How do vegan meals compare calorie-wise?
Caroline393
Posts: 71 Member
How do vegan meals or diets compare to regular ones as far as calories go? Is eating vegan pancakes, mac n cheese, etc lower calorie than the regular stuff?
I'm not interested in going full vegan, but I'd like to know if by incorporating vegan substitutes into meals I love I could cut calories while still eating the things I enjoy. This question could apply to other diets as well, like gluten-free (for example, subbing cauliflower for rice or pizza crust or other carb-y, bread-y things) or paleo.
I'm not interested in doing these diets completely because I know they're really just fads and overall don't make a huge difference in health over just eating healthier in general and I don't want to cut things out of my diet completely. But by following the occasional vegan recipe, could I cut calories?
I'm not interested in going full vegan, but I'd like to know if by incorporating vegan substitutes into meals I love I could cut calories while still eating the things I enjoy. This question could apply to other diets as well, like gluten-free (for example, subbing cauliflower for rice or pizza crust or other carb-y, bread-y things) or paleo.
I'm not interested in doing these diets completely because I know they're really just fads and overall don't make a huge difference in health over just eating healthier in general and I don't want to cut things out of my diet completely. But by following the occasional vegan recipe, could I cut calories?
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Replies
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Not necessarily.... You'd have to enter the recipe in to the recipe builder and determine which ones worked better for your goals. Vegan recipes can be calorie bombs7
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You can create low calorie vegan meals just as you can create low calorie non-vegan meals, but I'd never assume that a vegan dish had fewer calories simply because it was vegan. When I make mac and cheese, for example, I'm still using the same pasta a non-vegan would and I'm just replacing the cheese with a sauce based on cashews or sunflower seeds. I had a noodle dish last night that was about 900 calories (mostly because of tahini and soba noodles).
Vegan mayo and butter has just as many calories as non-vegan mayo and butter. Vegan pancakes are usually still going to have flour and some kind of fat and sweetener . . . I'm going to guess they have just about as many calories as non-vegan pancakes (unless you're specifically making the kind of calorie-cutting substitutions that you could just as easily make for non-vegan pancakes).
If you're interested in trying some vegan recipes specifically designed for lower calorie diets, I highly recommend "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It has a bunch of delicious recipes, designed to be made with easily found ingredients and most with short cooking times for weeknight cooking.6 -
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Caroline393 wrote: »How do vegan meals or diets compare to regular ones as far as calories go? Is eating vegan pancakes, mac n cheese, etc lower calorie than the regular stuff?
I'm not interested in going full vegan, but I'd like to know if by incorporating vegan substitutes into meals I love I could cut calories while still eating the things I enjoy. This question could apply to other diets as well, like gluten-free (for example, subbing cauliflower for rice or pizza crust or other carb-y, bread-y things) or paleo.
I'm not interested in doing these diets completely because I know they're really just fads and overall don't make a huge difference in health over just eating healthier in general and I don't want to cut things out of my diet completely. But by following the occasional vegan recipe, could I cut calories?
Not by default. Any diet can be as low or high calorie as you make it. I have a couple of vegan dishes I do that are pretty much calorie bombs, but also very healthy.1 -
I think you are asking if you switched to a vegan if it would be easier to cut calories?
That answer is no. I'm pretty sure every way of eating has "calorie bombs". Carnivore (what I call Keto), Omnivore (what I call what I do, no restrictions), Vegetarian, or Vegan all have foods that are high in calories.
In a perfect world, I tend to feel better when I eat mostly natural sources of protein, fat and carbs (so lean meat, veggies, fruits, legumes, non-processed grains, etc and reduce dairy, fried food and processed food), but I do know that I'll never be able to follow that ALL THE TIME. Sometimes you'll be in situations where you either eat what's on the menu, at a friend's house, at a party, etc or you just don't eat. And I know NOT EATING, for me, is a no go. So I live by the 80/20 rule. If 80% of the time I'm eating things that make me feel good, 20% of the time I can eat things outside my "perfect world".1 -
Caroline393 wrote: »I'm not interested in doing these diets completely because I know they're really just fads and overall don't make a huge difference in health over just eating healthier in general and I don't want to cut things out of my diet completely. But by following the occasional vegan recipe, could I cut calories?
Low calorie changes for recipes..........
You are better off starting with your favorite recipe & then finding a light version too. Then you can pick and choose the changes you are willing to make.
