Medical Keywords - Everything you need to know about health.

How to Get Full on a Vegetarian Diet

Are you always hungry? Maybe you are maintaining your weight, but are hungry all day long. Maybe you are continually feeling the need to eat and yet you are gaining weight. This can happen on a vegetarian diet. If you are a vegetarian and always hungry, you probably need to evaluate your meal plans. A well balanced, nutritious diet should leave you with a healthy weight and a satisfied stomach. If your diet is not balanced or does not include some item of nutrition that you need, your body will be constantly asking to be fed. It may not tell you exactly what it needs, only that it is hungry. There is also the possibility that you are not getting enough calories at all. Those two possibilities lead to an uncomfortable cycle of unsatisfying meals and snacks.

Are You Malnourished?

The most common form of malnourishment on a vegetarian diet is a lack of the nutrients that are found in meats and other animal products. You will be able to tell if you are malnourished by paying attention for a few tell tale symptoms. Are you always hungry? Do you eat until you are full, only to be ready to eat again in half an hour? That may mean that even though you fill your stomach with enough food volume, your body is not getting the nutrition it needs to function normally. The second symptom to watch out for is chronic tiredness. You may wake up in the morning feeling completely rested and ready for the day. After breakfast though, and after each successive meal, you have an irresistible need to crawl back into bed for a nap. That could mean, again, that your body is not getting the nutrients it needs and so attempts to, in a sense, hibernate. When at rest your body can do its best job at fulfilling its own needs, even on less than adequate nutrition.

If these symptoms describe how you feel, you are probably not getting enough protein and iron that is normally found in meat. If you continue your normal activities while depriving your body of essential nutrition you will probably end up sick. To avoid crashing, start investigating your options to eat more protein sources. If you eat fish, bring a can of tuna fish with you every day to work. Otherwise, eat cheese, yogurt, beans and nuts, along with whole grains, throughout the day.

Are You Eating Enough?

If you are simply not getting enough calories, you will probably feel similarly to the malnourished person described above. You will have additional symptoms though. When you do eat, you will feel better and more energetic right away. Your temptation to nap will come some time after you eat. If you are extremely active, consider bringing snacks with you wherever you go. Protein is still important for you, but you should also focus some on eating carbohydrates at regular intervals throughout the day.

When it comes to getting full on a vegetarian diet, the key is to eat enough of the right kinds of foods. Eating enough calories is important, but just eating more is not always the solution. If you are lacking in some specific area of nutrition you will need to focus your eating more towards that nutrient.