Cutting carbs as a vegetarian

[Anonymous]

I am a vegetarian in my 40s and I need to up my protein as I know I eat way too many carbs. Specifically pretzels, toast, bagel, etc.
I obviously like veggies and beans but I need some good tips for quick recipes and easy breakfasts to get myself in a healthier space. A challenge I have is I love savory foods and many breakfasts are sweet so I default to breads.
I’m also a parent of young kids and I don’t have time to buy hard to find ingredients or spend a ton of time cooking. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

All I read was a list of excuses as to why you cannot stop eating sweet carbs. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

eggs for breakfast will start your day off correctly and add protein in the morning. Scrambled eggs take just a few minutes and good for your kids too.

[Anonymous]

Hard boil a bunch of eggs or buy them pre cooked.

Or mix some fruit with a scoop of protein powder in the blender and make a smoothie.

Cottage cheese, top with everything bagel seasoning and some cherry tomatoes and cucumber if you have it.

Smash avocado on a low carb tortilla with salt, can add a fried egg or cheese as well.

[Anonymous]

Or there’s protein waffle things people make with a waffle iron - chaffles I think? I found them too eggy but YMMV.

No shame in having a low sugar protein bar in a pinch, or a handful of nuts with a string cheese.

[Anonymous]

Eggs, obviously.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't think of it as "cutting carbs" because that's not really your aim. Your aim is to get more protein, right?

So, add things in. Make sure every meal and snack has a target amount of protein in it.

I think mentally it is always easier to ADD things to our diet than restrict. You may find the protein fills you up more so you are less likely to reach for so many carbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I read was a list of excuses as to why you cannot stop eating sweet carbs. Good luck.

NP. What? You are making things up. This OP doesn’t even seem to want sweet carbs, they like savory.

[Anonymous]

Eggs are super easy and so many ways to make them

[Anonymous]

Greek yogurt. It doesn't have to be sweet. Add salt and some spices and sliced cucumber.

[Anonymous]

I'm a veg in my 50s and gd I love carbs.

I don't know if you're looking to just cut back a bit or cut down radically. Assuming the former -

I eat steel cut oatmeal every morning with a lot of fruit. It's about half as many carbs as in a bagel. You can make a quinoa oatmeal thingie that's got fewer carbs still.

We eat a lot of baked sweet potatoes with veggies - those scratch the carb itch but even my diabetic spouse can eat them. Baked regular potatoes, too. I know, potatoes - carbs! But baked potatoes are really good for you.

I don't know how stringent you want to be - but there's stuff like spiraled zucchini that some people swear are just as good as pasta.

There's a lot of delicious Indian food you can make (or buy) and just not eat the rice or naan with it.

[Anonymous]

Eat savory breakfasts, the way most of the rest of the world does. Breakfast tacos, whole grain porridges with nuts, scrambled eggs, etc.

Carbs aren't usually the enemy -- usually it's a combo of processed carbs plus portion size. Whole grains will make you feel full for a longer time, so you'll naturally eat less.

[Anonymous]

Tofu. Make 1-2 lbs at a time. Slice into "fries" or "hot dogs"
Microwave to warm it up, toaster oven to finish. Keep in fridge and snack as desired.

Celery and carrot sticks.

[Anonymous]

If you don't buy the junk, you won't eat it.

[Anonymous]

Im vegetarian and don’t eat a ton of carbs. I have cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast, almonds for a snack, and then maybe an egg salad or cheese sandwich for lunch. Dinner varies. If I have rice it’s a small portion, I don’t really do pasta or potatoes.