Straight off - more veggies in most things. Mac'n Cheese with broccoli or cauliflower: http://www.skinnytaste.com/skinny-baked-broccoli-macaroni-and/
Lower fat cheeses & milk / stronger flavored cheese: http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/recipe-makeovers/light-fettuccine-alfredo1 -
You won't automatically cut calories by following a vegan diet or any of the other diets you mentioned. Within any diet, you can find high-calorie and low-calorie foods, and you can easily overeat any kind of food. You should follow one of those diets if it helps you achieve other health or personal goals, but as far as weight loss is concerned, none of them are inherently better or worse than any other way of eating. You still need to log your food accurately and maintain a calorie deficit.3
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Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!1 -
Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Here's the thing...if you use substitutes for cheese or bread, you won't get your cheesy or bread-y fix. By the same token, cauliflower rice isn't a true substitute for carbs. You can absolutely have cauliflower instead of rice but it's a completely different dish.
Trying to use foods as substitutes for others isn't the greatest game plan. Ultimately they won't satisfy and you'll still be left with your initial craving. If you really want a certain type of food, it's best to let yourself have it. Just limit the portion and log the calories appropriately.3 -
Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Cauliflower has carbohydrates, although it is lower carbohydrate than some of the foods people are using it as a replacement for (potatoes, rice, etc). I enjoy making mashed potatoes with half potatoes and half cauliflower -- if you boil them together, they have a similar cooking time and you can just mash them together. I do this to control calories, not carbohydrates, but it works really well for me.
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Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Yeah, nuts are calorie bombs lol. There are several other recipes for a cheeze sauce that's made with potatoes and carrots and a few recipes that are made with cauliflower.
Although, a word of caution. If you make vegan cheeze thinking it's dairy cheese you will be greatly disappointed.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Cauliflower has carbohydrates, although it is lower carbohydrate than some of the foods people are using it as a replacement for (potatoes, rice, etc). I enjoy making mashed potatoes with half potatoes and half cauliflower -- if you boil them together, they have a similar cooking time and you can just mash them together. I do this to control calories, not carbohydrates, but it works really well for me.
This is brilliant.
I do a lot of zucchini/pasta dishes. Like where there would be 200 calories of spaghetti I sub zucchini for most of it and end up with less than 100 cals. Tastes so similar.0 -
cmriverside wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Cauliflower has carbohydrates, although it is lower carbohydrate than some of the foods people are using it as a replacement for (potatoes, rice, etc). I enjoy making mashed potatoes with half potatoes and half cauliflower -- if you boil them together, they have a similar cooking time and you can just mash them together. I do this to control calories, not carbohydrates, but it works really well for me.
This is brilliant.
I do a lot of zucchini/pasta dishes. Like where there would be 200 calories of spaghetti I sub zucchini for most of it and end up with less than 100 cals. Tastes so similar.
If you like broccoli and potatoes, you can do the same thing and make broccoli mashed potatoes. Tastes great with a bit of whatever cheese/cheese substitute you enjoy (I mix in some nutritional yeast).
I do the same thing you do with zucchini -- it's especially great for those days when I'm craving a big bowl of food because you can have *so many* zucchini noodles for a small number of calories.0 -
Caroline393 wrote: »How do vegan meals or diets compare to regular ones as far as calories go? Is eating vegan pancakes, mac n cheese, etc lower calorie than the regular stuff?
I'm not interested in going full vegan, but I'd like to know if by incorporating vegan substitutes into meals I love I could cut calories while still eating the things I enjoy. This question could apply to other diets as well, like gluten-free (for example, subbing cauliflower for rice or pizza crust or other carb-y, bread-y things) or paleo.
I'm not interested in doing these diets completely because I know they're really just fads and overall don't make a huge difference in health over just eating healthier in general and I don't want to cut things out of my diet completely. But by following the occasional vegan recipe, could I cut calories?Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Veganism is not a fad; but veganism as a way of cutting calories is a fad. There's a difference. If the underlying ethics of veganism don't resonate with you then it may not be for you.
Also, "healthy" does not mean low-calorie. We need to de-couple the two. Nutrition is multidimensional. There are many benefits to eating diverse plant sources instead of relying on animal foods for nutrition. Nuts don't contain cholesterol, hormones, or lactose, unlike milk; though both contain fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. Whether it is or isn't healthier depends on your body's tolerance to certain foods as well as your individual dietary needs, which are more complex than just caloric content.2 -
My daughter is vegan and she has a lot of calories and not necessarily healthy foods in her diet.0
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Caroline393 wrote: »How do vegan meals or diets compare to regular ones as far as calories go? Is eating vegan pancakes, mac n cheese, etc lower calorie than the regular stuff?
I'm not interested in going full vegan, but I'd like to know if by incorporating vegan substitutes into meals I love I could cut calories while still eating the things I enjoy. This question could apply to other diets as well, like gluten-free (for example, subbing cauliflower for rice or pizza crust or other carb-y, bread-y things) or paleo.
