Vegetarian menu to lose fat and gain muscle –

If you feel like giving up meat, chicken and fish but are afraid of losing muscle and becoming flabby, you’ll like to know: a vegetarian menu guarantees everything you need for a defined body. You just can’t suspend animal products without replacing them with whole grains, legumes and other plant sources of protein – an essential nutrient for building and maintaining lean mass. “Well balanced, the diet it is even suitable for athletes”, guarantees nutritionist Alessandra Luglio, from São Paulo – herself a supporter of a meatless diet and a fan of daily physical activity. Ah, it’s a fact: those who follow this line tend to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Another point in favor for those looking for a shape in shape!

Maybe your concern isn’t the scale – many people turn vegetarian out of respect for others. animals and the environment –, but the excesses around the waist tend to decrease. After evaluating 33,883 omnivorous volunteers (those who eat meat and vegetables) and 31,546 vegetarians, Epic-Oxford (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) found that 16.4% of people in the first group are obese; in the second, they are only 4.1%. A recent survey, from the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, points to one of the possibilities for this: the protein of legumes (peas and beans) is more satisfying than that of foods of animal origin.

See also: How a vegetarian diet helps you live longer

Okay, your friend gained weight. Probably because she compensated for the meat with larger portions of pasta, bread and pizza. “A common mistake”, warns endocrinologist Bruno Halpern, director of Abeso (Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome). And since carbohydrates are less filling, you eat more. There is still a risk of a lack of iron, zinc and, in particular, vitamins D and B12. However, done correctly, exchanges bring several benefits. “A plant-based menu has less saturated fat and more fibers, vitamins and other antioxidant substances. Therefore, it reduces the risk of diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and even some types of cancer, especially of the intestine and rectum”, says Alessandra. The nutritionist suggests, on the next pages, meals balanced in nutrients and in the right measure for you to have enough energy to work out and gain muscle, even without eating meat!

LESS FAT AND MORE MUSCLE

You won’t lack energy (the menu has about 1,500 calories) for you to work out or protein to gain lean mass!

BREAKFAST

OPTION 1 • Tapioca (2 col./soup of hydrated gum) stuffed with scrambled eggs (1 egg + 1 white) • 1 mashed banana with 1 col. (dessert) unsweetened cashew nut (or peanut) paste and 1 col. (coffee) cinnamon

OPTION 2 • Protein smoothie 1: 1 pot of natural skimmed Greek yogurt mixed with 1 cup. (coffee) of water, 1 cup. (tea) chopped mango, pulp of 1/2 passion fruit, 1 col. (coffee) of turmeric and 1 col. (dessert) honey (or molasses) • 3 small brown rice crackers with 1 col. (dessert) of tahini and 1 drizzle of honey (or molasses)

OPTION 3 • Protein smoothie 2: 1 small glass (150 ml) of vegetable drink (cashew or almond) mixed with 1 col. (soup) rice protein supplement with pea, 1 medium frozen banana and 1 col. (dessert) cocoa powder • 1 wholemeal toast with 1 tbsp. (soup) mashed avocado, salt and lemon

MORNING SNACK

OPTION 1 • 1 pot of natural skimmed Greek yogurt with 1 tbsp. (soup) of granola

OPTION 2 • 3 small brown rice crackers with mashed tofu, turmeric and salt

OPTION 3 • 2 col. (soup) mix of fruits, nuts and seeds (raisins, cranberries, Brazil nuts, shelled pumpkin seeds)

And more: 5 different options for veggie burgers

TO HAVE LUNCH

OPTION 1 • 1 medium bowl of lentil soup • 1 plate (flat) of sliced ​​grilled zucchini and eggplant, 1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt and herbs (thyme, oregano)

OPTION 2 • Mixed salad: 1 plate (flat) of colored leaves (lettuce, arugula, radicchio), fennel strips, 2 col. (soup) grated carrot, 2 col. (soup) chickpeas cooked with 1 col. (dessert) of extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt and herbs • Omelette: 2 eggs, 1/2 chopped tomato and fresh basil leaves

OPTION 3 • 1 portion of zucchini and tofu lasagna

SUPPER

OPTION 1 • 1 small glass (150 ml) of cashew nut drink with 1 col. (tea) cinnamon powder

OPTION 2 • 2 col. (soup) of avocado with 1 col. (coffee) of honey (or molasses) and 1 col. (tea) cocoa powder

OPTION 3 • 1 col. (soup) mixed nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, shelled pumpkin seeds)

LUNCH

OPTION 1 • Salad with tofu sauce: 1 plate (flat) of mixed leaves (lettuce, arugula, watercress), 2 col. (soup) grated carrot and 2 col. (soup) chopped heart of palm with 2 col. (soup) of tofu sauce (blend 40 g of firm tofu with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of water, 1/2 clove of garlic and salt in the food processor) • 2 tablespoons of tofu sauce. (soup) cassava puree • 1 medium bean shell with little broth • 2 col. (soup) of beetroot in cubes, sautéed and sprinkled with chopped chives

OPTION 2 • Pasta with grains and vegetables: 2 col. (for serving) wholemeal penne cooked al dente, 3 col. (soup) cooked chickpeas, 1/2 cup. (tea) cherry tomato, 1/2 cup. (tea) of Japanese pumpkin in cubes with the peel and 1 cup. (tea) broccoli roasted with salt and 1 col. (dessert) extra virgin olive oil

OPTION 3 • Leaf and walnut salad: 1 plate (flat) of purple lettuce and cabbage in strips, 5 cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp. (soup) of toasted walnuts, 1 col. (soup) of extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt • 2 col. (soup) brown rice • 4 col. (lentil soup) • 3 col. (soup) of sautéed mushrooms • 3 slices of grilled zucchini with 1 drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

AFTERNOON SNACK

OPTION 1 • 3 col. (soup) cassava cooked with 2 col. (soup) of cottage cheese

OPTION 2 • 4 slices of boiled sweet potato with tofupiry

OPTION 3 • Coconut and Chia Crepioca

AFTER TRAINING

Fit the menu according to the time you work out

OPTION 1 • beet crepioca

OPTION 2 • 1 small glass (150 ml) of orange juice shaken with 1/2 dose of vanilla whey protein (or neutral) and ice

OPTION 3 • 1/2 sweet potato small boiled and mashed with 3 col. (soup) of cottage cheese