Plant based - how do you get enough calories?

leosmith66
leosmith66 Posts: 69 Member
edited 4:32AM in Food and Nutrition
I want to go the whole month of January on a plant based diet. 2 years ago I tried this and it failed miserably because all I did was take my previous diet, cut out animal products, and add enough junk to make me full every day. Now I know better (I think), and I want to eat from these 4 food groups:
1) vegetables
2) fruit (3 pieces/day)
3) beans (1 cup/day)
4) nuts (100g/day)
In addition, my restrictions are 20-30% fat, no junk, grains & spuds only once or twice a week.

I tried to do something similar about a year ago and failed because I couldn't get enough calories. I was literally packing my stomach full 3 times a day, feeling bloated, and falling short of my energy requirements (2-2.5k/day). So how do you plant based people do it? Do you rely on shakes to reduce the volume or something? Do you eat more fat? Thanks in advance for your help.

(edit - I'd like to stick to 3 meals/day if possible)
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I'm not "plant based", but this is easy - you need to base your intake on grains and starchy vegetables, and add oils. For protein (this is disputed), eat combinations of grains and pulses. For overall nutrition, eat a wide variety of the things you do eat. I don't think shakes are necessary.
  • leosmith66
    leosmith66 Posts: 69 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    you need to base your intake on grains and starchy vegetables, and add oils
    Did you miss this line?
    leosmith66 wrote: »
    In addition, my restrictions are 20-30% fat, no junk, grains & spuds only once or twice a week.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    What's your reasoning for going plant based? Is it morality based or health based?
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    edited December 2016
    The biggest thing is getting enough protein, make sure to select foods/recipes that are at least 10 grams of protein per 100 calories throughout the day. I'm not sure why you would have problems getting enough calories, like others have said, there are so many vegan foods with even more caloires than the traditional omnivore lean protein recipes. There are many good vegan websites if you do a quick search, it doesn't take long to find. I don't really care what your reason is for being Vegan, do that if you want, but you miss out on the complete amino profile of essential and non-essential amino acids from animal proteins. Non-essential does not mean you don't need it in the human body, just that the body produces those with certain foods (plenty of info out on that as well). I totally get that some people have developed unusual reactions to animal products, especially those in mainstream food supplies with all the antibiotics, gmos, steriods, hormones, etc. Even though I love vegan foods as much as I love all food, I have the opposite problem (easily solved with portion control) of vegan foods often having way more calories compared to my leaner recipes.

    Have fun, it's your choice to be vegan if you want. Do the research, get enough protein, find enough fun recipes, look on the itnernet, be diligent and you will do just fine.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    leosmith66 wrote: »
    1) vegetables
    2) fruit (3 pieces/day)
    3) beans (1 cup/day)
    4) nuts (100g/day)
    In addition, my restrictions are 20-30% fat, no junk, grains & spuds only once or twice a week.
    You are setting yourself up for failure if you don't get enough of the calorie rich foods per day. If you go plant-based, you need to eat plenty of either fruits, or starches. 3 pieces a day of fruit, and spuds up to twice a week, might not be enough calories.

  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    Are the meat substitutes (tofu, tofurkey, veggie ground round etc) acceptable for this diet?
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    edited December 2016
    Well, clearly you need to eat more of something. If you're unwilling to up your fats (I'm assumimg you don't want more nuts or seeds? Although IMO, that would be the easiest without adding too much bulk/volume), your next best "calorie bang" would be starchy roots, grains (bread, pasta also), legumes, and tubers.

    Or more high sugar/calorie fruit. Those things are typically easy to eat more of without too much trouble. Or drink your calories. Fruit juices or higher calorie, sweetened nut milks in place of water.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Like others have said, on a plant-based diet, adequate calories will come by increasing starches (grains and tubers and more beans), fats (avocado, olives and coconut and various oils, more nuts and seeds), or you could possibly do it with fruit. One problem with relying on fruit vs. starches or nuts and seeds is that the latter provide some protein and fruit provides very little.

