A 1200-Calorie Vegetarian Diet
It’s possible to get adequate nutrition if you follow a well-planned vegetarian diet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people who follow a vegetarian diet tend to have a lower body mass index, eat fewer calories and have lower rates of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. A 1,200-calorie meal plan is typically used for weight loss; therefore weight loss is usually successful when combined with a vegetarian meal plan. Consult a physician before you adopt any type of vegetarian diet.
Types
Types of vegetarian diets include semi-vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian and vegan. Semi-vegetarianism is the most liberal form of the diet and typically includes fish or chicken, eggs, dairy products and plant-based foods. Lacto-ovo vegetarians omit meat, chicken and fish but consume eggs, dairy products and plant-based foods. Lacto-vegetarians consume only dairy products and plant-based foods, while vegans only consume plant-based foods.
- Types of vegetarian diets include semi-vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian and vegan.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians omit meat, chicken and fish but consume eggs, dairy products and plant-based foods.
Weight Loss
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A 1,200-calorie diet is a low-calorie plan that typically results in weight loss for most adults. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 1,000- to 1,200-calorie meal plans will help most adult women lose weight, and 1,200- to 1,600-calorie plans are effective for most active women and women over 164 Ibs. If you regularly feel hungry on a 1,200-calorie vegetarian diet, the NHLBI recommends bumping up your daily calories slightly, by about 100 to 200 per day. If weight loss is your goal, the American Dietetic Association encourages a 1 to 2 Ib. per week rate of weight loss as an initial goal.
- A 1,200-calorie diet is a low-calorie plan that typically results in weight loss for most adults.
Important Nutrients
When consuming a low-calorie vegetarian diet, it’s important to make sure you’re getting adequate amounts of nutrients commonly found in omitted foods, such as meat. The American Dietetic Association identifies important nutrients for vegetarians as protein, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iodine, iron, zinc, vitamin B-12 and vitamin D. If you’re not getting sufficient amounts of these key nutrients from your diet, or if you’re unsure you are, your doctor may recommend taking a multivitamin supplement to help prevent deficiencies.
Sample Meal Plans
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The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 provides sample lacto-ovo vegetarian and vegan meal plans for different calorie levels. For example, 1,200-calorie lacto-ovo vegetarian meal plan consists of 1 cup of fruits; 1 1/2 cups of vegetables; 3 oz. of protein foods, such as eggs, soy products, legumes, nuts or seeds; 4 oz. of grains; 2 1/2 cups of dairy products; 13 g of oils; and 121 calories from solid fats and added sugars each day.
- The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 provides sample lacto-ovo vegetarian and vegan meal plans for different calorie levels.
- For example, 1,200-calorie lacto-ovo vegetarian meal plan consists of 1 cup of fruits; 1 1/2 cups of vegetables; 3 oz.
Related Articles
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- NHLBI; Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults; October 2000
- American Dietetic Association: Adult Weight Management (AWM) Realistic Weight Goal Setting
- American Dietetic Association; Vegetarian Diets; July 2009
- Le, L., & Sabaté, J. (2014). Beyond Meatless, the Health Effects of Vegan Diets: Findings from the Adventist Cohorts. Nutrients, 6(6), 2131–2147. doi:10.3390/nu6062131
- Nouvenne A, Ticinesi A, Morelli I, Guida L, Borghi L, Meschi T. Fad diets and their effect on urinary stone formation. Transl Androl Urol. 2014;3(3):303–312. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2223-4683.2014.06.01
- Moore W, McGrievy M, Turner-McGrievy G. Dietary adherence and acceptability of five different diets, including vegan and vegetarian diets, for weight loss: The New DIETs study. Eating Behaviors. 2015;19:33-38.