I'm not interested in doing these diets completely because I know they're really just fads and overall don't make a huge difference in health over just eating healthier in general and I don't want to cut things out of my diet completely. But by following the occasional vegan recipe, could I cut calories?Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Veganism is not a fad; but veganism as a way of cutting calories is a fad. There's a difference. If the underlying ethics of veganism don't resonate with you then it may not be for you.
Also, "healthy" does not mean low-calorie. We need to de-couple the two. Nutrition is multidimensional. There are many benefits to eating diverse plant sources instead of relying on animal foods for nutrition. Nuts don't contain cholesterol, hormones, or lactose, unlike milk; though both contain fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. Whether it is or isn't healthier depends on your body's tolerance to certain foods as well as your individual dietary needs, which are more complex than just caloric content.
Good point -- in the context of a balanced vegan diet where one is meeting calorie goals, a cashew-based sauce can be quite healthy. You're getting some protein and fat, along with vitamins like E, K, and B6, and minerals like iron, copper, magnesium, and selenium. And since vegans are typically using this as a stand-in for equally calorie-dense foods (things like dairy based sauces), it often balances out.1 -
I have to eat gluten free for medical reasons. The calories of gluten free bread is equal or more than regular bread.
The same with cookies, snacks etc. Just eat less of the bread and snacks that you enjoy.
If you want to cut back on calories eat more veggies that are low calories. Google volume eating. There are good recipes on veggie based meals.1 -
Caroline393 wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! That's what I was afraid of, I saw a Tasty video for a "healthy" vegan meal that involved grinding cashews as a substitute. When I entered the amount of cashews into MFP to see how many calories that was, I was pretty shocked haha.
I guess I'm just trying to find a way to eat delicious cheesy things and bread-y things without bombing my calorie goals. I've been wanting to try cauliflower as a sub for carbs, so I need to get on that!
Honestly, if I want bread or cheese, I want actual bread or cheese. Nothing else is the same for me. (I also despise cauliflower, though.)
I just eat a smaller amount of higher quality bread/cheese because I find that more satisfying than lots of low quality bread/cheese. Some bakeries sell fresh demi baguettes that are about two servings, so I buy that instead of a standard size loaf. Then I get a small amount of nice cheese from the cheese counter. There are also some good low-calorie spreads that I enjoy on my fresh bread. If you have a Trader Joe's, I like their bruschetta and eggplant spreads. Pair that with a big salad and/or a light vegetable soup, and you have yourself a nice dinner that won't use up too much of your calorie budget.
Mmm, bread.0 -
Not at all in fact most vegan alternatives are just as high in calories or more. (Vegan cookies, bars, cheese, etc are usually more than their low calorie dairy alternatives).0
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Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »Not at all in fact most vegan alternatives are just as high in calories or more. (Vegan cookies, bars, cheese, etc are usually more than their low calorie dairy alternatives).
There is a wide variety of vegan cookies and bars, I don't know if one could conclude that they're usually more than non-vegan cookies and bars.
Also, if you're comparing regular vegan cheese to cheese that is specifically designed to be lower calorie by reducing fat, it's not surprising that it has more calories. It's like comparing two different types of products. Anyway, for people who are interested, there are lower calorie cheese alternatives that can be made at home (usually by reducing the fat and using tofu or pureed vegetables as a base).0 -
I think like anything, it depends what you put in that vegan meal. Making a meal vegan doesn't necessarily lower the calorie content. I know that eating protein from tofu gives me more calories for protein because there aren't as many being taken up by the fat that usually accompanies meat. But then I fry the tofu, and those calories are right back on my plate.
I have seen some super high calorie vegan meals, and some that are low calorie, just like meat based meals.
I find since quitting meat that I do have more calories, but I also quit a lot of other stuff that isn't meat, like sugar. Quit adding sugar and you all of a sudden have tonnes of free calories to play with. I also quit pasta, it just makes me tired and bloated and I don't need the extra carbs. I get enough carbs from the stuff I eat that has vegetarian protein in it, such as beans.
I'm making some vegetarian tofu with curry sauce right now. The coconut milk more than cancels out the saved calories from not making it with meat. But, by not eating it with rice, I get to eat a lot of it.
I guess what I'm saying is, there are a lot better things to cut out of a meal than meat if you are trying to go low calorie. Lean meat doesn't have a tonne of calories in it per oz and cutting out other things will give you more bang for your calorie.
However, every meatless meal you make has a good impact on our environment and our world, so I'd still recommend it.0 -
I am vegetarian.
I try new recipes all the time but always log them in my Recipe Builder so I know the exact calories.
I am always surprised how the calories add up!
Never assume a Plant Based diet is Low Calorie.
Particularly if you add dairy, legumes, other proteins, nuts and grains.
While the meal may be Nutrient Dense,
It is often Calorie Dense!
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A Plant Based diet still has many healt benefits as does any diet that includes a wide range of wholesome healthy foods.
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