    Traditional healthy diets like those of the blue zones often are quite low in meat/animal products and can easily be converted to a plant-based diet, but they are also generally built around starches as a significant source of calories. You don't have to do that, but it's the easiest way and if you are as restrictive as you seem to want to be it will be tough.
  • darkenergie
    darkenergie Posts: 27 Member
    You can supplement with adding in vegan friendly protein powder shakes and maybe add carbs like bananas to up the calories? When I was eating a plant based diet, I also relied on vital wheat gluten (made Seitan burgers) to hit my protein macros; for about 220 calories, got in approx 35 grams protein, and they didn't have an extreme amount of added bulk. Not sure if your diet permits these options....
  • leosmith66
    leosmith66 Posts: 69 Member
    goldthistime wrote: »
    Are the meat substitutes (tofu, tofurkey, veggie ground round etc) acceptable for this diet?
    No, sorry I didn't provide enough info on that. No processed food of any kind.
    darkenergie wrote: »
    You can supplement with adding in vegan friendly protein powder shakes and maybe add carbs like bananas to up the calories? When I was eating a plant based diet, I also relied on vital wheat gluten (made Seitan burgers) to hit my protein macros; for about 220 calories, got in approx 35 grams protein, and they didn't have an extreme amount of added bulk. Not sure if your diet permits these options....
    Unfortunately not. 3 pieces of fruit, no grains. I'm not ruling out some sort of shake to reduce volume. Maybe 2 shakes a day, between the 3 meals. I guess I'll do some more searching.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited December 2016
    100g almonds
    79trslour6tl.png
    1 cup beans
    0jp5yu14qmgq.png


    So with those two you have spent 800 calories and are already at 57% fat with a paltry 33g protein and your other "allowed" items do not appear to have much protein
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    In a recent clinical study they resorted to orange juice to keep calories up.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    In a recent clinical study they resorted to orange juice to keep calories up.

    Surely that's processed.... And would technically exceed the 3 pieces of fruit rule? :p
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
    . [/quote]Unfortunately not. 3 pieces of fruit, no grains. I'm not ruling out some sort of shake to reduce volume. Maybe 2 shakes a day, between the 3 meals. I guess I'll do some more searching.

    [/quote]
    Then you're highly likely to fail again.

    Look at raw vegans (who I do NOT advocate emulating) pretty much limit their diets what you're talking about (minus beans, I think). They eat TONS of fruit. Their whole diet is based around fruit. If you're not willing to add in some grains or tubers, then you'll want to add in more fruit, at the very least.
  • leosmith66
    leosmith66 Posts: 69 Member
    :D
    Do you like it?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    leosmith66 wrote: »
    1) vegetables
    2) fruit (3 pieces/day)
    3) beans (1 cup/day)
    4) nuts (100g/day)
    In addition, my restrictions are 20-30% fat, no junk, grains & spuds only once or twice a week.

    What's the basis for your approach?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    leosmith66 wrote: »
    1) vegetables
    2) fruit (3 pieces/day)
    3) beans (1 cup/day)
    4) nuts (100g/day)
    In addition, my restrictions are 20-30% fat, no junk, grains & spuds only once or twice a week.

    What's the basis for your approach?

    All ears
  • Zinka61
    Zinka61 Posts: 563 Member
    Do your research on vegan diets before you attempt this, because the diet you describe is not balanced vegan nutrition. That's why those of us who eat plant based probably don't run into the problems you did before. Check out the Vegetarian Resource Group website for reliable nutrition guidelines for a vegan diet so you can do this right: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm
  • leosmith66
    leosmith66 Posts: 69 Member
    sprepej wrote: »
    Do your research on vegan diets before you attempt this, because the diet you describe is not balanced vegan nutrition. That's why those of us who eat plant based probably don't run into the problems you did before. Check out the Vegetarian Resource Group website for reliable nutrition guidelines for a vegan diet so you can do this right: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm
    Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. I'm curious to see how they define "balanced". Do you consume shakes at all?
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