Vegetarianism & Weight Loss: Is Going Veg a Fast Way to Lose Weight?

Does vegetarianism help you lose weight? I've been a vegetarian for most of my life. Ever since my youth, I have dutifully eaten my soy products, my cheese pizza, my tofu and my mashed potatoes. I've scarfed my spaghetti marinara and my vegetable lasagna. I've gulped down my fruit smoothies and my milkshakes. Fettuccine alfredo, ice cream, deep-fried okra, macaroni and cheese, all of them long-time favorite vegetarian foods. But alas, I have a confession to make, one which is almost too humiliating and frightening to post on this website. In the name of honest journalism, I reveal to the world that...

I hate salad.

Yes, I said it. I hate salad. I don't understand the appeal. Salad isn't filling, it isn't tasty, and it isn't really all that useful. Most of the time, it's a waste of a pretty plate. How did salad get to be so popular that it has its own fork, for goodness' sake? I just don't get it.

How on earth can I be a healthy vegetarian without eating salad, they all ask? How can I possibly eat anything anywhere if I don't like salad? Well, I'm not necessarily a healthy vegetarian, thank you very much. But I am trying.

See, all the food items listed in the first paragraph are vegetarian, but when they make up the entirety of one's diet, that person is anything but healthy. In fact, someone switching from the common omnivorous American diet to the diet outlined above is probably doing their body a disservice, even though there isn't a chunk of animal flesh to be found. It is far too easy to do it, too.

One of the most common mistakes made by new vegetarians is simply replacing their favorite meats with the vegetarian equivalent: swapping a cow burger for a soy burger, for instance, or a hot dog with a soy dog. What they don't realize is that, while it is probably still a better choice, vegetarian convenience foods could hardly be considered nutritionally dense. They're loaded with chemicals and preservatives just like meat-based foods are, and when you're making the transition in that way, you're not doing your body a favor.

You can do your body a favor, however, by issuing a slight paradigm shift with regards to your diet. Instead of trying to imitate your existing diet with foods you have probably already identified as "fake" to some degree, try changing the entire basis of your diet. Build a solid foundation on whole grains like brown rice and quinoa and bulgur, hearty vegetables like potatoes, eggplant, and squash, and use lettuce, tomatoes, and onions as the main part of your sandwich instead of just the condiments. Seek out fruits you've never seen before, try serving wilted kale instead of creamed spinach, and serve whole wheat pasta instead of the refined flour stuff.

Real results come from real changes, but imperceptible changes can lead to imperceptible (or even negative) results. Vegetarianism is more than just "not eating meat"; it's learning a new attitude and a new way of shopping, cooking, eating, and enjoying life. So if you've decided to become a vegetarian for weight loss or health purposes, take a tip from me, the salad-hater: Learn to like salad. It could be the best thing you've ever eaten.