How to Do a Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet Correctly

If you've been curious about a low-carb diet, but don't eat meat, the Atkins Diet is not off limits. People have been doing a variety of low-carb vegetarian programs for as long as I've been on the Internet.

The driving principle behind a low-carb diet is to correct insulin resistance and fix any problems with the body's ability to mobilize its fat stores for energy. Being in ketosis will help control your appetite, improve cardiac markers, and balance blood glucose levels, but you don't need a high-meat diet to do that.

In fact, you don't have to eat any meat at all.

When it comes to following a low-carb diet, what's essential is to get an adequate amount of protein foods.

If you're trying to do a vegetarian low-carb diet, you need to make sure that you are getting all of the essential amino acids necessary to repair any daily tissue damage. You'll also need a few extra protein grams that the liver can use for glyconeogenesis, if needed. Popping a few fish oil capsules or flaxseed oil is also a good idea. 

Typically, a low-carb diet contains about 72 to 120 grams of protein, depending on how much lean muscle mass you have. A good rule of thumb is to eat .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, especially if you're using non-meat sources, but your protein needs will go down as you carve off the pounds.

While at first glance, a vegetarian low-carb meal might appear to be tricky, a little creativity and some ingenuity can make the program quite doable. The key is to adequately prepare ahead of time, before you dive into the program, so here's everything that you need to know to make the Atkins Diet successful when you don't eat meat.

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