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While most people think that you will automatically lose weight on a vegetarian diet, this is not the case. While most of your food choices on a vegetarian diet are very healthy, what you choose to eat can have a big impact on whether you lose weight. It is still possible to eat high-fat and high-calorie foods, even as a vegetarian.

Many foods that vegetarians take for granted can have a lot of fat or calories. If you are a ovo-lacto-vegetarian, dairy products like eggs, butter, cheese, and cream all have lots of fat. Other "healthy" vegetarian choices, such as nuts and seeds, also are high in fat, so you need to watch how much of these you consume.

When you think of a vegetarian diet, you think you'll be consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables. And that is certainly a good direction to take. But after you look at it closely, you realize there are a lot of other things that can be eaten don't have as much of a positive effect on your health. In addition to the dairy choices above, there are plenty of other items you can eat that hurt you more than help you.

For instance, most items in the snack food aisle of your grocery store is probably fair game for a vegetarian. Does that mean you should live on crackers and chips? Absolutely not. In addition, fried foods like mozzarella sticks or fried zucchini are not too good to overindulge on.

Condiments can also be an often-overlooked source of calories and fat. Things like mayonnaise, ketchup, creamy salad dressings, and other condiments can be very fattening. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat sensibly, even if you are a vegetarian. Anything high in fat or sugar should be eaten sparingly.

What should you eat? Well, the veggies, of course. But beyond that, go for low- or non-fat version of foods, such as skim milk, low-fat cheeses, low-fat mayonnaise, etc. Keep your food choices sensible. If you are eating meat substitute products, such as tofu, know that they are relatively low in fat, and legumes are good for fiber. Some of your choices for protein, such as nuts, can have a tradeoff in that they are high in fat, so consume them sparingly.

Keep these things in mind when pursuing a vegetarian diet, and you will find that you are losing weight and becoming more healthy before you know it. Vegetarianism is a great way to improve your health and well-being.

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Please go to Low Calorie Vegetarian Recipe Site to learn about how to stay healthy and lose weight through vegetarianism.