese to your low-carb grocery list, and if you follow an ovo-vegetarian diet you should add eggs to your list.
Vegetables are loaded with nutrients and are an important part of any vegetarian diet. Although vegetables do contain some carbohydrates, non-starchy, raw vegetables only contain about 5 grams of carb or less in each 1-cup portion. Examples of low-carb vegetables include leafy greens, celery, cucumbers, mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Steer clear of starchy, high-carb vegetables such as beets, potatoes, corn and peas. If you’re unsure of the carbohydrate content of a particular vegetable use an online nutrition database, such as Livestrong.com’s MyPlate or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database.
Foods high in healthy, mono- or polyunsaturated fats are naturally low in carbohydrates and, with the exception of fish oil, most are plant-based foods. In fact, vegetable oils are carb-free. Examples of healthy fats to add to your low-carb, vegetarian shopping list include canola oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, algal oil, pumpkin seed oil or walnut oil. Many of these oils are also high in omega-3 fatty acids.
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