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The skinny vegetarian – Fact or fiction

Posted by: Andrew Cate (Weight, Men's Health, Fitness)
4 May 2012

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I recently wrote an article for the Blackmores learning centre titled “Are vegetarians slimmer?”. It was focused on a summary of over 40 scientific studies which showed that a vegetarian diet is very effective for weight control. Vegetarians were found to weigh significantly less than non-vegetarians due to their higher fibre and lower kilojoule intake.

It seems that this article has opened up a can of worms, and has been a hotly debated topic on the Blackmores facebook page. One post stated that it’s too big a generalisation to say all vegetarians are slimmer because some vegetarian foods such as soy ice cream and potato chips are not going to help you lose weight. Others have declared their vegetarian status, and revealed that they are comfortably within the healthy weight range.

I think the devil is in the detail when it comes to vegetarianism. There are many different degrees of vegetarianism, where some people still include fish, eggs and dairy products. There is a general perception that being a vegetarian means being healthy, but loading up on cheese, margarine and battered fish will still make it hard to lose weight. Portion size must also be considered, because excess kilojoules can still be stored as fat, even if those excess kilojoules come from the plant kingdom. The real focus should be on balance, and making sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs without going overboard on kilojoules.

There can also be some emotional issues that surface when discussing vegetarianism, and the reasons why people adopt such a lifestyle. But for the purposes of this weight management blog, I’d love to read your thoughts and comments.

What’s your experience with vegetarianism from a weight loss perspective? Do you think following a vegetarian diet can boost weight loss?

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