Does this sound like you? You mostly eat a plant-based diet, or maybe you avoid animal products completely. And you are finding it hard to gain weight and keep it in a healthy range. You need ideas for high calorie vegan foods.
Perhaps you are an athlete who burns calories like nobody’s business. You might be recovering from an illness and trying to gain the weight back. Or perhaps you have always tended to be under your ideal weight.
Many older adults have trouble keeping their weight in a healthy range.
Whatever the reason, I am here to support you with some ideas that can help you reach your goals while still honoring your food choices. I love to help people successfully put on weight. Let’s take a look at some healthy ideas that can boost your calorie intake.
Table of Contents
The Weight Challenge of a Plant Based Diet
Animal products are packed with energy. This is because those creatures have already taken the energy in plants and turned it into a form that is concentrated and easy to access.
The challenge is to find foods from the plant world which provide that same level of energy. Don’t worry, there are plenty to choose from!
Which Vegan Foods Have the Most Calories?
Of all the macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates), fats are the most concentrated source of calories. This doesn’t mean you should have fried foods and potato chips. To stay healthy you need to focus on healthy fats.
Let’s get clear first on the unhealthy fats.
Fats to Avoid
Fried Foods
Commercial fried foods, like potato chips and restaurant meals, use vegetable oils like soybean, corn, cottonseed or sunflower. These oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can be inflammatory when you eat too much of them. The frying process also breaks down the oils and creates substances that aren’t healthy.
Trans Fats
When a manufacturer takes an oil that is normally liquid at room temperature, and turns it into a solid, this is called hydrogenation. They are creating trans fats in the food. Everyone knows by now that trans fats increase your risk for heart disease and other health problems (1).
Avoid using products like solid vegetable shortening and stick margarine in your own kitchen. Commercial baked goods like pies, cakes and cookies, refrigerated doughs, and anything that comes coated with a batter can contain trans fats.
Seed oils
While seeds are fine, sometimes the oils that come from them can be problematic. There is a lot of debate about seed oils, with some people saying to avoid them entirely and others saying they are okay. Let’s look for the middle ground. Here are some reasons seed oils can be unhealthy:
- They are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can be inflammatory if you eat too much
- Many seeds are genetically modified
- The process used to extract the oils can create or introduce harmful compounds
It’s true that seeds contain omega-6 fatty acids. These can tip you over to inflammation if you eat too many omega-6 and not enough omega-3. It is still ok to use seed oils in moderation if the rest of your diet is good.
You can buy organic oils to be sure that the seeds were not genetically modified.
Seed oils that are chemically extracted may have residues from chemicals like hexane. However it is safe to use mechanically extracted, cold-pressed seed oils.
The bottom line here is that if you choose wisely and use them in moderation, seed oils are okay.
Fats To Eat
These plants are high in healthy fats:
- Coconut
- Avocado
- Olives
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Flax seeds
- Walnuts
- Other nuts and seeds
Coconut oil is a saturated fat. Research shows that coconut oil can have the same effects on your blood cholesterol as saturated fats that come from animals (2). So, if you are trying to manage your cholesterol levels, limit coconut oil to a tablespoon or less (depending on other saturated fats in your diet).
The good thing is that when you don’t eat meat, butter or milk products, you have more room in your diet to include some plant-based saturated fats. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting saturated fats to no more than 10% of your caloric intake (3).
Most of the fat in avocados and olives is mono-unsaturated. This is the type of fat that is prevalent in the Mediterranean diet, and may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (4). So bring on the avocados and olives!
Flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds and walnuts are high in alpha linolenic acid, an essential omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory. Eating them may help to prevent heart disease and support brain health (5).
Here are some other nuts and seeds that contain healthy fats:
- Pistachios
- Cashews
- Peanuts
- Almonds
- Macadamias
- Sesame
- Sunflower
- Pumpkin
Remember, we are talking about whole nuts and seeds now, not oils extracted from seeds. Note that not every food is right for everyone. You might have a condition where a certain type of nut or seed doesn’t work for you.
