How do vegan meals compare calorie-wise?

LiveLoveFitFab

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.

theabsentmindednurse

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!

theabsentmindednurse

A Plant Based diet still has many healt benefits as does any diet that includes a wide range of wholesome healthy foods.