Low fat vegetarian options

My doctor has me on a diet that might be classified as extreme vegan; essentially a vegan diet with no added oils (the proper name is the Esselstyn diet). Most vegan recipes I've seen are pretty high fat. Any ideas what restaurants might offer dishes in this category? If it weren't for the steamed vegetable dish at Hunan Wok we'd be going crazy.

Have you tried Roots/Heart and Soy? I can't speak to the added oils part, but they are nearly 100% vegan.

We've started doing the same thing in my family. It *is* hard to find stuff that qualifies in local restaurants. Since we only go out to eat once a week, as long as it's vegan, I've been eating it anyway.

North End has a great dish that used to be called the Tofu Scramble (I can't remember what it's called now, but it's under the breakfast section). Taco Punk always has a veg taco. Heart & Soy has many options. Havana Rumba and Mojitos have a few (but good) options that qualify.

If you get a hankering for a pizza, Uncle Maddios has a vegan "cheese". I wouldn't call it low fat, but I really wanted pizza so I tried it anyway. Frankly, I didn't care for it, but I thought I'd throw it out there. You might have a different reaction...

Hrm. That's all I've got.

If you're looking for a cookbook, everything I've made from the Engine 2 Diet book has been really good. I've also been following several blogs - http://ohsheglows.com/, http://happyherbivore.com/, and http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/.

Good luck.

I second the Engine 2 Diet cookbook, Oh She Glows, and Happy Herbivore. There is a Forks Over Knives book with some recipes in it too. Engine 2 also has a new book called Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue. Whole Foods probably has both of the E2 books...they sell the "plant strong" T-shirts so I would think they would have the books.

Fat Free Vegan has lots of recipes: http://fatfreevegan.com/

Watch "Forks Over Knives" if you haven't already...and you will see why you are doing this and why it is so worth it.

Restaurant options...Earth Friends Cafe (http://www.earthfriendscafe.com) has a "Clean Power Salad" that fits with the oil-free vegan diet and is quite yummy.

It's not that your diet needs to be "low fat," so much as "oil free," I think. Fats from things like nuts and avocado are what you're going for.

Thanks for the suggestions. My doctor did have me watch "Forks over Knives" right off the bat (it's on Netflix). If I'm not mistaken, the Engine 2 diet cookbook author is Esselstyn's son. I make my own oil-free hummus, and that's helped to keep things interesting. One of the first things I noticed is that my pulse rated dropped from the high 90s to about 75. I've lost 25 pounds in the month I've been doing this, so I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Yes, Engine 2 Diet is Rip Esselstyn's book. Lots of great recipes in it so pick it up if you haven't already. If you have an iPad, the Kindle version is a few bucks cheaper, and it reads pretty well on the iPad and functions well as a cookbook that way (versus the actual Kindle).

Avocado-based spreads are another healthy way to spice things up a bit.

I find that since going vegan it's a lot easier to cook at home most of the time.

Congratulations on your weight loss! Looks like you are seeing positive results of a plant-based diet! I went vegan for health reasons as well and I will never go back after the positive changes I have seen in my body and how it works.

Thanks for the suggestions. My doctor did have me watch "Forks over Knives" right off the bat (it's on Netflix). If I'm not mistaken, the Engine 2 diet cookbook author is Esselstyn's son. I make my own oil-free hummus, and that's helped to keep things interesting. One of the first things I noticed is that my pulse rated dropped from the high 90s to about 75. I've lost 25 pounds in the month I've been doing this, so I'm pretty pleased with the results.

25 lbs in one month?! Congratulations, Richard! Is that from diet alone, or have you increased your exercise dramatically too? Very impressive!

Deb

No increase in exercise; if anything I'm relatively sedentary. I need to spend some time on the exercise bike. I'm in my early 50s and have always been on the heavy side, but over the past 15 years or so my weight has climbed well above 300. My family is prone to type 2 diabetes, and when I first went to see this doctor my blood pressure was in the 160/110 range. I've seen this guy for a while, but the last time I went to see him he was all hyped up about the Esselstyn diet. He held a seminar a few weeks ago on how to work the diet in the real world, but I was out of town and couldn't make it. I'm hoping he does another one.
A couple of people mentioned using avocadoes and nuts; the version I'm on forbids those. I'm making some of my own stuff, and Trader Joes has a few fat-free sauces that make it easier to cope.
I'm sure a lot of my initial loss has to do with the fact that I started so high. We'll see if it keeps up.

My favorite recipe in the Forks Over Knives book is the Outrageous Brownies. I think I make them once a week now. They sound gross so I hesitated for a long time, but they're made with black beans. They end up tasting like super rich and gooey chocolatey brownies.

But my go-to has definitely been the E2Diet book. I haven't made anything that we didn't love.

For anyone not familiar with this way of eating, the idea is that you stay away from higher fat items like avocados and nuts if you're trying to lose weight. If you're not worried so much about the weight part, then they're fine. I found a super yummy chocolate pudding on the OhSheGlows site that's based on avocados. My 6yo loved it.

Excellent job on your success, Richard. I've been a vegetarian for 10 years so it wasn't much of a leap for me, but I'd imagine it would be harder for someone used to a more standard diet.

Thanks for the Engine 2 recommendation! I've been vegetarian since last summer but am looking to eat healthier even within that. You guys are always good for tips.

I've always really enjoyed the super veggie on whole wheat crust from Za's Pizza (low-fat cheese upon request). It's loaded with the usual pizza veggies in addition to broccoli, squash, and zucchini. I wonder if they would substitute vegan veggie shreds for the cheese if you brought your own? If I were in your shoes, I think I'd give it a try (assuming that's within the bounds of your diet).

The "Veggie Shreds" brand of cheese is vegetarian but not vegan, because it contains casein, the milk protein that this type of vegan diet is trying to avoid. Drives me nuts because I'm not sure who the audience for that product is...lactose intolerant people I guess.

Daiya is best for pizza IMO because it melts the fastest. Vegan Gourmet melts too but it takes about 15-20 minutes to do it.

The "Veggie Shreds" brand of cheese is vegetarian but not vegan, because it contains casein, the milk protein that this type of vegan diet is trying to avoid. Drives me nuts because I'm not sure who the audience for that product is...lactose intolerant people I guess.

Daiya is best for pizza IMO because it melts the fastest. Vegan Gourmet melts too but it takes about 15-20 minutes to do it.

Thanks for the information, Kari - I was completely unaware of that! My only experience with Veggie Shreds was from cooking for someone who was lactose intolerant, so now I know. Interesting thread.