Vegetarian Meal Plan and Service

What is a Vegetarian Diet?

A vegetarian diet takes a plant-based approach to eating, where you avoid meat, fish, and poultry. There are many different levels of vegetarian eating, including the ovo vegetarian diet that includes eggs; and the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet where eggs and dairy are allowed. There is also a more extreme version of the vegetarian diet (the vegan diet) where you don’t consume any animal products at all, including dairy and eggs.

People choose to follow a vegetarian menu plan for many reasons. For some, it’s for health reasons, while others choose a vegetarian way of eating for ethical or religious purposes. Some people choose to eliminate animal products from their diet for environmental reasons, as livestock increases greenhouse gas emission.

Services like PlateJoy can provide you with a weekly vegetarian meal plan to help keep your vegetarian eating goals on track, and provide you with nourishing plant-based options to help support your overall health.

Click here to get started with your own customized vegetarian menu plan.

Benefits of Vegetarian Meal Plans and Menus

There are many benefits to plant-based vegetarian eating. Many people initially choose to follow a vegetarian menu plan for health benefits but also find that there are quite a few benefits when it comes to our role in supporting a cleaner environment.

One of the most common reasons people choose to eat a vegetarian diet is to help support a healthy weight. A study found that a vegetarian diet was far more effective when it came to weight loss when compared to non-vegetarian eaters. Another study found that a vegetarian diet proved to be more beneficial for fat loss in those with type 2 diabetes when compared to low-calorie diets. Disease prevention is another big benefit of the vegetarian diet, including a decrease in cancer risk. Studies have found that vegetarian diets may protect against breast cancer risk when compared to diets high in processed meat.

Another big reason people choose to follow a vegetarian menu plan is the social impact plant-based eating has. Eating more plants and less meat can help reduce your carbon footprint and can help reduce some of the damage caused to our environment from greenhouse gas emission caused by factory farming practices. Consuming more plants and less meat can also have an economical benefit as it would help decrease costs associated with livestock production. Plus, plant-based eating may keep more money in your pocket, and you may find your grocery bill isn’t as high each week.

All in all, a vegetarian menu plan has many social and environmental benefits, and more people are choosing a plant-based approach to eating than ever before.

Foods to Eat and Avoid with a Vegetarian Meal Plan

While we know that a vegetarian menu plan excludes things like meat and fish, let’s take a closer look at the foods you can eat on a vegetarian diet.

Vegetables
Fruits
Grains: quinoa, buckwheat, oats, rice
Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas
Nuts & Seeds: almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds
Plant-based protein: Tofu, tempeh, spirulina, nutritional yeast
Healthy fats: coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, avocado oil
Dairy: yogurt, milk, cheese, and other dairy products
Eggs

Now that you know about the foods you will be enjoying liberally on a vegetarian menu plan, here is a list of the foods you will want to avoid.

Meat: pork, beef, lamb
Poultry: chicken, turkey
Fish

Keep in mind that this is the food list for a standard vegetarian diet. There is more flexibility in different variations of the diet, such as the flexitarian or pescetarian diet. A flexitarian diet allows meat occasionally; for example, when dining out with friends. A pescatarian diet is predominantly plant-based, but allows for fish.

What to be Aware of When Following this Diet

As with any diet, there are some things to be aware of when first starting a vegetarian diet. One of the biggest concerns is making sure that you are getting enough protein and B12. To make sure that you are getting plenty of protein, focus on plant-based protein sources like beans, lentils, chickpeas, tempeh, and tofu. You can also sprinkle nutritional yeast over things like salads, soups, and stews to add some additional protein, and vitamin B12.

Getting enough vitamin B12 can be a challenge when avoiding animal products. Vegetarians may benefit from supplementing to make sure that they are getting enough. All in all, you can get enough of what you need if you eat a balanced and varied diet. Focus on consuming plenty of vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, quinoa and soy proteins to bulk up your protein intake. Superfood seeds like chia, flax, and hemp seeds are also all great sources of plant-based protein and fiber to supercharge your vegetarian menu plan.

Vegetarian Meal Plan Service

If you are looking for help to get started with a vegetarian diet, resources are available! Meal planning apps like PlateJoy make it easier than ever to follow a plant-based vegetarian diet.

You can use PlateJoy as your own personal vegetarian meal planning service to have custom vegetarian menu plans created each week. With customized recipes, you can eat a plant-based diet that’s full of flavor and nourishing foods to help keep your health goals on track.

Your customized vegetarian meal plan will be simple, nourishing, and delicious to help make plant-based eating simple and stress-free. Each vegetarian meal plan lists out exactly what you need for each recipe, with a weekly grocery list included to save you hours on meal prep each week. The meal planner also remembers what items you have in your pantry and fridge, to help avoid food waste.

With PlateJoy’s custom made meal plan made just for you, and grocery shopping delivery services, it’s easier than ever to stay on track with your vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian Meal Plans