I too am in search of low/no meat, low glycemic recipes.
--Tina

I have been following the Suesanne Somers Somersize diet. This diet is a low-carb diet that allows you to eat complex carbohydrates(whole grain breads, pastas, rice, beans and even fruit). You have to eat the carb. meal seperate from fat/proteins, and eat fruit only on an empty stomach then after 20 mins. you can eat a carb. meal. The book I have is "Get Skinny on Fabulous Foods", there is also a Somersize website. I too have tried the Atkins diet and got tired of eating practically nothing but meat. I have been Somersizing for three months and have lost 33lbs. You might want to check this out. It is a protein diet but you have the option of eating carbs.--Judy

You might want to explore foods with a low glycemic index. The definitive site is Rick Mendoza's.

Here is a link that might be useful: Glycemic Index Lists

any more suggestions on this topic?

Carbohydrates are essential for your central nervous system to function properly. Eat whole grains they are way better for you than refined foods.

I don't think it's possible to eliminate, or severely reduce, both meats and carbs and still have a healthy diet. What"s left? Fruit & veggies, fats and dairy products. It would be harder to meet your energy and protein needs. I suppose you could eat cheeses and drink milk to get most of your protein needs. Sounds pretty boring, though. Corrie

I've been veggie for 17 years and for years have eaten high carb, very low fat. For the past year, I've tried to do the 40-30-30 routine (40% carbs/30 protein/30 fat) as I don't think Atkins is healthy. (Not starting a war here, just stating my opinion). It's hard and I'm still kind of floundering but I've noticed a definite improvement in my energy level. It's easier, since I'm ovo/lacto. I make sure to have a large protein drink (protein powder + soy milk) each day & nibble on low fat/fat free cottage cheese or homemade tofu or else fry up some store bought tofu in some teriyaki sauce. From what I've been able to determine, these are the vegetarian sources for protein dense foods that are still not high in fat. Foods that used to be main meals (pasta, potatos, breads, etc.) have been relegated to side dishes. When I get some more time, I'm going to explore using soybeans in place of lentils & other beans in some of my old favorite recipes.

I am vegetarian (I do eat eggs, cheese, and milk) and also a diabetic. No insulin or pills, just exercise and diet for me so far. I have learned how to count carbs from my diabetes educator. But, because I am diabetic I could not have an all carb meal, it would put my blood sugar through the roof. I have to combine carbs and proteins. Since Christmas I have lost about 17 lbs. and have my blood sugars staying around the 120's or 130's when fasting. For my diabetes my doc wants me to keep my carbs at 10 - 12 servings a day. A serving of carbs is 15grams. Which equals 150 - 180 grams of carbs per day. And 1200 to 1500 calories. And exercise daily. So far it's working great for me. Good luck to you.

There is a misunderstanding about what is a carb. Broccoli and tomatoes are carbs, and they are very good for you. The culprits are the 'white' carbs. Breads, pastas, potatoes and corn, because they are high glycemic. Eliminate them. Go for whole grains and ALL veggies and ALL fruits....(try to not eat meat as there is NO fiber there.)

Hiya,
I've been following Rose Elliot's vegetarian low-carb diet for 7 weeks now and I can't praise it highly enough! I have lost 15lb, despite having to move house in between and lapsing so that I had to go back on carb-cleanse for a week!
The book has lots of delicious recipies, a very good 2 week menu plan to get you through the first phase 'carb cleanse', and carb counter charts for lots of vegetarian foods, along with many suggestions for healthy veggie low-carb eating generally.
As a vegetarian of over 20 years, I'd become rather stuck in my eating habits and the weight has been piling on for some time, despite my efforts to go low-cal and cut down on 'snacking'. Although I found the first week of this diet quite hard, I lost about 4lb and was so chuffed i stuck with it, and once I was past that first week I began to feel so much better that there was no going back! Now I'm finding that I just don't get hungry like I used to, I feel fine, enjoy my food, and have bags more energy than I used to have on my old, carb-heavy diet.
My best friend, also a veggie of 23 years or so, introduced me to this diet. She's been on it for about 6 months and not only does she now have the figure she used to have when we were 20 (we're 38), she looks really fit and healthy, and also remarks on how much more energy she has.
This book has been a revalation for me and I'd strongly recommend giving it a go. The best £7.99 I ever spent!

