5 Weight Loss Foods for Vegetarians & Vegans by Laura Ng

Whether you're a vegetarian or not, your genes have little to do with your weight gain. What you eat is the main culprit. You've not been making wise vegetarian food choices all along and now you become overweight and desperately seeking weight loss solutions. All is not lost though. Here are the 5 vegetarian weight loss foods to help you achieve ideal weight as a vegetarian.

Vegetarian Weight Loss Food #1 - Carrot

Carrot is one of the best plant-based weight loss foods due to its low calorie but high nutritional content (such as vitamins A, C, beta carotene and fiber). Because of its abundant fiber, it fills you up easily, preventing you from heaping on excess calories.

Tip: Carrot is more nutritious when eaten cooked than raw as cooking breaks down its tough cellular walls. This enables your body to convert more beta carotene into vitamin A. Alternatively, you can blend carrots into juices but remember to drink the juices with the fiber.

Vegetarian Weight Loss Food #2 - Apple

Like carrot, apple is also relatively low in calories and high in fiber. You can eat one or two as one single meal but do not eat apples for all your meals. You need a balanced mix of all weight loss foods to obtain multiple vitamins and minerals for good health and effective fat loss.

Vegetarian Weight Loss Food #3 - Banana

Athletes favor bananas because banana contains high level of natural sugar which will release quickly into your bloodstream, thereby replenishing your energy levels within minutes.

The plus point is they do not add unwanted fat to your body while regulating blood pressure and boosting energy. Thus, you can take them as your ideal snack without the fear of gaining weight. You need energy for effective fat loss too.

Vegetarian Weight Loss Food #4 - Whole Grain Bread and Biscuits

I always choose whole grain bread and biscuits as they are rich in vitamin B, iron and fiber. The goodness of fiber, whether soluble or insoluble, is plentiful. Fiber not only gives you the feeling of fullness but also helps to prevent constipation by flushing out toxins from your body.

Fiber also stabilizes your blood sugar and controls your food cravings as it slows down your sugar absorption into your bloodstream. Thus fiber plays an extremely important role in your vegetarian weight loss diet. Keep your body free of toxins and you'll lose weight easily and naturally as vegetarian.

Vegetarian Weight Loss Food #5 - Chili

Chili is hot due to the presence of capsaicin. In fact, you may find this ingredient in many so-called effective "fat-burning" weight loss supplements. Capsaicin is good at increasing your metabolism, thereby helping your body to burn calories and fat. The hotter it is, the stronger the weight loss effect of capsaicin.

However, if you have a weak stomach, I advise you not to consume too much chili as it could upset your stomach easily, causing diarrhea or gastric pain. Moderation is the key to lose weight with chili.

I name out these 5 vegetarian weight loss foods just to give you an idea on how you can choose your food wisely to lose weight. There are in fact, hundreds of such foods out there waiting to help you sculpt your body shape and provide powerful nutrients your body needs to maintain excellent health.