Taking Care Of Myself Naturally

The Primal Diet, Vegetarianism, And Soy

by Amelia Graves

If you're giving the primal diet a whirl, you may be finding it difficult to consume enough protein and calories in your day. The primal diet mostly focuses on vegetables, fruit, and meat, which means vegetarians can eat their fill of their favorite veggies and fruits, but meat is a problem. Furthermore, the paleo and primal diets suggest that dieters not eat soy and soy-based products. If you're struggling to eat enough protein everyday while staying on a primal-vegetarian diet, this guide can help.

The Problem With Soy

If you've wondered why soy isn't allowed on the primal diet, the answer is easy: soy comes from a bean. The primal and paleo diets don't allow beans because they're full of phytic acid, which prevents the body from absorbing necessary nutrients. While soy has a lot of nutrients in it, the phytic acid counteracts the nutrients, resulting in your body absorbing little or none of those vitamins and minerals.

Unfortunately, this means that many of the soy products that vegetarians rely upon, like soy milk, tofu, and even edamame aren't allowed on primal.

Protein Guidelines

The amount of protein you need in your diet is largely dependent on how active you are, and what kind of exercise (if any) you're performing. For example, if you're doing cardio and weightlifting, you'll need more protein than a person who's fairly inactive through the day. Additionally, if you're doing the primal diet to try and lose weight, eating enough protein will help to prevent your body from breaking down muscle tissue. As a result, you'll burn fat instead, which is probably what you want to be losing.

Cheese, Milk, and Whey

The great thing about primal and vegetarianism is that you can eat milk products. While paleo usually avoids anything containing milk, primal dieters are free to eat milk, cheese, and whey products. Milk products are full of protein and can really help you to boost your daily protein intake. If you're still struggling to eat enough protein everyday, a soy-free whey protein powder is a great way to give yourself a boost. Protein powders from a company like Do Vitamins can be mixed into drinks, soup, or used to make smoothies and protein shakes. Starting your day off with a protein shake can help you to meet your nutritional goals, so give it a try.

Primal and vegetarianism may sound challenging, but it's actually quite manageable if you eat the right foods. With these two dieting disciplines, you can eat an incredibly healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and milk products that'll be great for your body and help you to lose weight or maintain your weight.

Share