All the best
Sarah

I think a balanced diet something like South Beach works well. I've been watching my carb intake carefully, making sure I stick to the good ones. There is a tendancy I think on a vegetarian diet to overload on carbs. I always eat carbs with protein too. This helps keep blood sugar level, which helps with all kinds of problems, energy in particular, but for me, also helps avoid getting headaches. I've turned to nuts for snacking, mixed with string cheese, the lowfat cottage cheese, those bean soup cups, etc.

Be careful about low-carb high-protein diets. It may be okay to eat like that for a little while to lose some weight, but it is definitely not a healthy long-term diet.

Carbohydrates are very important for cell activity throughout the body. The secret is to keep the blood sugar levels as steady as possible. If it is too high, the excess carbohydrates are turned into fat. If it gets too low, you won't be able to effectively burn any fat. "Good" carbs don't cause a quick raise in blood sugar levels. The glycemic index and glycemic load are definitely worth looking at. They give you a very good idea of which carbs to eat and which ones to avoid. For people who are not diabetic, I wouldn't recommend strictly counting all the carbs or indexes or calories. That would tke all the fun out of eating.

Potatoes and whole wheat/grain pasta, brown rice and other not too refined products are very healthy and don't make you fat. They give you much more fiber than a high-protein diet will give you.
The problem with eating too much protein is that the digestion of protein yields in large amounts of uric acid and the kidneys have to work hard to get rid of it. Animal proteins are worse than plant proteins. Too much uric acid in the blood can lead to gout.

The recommendations for a well-balanced diet are 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat in regards to the total calorie intake. 40-30-30 like RoxieL states above is close to that, but a little too high in fat. The daily recommended amount of fiber is 35 gram which is quite a lot. Most people, including vegetarians, get too much protein and fat, but not enough fiber. By the way, fiber is also a carbohydrate!

Yes, kind of... I was on atkins then combined it with the R&D Cookie Diet and lost 50 lbs and found it easier to stay on. I did find that when I ate vegetarian I lost weight faster. I would eat 4 to 6 cookies during the day then a low carb meal around 3 or 4pm then a couple of cookies again as a late night snack. My meals were usually mushroom omelettes or fish/shrimp, etc.

Ok, so I googled looking for answers. I have been vegitarian for 27 years (since 12 yr old). I have always, since then, eliminated all meat, fish, poltry, eggs and milk (except things made with milk and eggs--). I kept cheese in the loop at all times. I have been a big fan of Mexican Food and Italian Food FOREVER... beans, rice, pasta, veggies. I have never been very overweight at any time, maybe at most 15 lbs. But sluggish a lot.
So weird thing... about 3 weeks ago, watched a Dr. Oz deal on bad carbs, the white ones- bread, pasta, tortillas, etc... all the carbs I take in (in my mind). The show was talking about how these carbs are additive in our brains. Made sence to me- you eat a chip and you can't just stop there. So I decided to not "cut them out immediately" because I do love them....will continue on next post

I'm about 95% vegetarian and have been for nearly all my life. I researched the Atkins diet extensively several years ago when I was a very active cyclist (I rode 35 to 50 miles per day about 4 to 5 times per week). I also looked into several other popular diets. The conclusion I reached is that none of them really works over the long haul, and most of them have moderate risk, ranging up to serious the longer you are on them. The Atkins diet is no exception.

Here's a brief rundown of some of the risks associated with the Atkins diet.

Just use a bit of common sense and maintain a balanced diet, and no, I don't mean the food pyramid. Nutritionists suggest a diet that is distributed among fats, carbs, and proteins in what they call the "acceptable macronutrient distribution range". This is about:

Fats 20 to 35% of your intake
Carbs 45 to 65%
Proteins 10 to 35%

Given that you're falling within those ranges, it boils down to the simple truth that if you want to lose weight, calorie expenditure must exceed calorie intake.

In short, if you don't use it, you won't lose it.