High Calorie Carbohydrates
Many of us are trying to keep our insulin levels down. However you need insulin to shift your body into a fat storage mode. If you are struggling to gain weight, you want to eat enough carbs to trigger insulin release, to help you store that energy. This is why a low carb diet may not be the best choice for someone trying to gain weight.
Starchy vegetables, beans and whole grains all provide complex carbohydrates. These are sugars linked together in long chains that take more time for the body to break down and digest. These foods also provide lots of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. They provide more calories than the more water-filled vegetables like cucumbers, lettuce or mushrooms.
Here are some great starchy vegetables:
- Potato and sweet potato
- Beetroot
- Corn
- Lima beans (and other beans)
- Green peas
- Carrots
- Parsnips and turnips
- Acorn or butternut squash
- Pumpkin
- Yam, cassava and plantain
Here are some whole grains that provide complex carbohydrates:
- Whole wheat
- Whole grain (brown) rice
- Quinoa
- Millet
- Rye
- Barley
- Oats
- Triticale
- Teff
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Sorghum
- Amaranth
Concentrated Sugars
Dried fruits of all kinds provide a concentrated form of sugar packaged up with fiber, vitamins and minerals. This is a delicious way to boost the energy in your meals.
Prunes, dried apricots, raisins and dried figs are examples of dried fruits that provide a lot of other nutrients along with the extra energy.
High Calorie Vegan Breakfast Foods
These foods can start your day off with plenty of energy:
- Oats prepared with whole fat coconut milk, sprinkled with seeds and topped with prunes
- Whole grain toast with a spread of hummus, topped with avocado slices
- Savory oatmeal with green peas and a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkled with hemp seeds
- Mediterranean breakfast with olives, walnuts, cucumbers, roasted carrots and dried figs
- Smoothie bowl made with oat milk, coconut cream, nut butter, berries, hemp seeds and sprinkled with a whole grain granola
High Calorie Vegan Lunches
- Portobello burger with hummus, avocado and vegan mayonnaise
- Creamed soup made with full fat coconut milk
- Rice and bean burritos with a side of avocado
- Spaghetti with pesto – substitute ¼ cup nutritional yeast for the parmesan cheese in pesto
- Roasted chickpea, avocado and cucumber sandwich on whole grain bread
- Tempeh quesadillas made with avocado oil and vegan cheese
- Banana, avocado and tofu smoothie
- Baked sweet potato with vegan cheese and coconut oil, topped with chopped dates
- Creamy succotash chowder with corn and lima beans, made with coconut milk
High Calorie Vegan Snacks
Adding one or two snacks during the day is a great way to increase calories. Here are some high calorie vegan foods to snack on in between meals:
- Vegan chocolate covered berries
- Chia pudding made with full fat coconut milk or oat milk
- Guacamole dip with whole grain crackers
- Peanut butter, prune and banana sandwich on whole grain bread
- Dates or prunes stuffed with nut butter
- Olives, nuts or seeds
- Cannellini beans on toast
- Spiced chickpeas roasted in coconut oil
- Toasted sweet potato slice topped with nut butter
- Pita with olives and hummus
- Walnuts and dried mango
The Last Morsel
You might have an ongoing struggle to gain weight, or be going through a special challenging time. And you need to do this without eating animal products. There are still plenty of high-energy vegan foods that you can eat.
Fats have the highest amount of energy of all the macronutrients. Nuts, seeds, olives, avocados and coconut are high in healthy fats.
Insulin helps you to store fat, and carbohydrates trigger the release of insulin. Starchy vegetables, beans and whole grains contain complex carbohydrates. They are packaged up with lots of other vitamins, minerals and protein.
Dried fruits are packed with concentrated energy along with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Do you have a favorite vegan food that packs in the calories? Tell us about it in the comments.
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