Why are so many vegetarians overweight?

Answer 1

Caloric density. Most vegetarian foods have fewer calories in a given amount of volume/weight than omnivorous foods. Fruits and vegetables have very few calories- a pound of brocolli has about 150 calories, blueberries perhaps 300. You'd need to consume almost a dozen pounds of certain foods to reach your daily caloric needs! On the otherhand meat, especially fatty meat like beef, has many,many more calories per pound. A pound of ground beef can have around 1500 calories! This isn't to say that vegetarianism is necessary or a guarantee for weight loss. Vegetarians could pig out on calorically-dense chocolate raisins and gain weight just like anyone else. Likewise, you don't need to be a complete vegetarian to be able to eat a greater mass of food without gaining additional weight. Simply choose more fruits and vegetables (without added sugar or oil) instead of sweets, whole grains instead of enriched wheat flour (the insoluble fiber in whole grains means there's fewer calories per pound, along with a host of other benefits) and get your protein from lean meats or soy that haven't been adulterated (deep-fried, creamed, battered, and what not)

Answer 2

Vegetarians aren't thin.

I'm 5'11" and weigh 180 pounds.

There's a misconception that vegetarianism will cause you to lose weight. That will only happen if you are not eating properly. As a vegetarian, you have to make sure you get enough protein, fat, and nutrients.

Many meat-eaters will say, "I can't fill up on salad!"

Vegetarians can't fill up on salad either - unless it's a chickpea or pasta salad.

Answer 3

Actually most aren't. Most have a much healthier diet than meat eaters. If vegetarians are over weight the most likely causes are over eating starchy foods like crisps, not exercising enough or not taking in enough vitamins B, C, and D.

Answer 4

Vegetarians can be fat, but because they don't eat meat they don't get the fat of the animals. Meat has more fat than nutrients. So if you don't eat meat, you don't get the extra fat.