Healthy, high calorie foods?

boopetta

I'm finding it extremely hard to get to even 1000 calories a day without eating crap, like chocolate+easy snacks. I'm really new to this whole calorie thing, I was wondering if anyone could suggest some healthy, high calorie foods?

Ah, btw, I'm veggie (mostly vegan) and wheat and dairy intolerant... yeah, just to make it more difficult!

Thanks!

acogg

Avocado, nuts and dried fruit.

wolfchild59

Fresh/natural nut butters are a great way to get calories and some healthy fats. Most versions have about 180-210 calories for every two tablespoons.

Similarly, nuts themselves are very calorie dense. You can get 200 calories easily in just a small bit of nuts. I tend to lean towards almonds or pistachios.

And avocado is another great option and works really well in a variety of things. It's 50 calories per ounce and the average medium avocado is about 4 ounces, so that's 200 calories again there for a whole one.

devynmariee

cashews, almonds, nut butters!

Rocbola

Sweet taters, rice.

taso42

Darn, I was about to say ice cream till i saw that you are dairy intolerant. Well there's always soy ice cream or hemp ice cream or coconut ice cream.

Generally speaking, liberal use of fats should help bring you up to your calorie target.

Don't worry so much about "eating like crap" or not. Try to hit sufficient protein levels and sufficient calories. Eating under 1000 calories a day is most definitely eating like crap. Eating within +/- 20% of your TDEE, with reasonable macros, even if that includes foods that the layperson considers "unhealthy", is in fact quite healthy.

shanmackie

i eat healthy for the most part and usually hit 2000 calories. i'm vegan. i don't find it incredibly difficult. maybe try eating 4-5 small meals a day?

jojorocksforeva

avocado ! its so good,
but high in protein and high in calorie which is okay
they are good calories and good protein! and good fat
so yep its very good

Unknown

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wellbert

eat a couple tablespoons of coconut oil

TazzytheMotivator

Nuts and dried fruits or fresh fruits. Chick peas and pecans.

kr1stadee

Nuts, avocados, peanut butter, dark chocolate (mmmm), eggs, honey, quinoa (I've read about 200 cals per cup)...
(apparently I missed the end of the thread when you said you are dairy intolerant.. chopped a few things from my list.. lol)

Have you tried sitting down in the morning or the night before and planning out the majority of your day to ensure that you get the calories that you need?

ChapinaGrande

Everybody else took my answers, but I'll post them anyway so I can feel useful. Peanut butter, avocado, olive oil to garnish lots of stuff, whole grain breads/tortillas/pasta/side dishes, bananas, sweet potatoes.

MidwestAngel

Darn, I was about to say ice cream till i saw that you are dairy intolerant. Well there's always soy ice cream or hemp ice cream or coconut ice cream.

Generally speaking, liberal use of fats should help bring you up to your calorie target.

Don't worry so much about "eating like crap" or not. Try to hit sufficient protein levels and sufficient calories. Eating under 1000 calories a day is most definitely eating like crap. Eating within +/- 20% of your TDEE, with reasonable macros, even if that includes foods that the layperson considers "unhealthy", is in fact quite healthy.

QFT

notyourkimmy

Do you not have much of an appetite? If that's the case, I would suggest protein shakes or smoothies to get extra calories without having to eat a lot of food

DepauvilleKid

Peanut butter is a great option. As someone else said, it's about 200 calories for a 2 tablespoon serving. Stick to all-natural, no-stir, peanut butter and it tastes so good. I eat a lot of the Peanut Butter Co. stuff, it's awesome. I spread it on whole grain toast, apples, even celery.

Easy way to add on some fast calories and fix your sweet tooth. Not to mention that it is filled with healthy, unsaturated fats, and helps lower your bad cholesterol. I often eat too few calories and PB has helped a lot in keeping my calorie count up. Now, if you struggle with over-eating and are trying to lose weight, PB is too calorie dense.

boopetta

Wow! Thanks everyone! Really great suggestions! I did notice that olive oil seems to be quite calorie packed, and I love it on everything. Oooh, and I love sweet potatoes!

I have tried planning meals, but my main problem is that I don't have a very large shopping budget... like you know those (evil wheaty) 11p noodles from Sainsburys? We were living off of those until recently, when my body decided that wheat really should go. I do like nuts+dried fruit, but it's so expensive...

Anyone have any ideas for cheap alternatives..? (I'm such a pain in the behind!)

(If anyone is wondering what my probs are I wrote a blog post last night)

Edit: link http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/boopetta

Firefox7275

IMO consider seeing a registered dietician to plan a diet that addresses your restrictions but still includes all the nutrients you require - calories are only a tiny part of the equation. Or do some research on vegetarian and vegan charity/ society websites. Some intolerances are caused by or contributed to by nutrient deficiencies. Are you taking a high strength marine algae extract/ long chain omega-3 supplement - these are powerful anti inflammatories? You clearly are not eating enough short chain omega-3s to meet your needs if you are eating so few calories - conversion to the useable long chain format can be as low as 10% anyway. Having refined carbs like cheap noodles will feed the 'bad' bacteria in your gut which can worsen intolerances and nutrient deficiencies - try a freeze dried probiotic supplement.