- Castañé, S., & Antón, A. (2017). Assessment of the nutritional quality and environmental impact of two food diets: A Mediterranean and a vegan diet. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167, 929–937. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.04.121
- Angela V Saunders, Winston J Craig and Surinder K Baines Zinc and vegetarian diets Med J Aust 2013; 199 (4): S17-S21. || doi:10.5694/mja11.11493
- Rizzo G, Laganà AS, Rapisarda AM, et al. Vitamin B12 among Vegetarians: Status, Assessment and Supplementation. Nutrients. 2016;8(12):767. Published 2016 Nov 29. doi:10.3390/nu8120767
- Clarys P, Deliens T, Huybrechts I, et al. Comparison of nutritional quality of the vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian and omnivorous diet. Nutrients. 2014;6(3):1318–1332. Published 2014 Mar 24. doi:10.3390/nu6031318
- Satija A, Bhupathiraju S. et al. Healthful and Unhealthful Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2017;70(4):411-422. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.05.047
- Van Audenhaege, M., Héraud, F., Menard, C., Bouyrie, J., Morois, S., Calamassi-Tran, G., Leblanc, J.-C. Impact of food consumption habits on the pesticide dietary intake: Comparison between a French vegetarian and the general population. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, (2009);26(10), 1372–1388. doi:10.1080/02652030903031171
- Alexander S, Ostfeld RJ, Allen K, Williams KA. A plant-based diet and hypertension. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):327–330. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.014
- Angela V Saunders, Winston J Craig and Surinder K Baines Zinc and vegetarian diets Med J Aust 2013; 199 (4): S17-S21. || doi:10.5694/mja11.11493
- Chang CM, Chiu THT, Chang CC, Lin MN, Lin CL. Plant-Based Diet, Cholesterol, and Risk of Gallstone Disease: A Prospective Study. Nutrients. 2019;11(2):335. Published 2019 Feb 4. doi:10.3390/nu11020335
- Clarys P, Deliens T, Huybrechts I, et al. Comparison of nutritional quality of the vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian and omnivorous diet. Nutrients. 2014;6(3):1318–1332. Published 2014 Mar 24. doi:10.3390/nu6031318
- Harvard Women's Health Watch. "Becoming a Vegetarian." Updated March 18, 2016.
- Kahleova H, Fleeman R, Hlozkova A, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. A plant-based diet in overweight individuals in a 16-week randomized clinical trial: metabolic benefits of plant protein. Nutr Diabetes. 2018;8(1):58. Published 2018 Nov 2. doi:10.1038/s41387-018-0067-4
- Le LT, Sabaté J. Beyond meatless, the health effects of vegan diets: findings from the Adventist cohorts. Nutrients. 2014;6(6):2131–2147. Published 2014 May 27. doi:10.3390/nu6062131
- Mantzios M. Editorial: Mindfulness and Eating Behavior. Front Psychol. 2018;9:1986. Published 2018 Oct 12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01986
- Moore W, McGrievy M, Turner-McGrievy G. Dietary adherence and acceptability of five different diets, including vegan and vegetarian diets, for weight loss: The New DIETs study. Eating Behaviors. 2015;19:33-38.
- Nouvenne A, Ticinesi A, Morelli I, Guida L, Borghi L, Meschi T. Fad diets and their effect on urinary stone formation. Transl Androl Urol. 2014;3(3):303–312. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2223-4683.2014.06.01
- Rizzo G, Laganà AS, Rapisarda AM, et al. Vitamin B12 among Vegetarians: Status, Assessment and Supplementation. Nutrients. 2016;8(12):767. Published 2016 Nov 29. doi:10.3390/nu8120767
- Satija A, Bhupathiraju S. et al. Healthful and Unhealthful Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2017;70(4):411-422. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.05.047
- Turner-McGrievy G, Mandes T, Crimarco A. A plant-based diet for overweight and obesity prevention and treatment. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2017;14(5):369–374. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.002
- Van Audenhaege, M., Héraud, F., Menard, C., Bouyrie, J., Morois, S., Calamassi-Tran, G., Leblanc, J.-C. Impact of food consumption habits on the pesticide dietary intake: Comparison between a French vegetarian and the general population. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, (2009);26(10), 1372–1388. doi:10.1080/02652030903031171
Writer Bio
Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in dietetics and has extensive experience working as a health writer and health educator. Her articles are published on various health, nutrition and fitness websites.