Can a Vegetarian Do the Paleo Diet Successfully?

If you spend time in fitness or weight loss circles online then you have probably heard a lot about the Paleo Diet.

Some people dub it the ‘caveman’ diet, which is the way it is usually described, due to the emphasis is on meat, fish and eggs.

Of course, the Paleo Diet does involve nuts and seeds as well, as well as fruit and vegetables, but those in sports circles love to talk about all the meat that they are enjoying.

If you are vegetarian, you could be forgiven for assuming that the diet simply is not for you.

While it’s true that a lot of the most popular vegetarian protein sources (dairy products) are off-limits, that doesn’t mean that vegetarians cannot follow the Paleo Diet.

It is possible, it will just take some study and some planning.

Paleo for Vegetarians

To stay healthy, you need to make sure that you are taking in sufficient protein and healthy fats. This is a challenge for vegetarians at the best of times, but on a diet where milk and cheese are off-limits, it is going to be even harder.

There are some foods that you can eat on the Paleo Diet that are good sources of protein and fats, though:

Eggs
Avocado
Olives
Nuts
Hemp Seeds
Pulses

If you combine that with sources of plant proteins as well, then you could make the Paleo Diet work. The challenge is making sure that you don’t go over your daily calorie allowance (nuts are very calorie dense, and avocado can be too!).

In addition, you will need to make sure that you eat plenty of vegetables for the fibre because the Paleo Diet discourages the consumption of grains.

Fruit is also an important part of the Paleo Diet, but you should plan fruit carefully. Fruit contains a sugar known as fructose, and it is easy to end up over-indulging, especially if you drink a lot of smoothies.

Fruit is a better ‘sweet treat’ than anything with cane sugar in it. Most fruits contain fibre which will slow down the digestion of the sugar, and they also contain lots of essential micronutrients, so you are at least getting some quality nutrition out of them.

Vegetarians need to watch out for deficiencies, especially for things like Vitamin B12 (normally, this is only a problem for vegans, but if you are cutting out fortified cereals and bread then a deficiency could occur in a vegetarian more easily as well), and iron.

For this reason, it is important that vegetarians learn as much as they can about any diet that they are considering following.

In Conclusion

It is possible to do the Paleo Diet as a vegetarian, and if you enjoy cooking there are even ways that you can do it without it being too boring or bland.

As with the decision to go vegetarian in the first place, though, it is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Any time you place restrictions on what you should or should not be eating, it is important that you plan ahead.

If you are interested to learn more about Paleo Diet and its benefits download our book “The Ultimate Paleo Diet Guide – Your Key to Healthy Weight Loss” available on our website https://paleowellnessretreat.com/

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