Other high calorie vegan foods include all nuts and seeds (especially consider ground flax and pumpkin for the omega-3s, magnesium and iron, almonds for protein, calcium and magnesium), block creamed or unsweetened dessicated coconut, avocados and olives. Dried fruits are fairly calorie dense and many are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidant s (eg. cranberries, unsweetened cherries, prunes). Cocoa is not unhealthy, quite the reverse it is packed with minerals: it is the added sugar in ready made products that is unhealthy so maybe make your own chocolate fruit and seeds snack bars/ flapjacks?

It's more than possible to have a healthy vegan diet on a budget, but that doesn't include glugging neat oils which are low on micronutrients and contain no protein or fibre to get your calories up, your body needs wholefoods. Sorry but you need nuts and seeds for quality protein if you won't eat animal products. Many dried fruits are not expensive for what you get, like nuts they are very low on water it's solid nutrients.

ETA if you are in the UK head over to Moneysavingexpert forums and hunt out Weezl74's many threads. She was planning a balanced diet for a family of four for only £100 a month and feeds her own family healthily on a shoestring - many meals are, of course, vegan.

boopetta

I'd love to see someone, but I really can't afford it. I can't even afford fresh fruits and vegetables (we buy cheap frozen veg, and can't do fruit at all). Times are hard, we can spend roughly £15 a week (so about £1 each a day)...

Missjulesdid

Do you like candy? Take some medjool dates and toss them in a food processor until it forms a paste. Add some nuts of your choice (toasted pecans are nice) and process for another few seconds until all blended together. Form into balls and roll in toasted coconut. High in calories without any junk.

Also coconut milk is VERY high in calories. You could make a nice green smoothie using half coconut milk and half almond milk as your base so you get good nutrition and also adequate calories for you.

NUTS... Adding a handful of nuts and seeds to your salad will add 150 calories.

olives and avocados are also excellent choices.

Hummus is a great choice too.. Make it yourself and add olive oil and extra tahini paste when you mix it and then drizzle some evoo on the top before serving. Eat with some gluten free crackers.

Good luck in meeting your goals!

Firefox7275

I'd love to see someone, but I really can't afford it. I can't even afford fresh fruits and vegetables (we buy cheap frozen veg, and can't do fruit at all). Times are hard, we can spend roughly £15 a week (so about £1 each a day)...

Have you actually been diagnosed with an intolerance or are you self diagnosing? If the latter my money is on a deficiency and/ or imbalance in the gut flora (I work in lifestyle healthcare so an educated guess). Magnesium and omega-3s can benefit both clinical depression and fibromyalgia in some cases, there are also links between the conditions and gastrointenstinal issues. Given you have multiple health issues and are veggie/ vegan ask your GP if they will refer you to an NHS state registered dietician. Are you aware of food banks and are you eligible?

There is nothing wrong with frozen veg nor doing without fresh fruit, dried is plenty nutritious. £1 each a day healthily is doable, I assure you people are and have been doing that on MSE. Also head over there to see what else you can cut back on and pick your foods carefully - dried beans or lentils are ~5p per serving and count once per day towards your five (ideally nine but start with five), fresh carrots and onions are ~5p a serving, mixed dried fruit is ~4p, frozen mixed veggies and dried green peas ~6p. Smartprice/ Value peanuts are £2.40 a kilo, peanut butter is £1.80 a kilo. Your £15 a week is £60 a month, which is a solid half of Weezl74's £100 for a family of four.

rapat

Stick to all-natural, no-stir, peanut butter and it tastes so good. I eat a lot of the Peanut Butter Co. stuff, it's awesome.

The natural, no stir peanut butter -- including PB Co. has other ingredients, usually palm oil http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/media/nutritional/17010001_nutr.gif

Which is not bad, but I prefer peanut butter that's just peanuts. I've found if I give it a really good stirring before putting it in the fridge then its fine. Not as convenient as the no-stir kind, but mentally I feel better about it.

I'm going to try to make my own pb next time (in a blender). I'll see how it goes...

boopetta

My GP tested for coeliacs (after the recommended time of eating stupid amount of gluten/wheat) and nothing came up, but she diagnosed intolerance based on the symptoms (worse muscle+joint pain, hives+spots, mood swings, insomnia, stomach cramps, bloating, etc.). Also, this was tested when we were better off financially, so eating a lot better+not underweight (and not in a fibro flare, so getting out of the flat a lot more). She basically told me to avoid eating it if it did that to me, I told her about the probs I get with dairy too and she gave the same advice

A while ago (when I still had an income) I tried cutting out foods a bit at a time, reintroducing, etc to test. Was interesting! I also do take omega 3 (mum+dad have bought me a year's supply of it! I am really lucky.) and I tried magnesium (pills and then spray) for a few months but didn't find a difference.

I recently got referred to do "get active" course via the cbt course for depression, and the first day I went the amazing lady made me realise that I really need to eat even tho I never feel hungry. She has put me in touch with a foodbank but I have had no response yet. Technically I'm not eligible tho because my husband works...
I talked to my GP about my difficulties buying and preparing food, but she basically said "if you're not eating because you're anorexic then I can help, but if you're not eating because you can't do it yourself then I can't help."

All this trying to organise+get in touch+sort just gets me sinking deeper into the black hole, especially when something doesn't work. Sads.

AyySixPack

Ahem! (clears throat)
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Peanut Butter!