Veganism is a growing lifestyle, and if you need high calories it is possible to incorporate high calorie vegan foods into your diet. It is important to maintain a healthy weight as a vegan, since it can become so easy to lose too much weight, because of low calorie intake. As a vegan, you naturally eat bigger portions and more frequently. During the day you burn a lot of calories with various activities. In order to maintain your weight, it is necessary to make sure your calorie intake matches your current weight, goal to lose weight if desired, or add weight if it is needed.
Being a vegan can be very challenging (we have some hints on how to convert to veganism), but with the wide variety of plant-based food available, there is no need to feel you are missing out on nutrition and health. This is especially so if following a raw diet, and hence not destroying the nutrients by cooking the food. Let’s continue and look at 10 high calorie raw foods.
What are Raw Foods?
In answering this we are focussing on plant-based food. Raw foods are:
- Foods that are in their natural form as it is found in nature
- Foods that have been heated below 48 degrees Celsius
- Food that has not been processed, refined or prepared in any way or had another ingredient added to it
- Some consider the absence of pesticides used on foods also as raw
Top Ten High Calorie Vegan Foods
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Avocados
- Sweet Potato
- Potato
- Legumes
- Corn
- Coconuts
- Mango
- Shitake Mushrooms
Nuts
Nuts are known for their high protein and high-fat content. Nuts are also one of the plant foods with the highest calorie count per 100 grams. Worldwide there are fifty-three different kinds of nuts of which only twenty are edible. Nuts are found all around the world and are a very easy food to find. Below we will explore five of these amazing and versatile food sources.
- Almond – Contains 162 calories per quarter cup. A quarter cup, about 23 almonds, is also rich in magnesium, vitamin E and dietary fibre. Each portion of 23 almonds provides 6 grams of protein.
- Pecan nut – Contains 690 calories per 100 grams. This nut contains no cholesterol or sodium. Each 100 grams serving of pecan nuts contain 71.97 grams of fat, 13.86 grams of carbohydrates and 9.17 grams of protein. Pecan nuts are one of the foods highest in antioxidants.
- Hazelnut – Contains 628 calories per 100 grams. Hazelnuts contain vitamin C, Iron, Vitamin B6 and magnesium. Each 100 gram serving contains 15 g of protein.
- Macadamia – Contains 718 calories per 100 grams. Macadamia nuts is a good source of Potassium (368 mg) and contain 8 grams of protein and 14 grams of carbohydrates.
Walnuts – Contains 654 calories per 100 grams. Seven walnuts are considered a portion.
Seeds
When we hear the word seed, we think about gardening and bird feed. And seeds are responsible for most of what we eat when it comes to plant-based foods. We do however get seeds that we can include in our daily lives and as part of a raw diet. Below are five of these seeds. Seeds are versatile and full of nutrients and high in calories. Seeds are a great source of healthy fats, and plant protein and are low in cholesterol.
- Sesame seeds – Contain 573 calories per 100 grams
- Pumpkin seeds – Contain 446 calories per 100 grams
- Sunflower seeds – Contain 584 calories per100 grams
- Flaxseed – Contain 534 calories per 100 grams
- Chia seeds – Contain 486 calories per 100 grams
Avocados
Avocados are known all around the world and are considered a healthy food with healthy fats. There are many types of avocado. Here are four popular ones.
- Mexican avocado
- Guatemalan avocado
- West Indian Avocado
- Hass Avocado
The Hass avocado is the most popular avocado and the one most commonly used. Avocados are available all year round, but for the best flavour try to get avocados in season.
Avocados contain 160 calories per100g. This fruit is packed with good fats but low in protein {2g per 100 grams}.
Sweet Potato
Sweet potato contains 86 calories per 100 grams.
Sweet potatoes are high in potassium, sodium and carbohydrates. Many cultures consider sweet potatoes to be a form of potatoes. It is a common and innocent mistake. Sweet potato is a vegetable in its own right and should be treated as such.
Potato
Around the world, potato is not considered a vegetable but a starch. This however is incorrect. Potato is a vegetable and can be eaten raw, although it’s not amongst my favourites raw!! Nonetheless, it is a vegetable and it is a raw food high in calories.
Potatoes come in many varieties all around the world and their uses are near endless.
Potatoes contain 77 calories per 100 grams.
Legumes
Legumes are one of the plant-based food groups that are high in calories. Not all legumes are safe to eat as a raw food. There are however a few that can be consumed as raw food. Although it is near impossible to enjoy eating legumes in their natural raw state, you can still enjoy them by preparing them by soaking and cooking them at a temperature below 48 degrees Celsius. This way the food is still considered a raw food.
Below are 3 legumes that with prepping can be consumed safely.
- Black beans- Contain 91 calories per 100 grams
- Chickpeas – Contain 364 calories per100 grams
- Lentils – Contain 116 calories per 100 grams
Corn
Corn is a great food and is loved by millions around the world. Apart from baby corn, which is a very crunchy and tasty vegetable when added to salads, corn on the cob when removed from the cob can also be enjoyed raw in salads giving it texture and crunch.
Corn contains 96 calories per 100 grams.
Corn also contains 3 g of protein per 100 grams and 19 grams of carbohydrates.
Shiitake Mushrooms
Mushrooms are also one of those foods that can be consumed raw and there are many different varieties of edible mushrooms.
The reason I chose shiitake mushrooms is because they are one of the mushrooms with the highest calorie count. I included mushrooms because of the texture. A big part of eating is not only about colour and taste, but also different kinds of textures.
The shiitake mushroom contains 34 calories per 100 grams.
Coconuts
Coconuts are a tropical fruit and are used worldwide to make a variety of products that can be used to make delicious dishes. The coconut has got a fleshy part and a liquid part in its coconut water.
The flesh of this fruit can be eaten as raw food and is delicious in salads or just as a snack.
Coconuts contain 354 calories per 100 grams
Per 100 grams coconut also contains 3 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fibre.
Mango
Mangos are also a tropical fruit that can be used in salads or just enjoyed on their own.
Mangos contain 60 calories per 100 grams.
Mangos are rich in Vitamin C and contain copper, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin A and Vitamin E.
Every 100 grams of mango contains 1.4 grams of protein and 24.7 grams of carbohydrates.
So it is possible to lead a vegan high calorie lifestyle?
The lifestyle change a person makes to become a vegan is a challenging one. In the end, it can be a great decision for so many reasons. Aside from health benefits, as a vegan, you also make a contribution to the health of our planet.
It is a myth that vegans cannot live a healthy and yet high calorie lifestyle. There is an endless supply of recipes and dishes to help you enjoy a high calorie vegan foods.
