How do you get enough calories on a gluten-free vegan diet?

Question

I'm curious if I'm intolerant to gluten, so I'm giving gluten-free a test run. The problem is, I don't usually get enough calories as a vegan! This is my second day gluten-free, and it's been a struggle to get the 1500 calories I had in! As a vegan, I rarely seem to get over 2000 calories, and that's not enough for me; I have lost thirteen pounds in less than three months!

Where do I get my calories?

Answer 1

You need to make an effort to include calorie-dense foods in your diet.  Avocados, nuts and seeds are good examples, and you can add flax oil to lots of foods (drizzle it over cooked veggies, for example.)  You can also try to cook with a little more olive or canola oil than you might be used to; they are both heart-healthy fats.

Answer 2

It's not just calories that are a problem for a vegan. Even vegetarians have to know about making a full protein (what meat eaters get from meat, cheese, eggs and fish) from the things they have decided to restrict themselves to.

If you haven't worked out how to get enough calories, I'm fairly sure you haven't even thought about protein...

These things need to be eaten together to get a full protein: whole grains and pulses (beans, peas, lentils...), or brown rice and sesame seeds, or brown rice and cashews.

You can make a good one pot meal with rice and veg, start with a couple tablespoons of olive oil or flax oil in an enamel or similar casserole dish, which can stand being used on the hob. Heat it up and add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoonfuls of sesame seeds and 2 cupfuls of brown rice. Stir over the heat until it starts to go transparent. Add about a pound (450g) of chopped vegetables, such as mushrooms, carrots, leeks, zucchini, all cut into about 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces, 2 tablespoons of gluten-free soy sauce (tamari) and 4 cupfuls of water (twice the amount of rice). Bring to a boil and put the lid on. Stick it in the oven at about 350 F (180 C) and check it now and then until the water has all been absorbed. If you like hot things, eat it with some hot Indian pickle, which will add a few more calories (as it's pickled in oil). You can also cook it on the top, turning the heat down as low as you can and check it every 10 minutes or so, to make sure it doesn't burn. Add about a quarter cup extra water if you're cooking it on the top.

This can be reheated in the microwave. It keeps well in the fridge once it has gone cold. Because of the oil content, it is also quite good as part of a salad.

You need oil or fat in your diet because some nutrients can only be obtained in this way. So eat a lot of stir fry - you can stir fry almost anything if you cut it small. This will add both calories and nutrients.

If you're having grain at a meal but no beans/peas/lentils, add some cashew nuts. If you're having a meal based on beans/peas/lentils then add some sort of whole grain, like rice or millet, or oatcakes with some non-dairy spread.

Answer 3

Nuts nuts and more nuts.  Macadamia nuts have about 1000 calories per cup.  Not to mention beans and potatoes.  Adding oils like olive oil or peanut oil to food also increases the calories.  

Answer 4

Just eat a lot of nuts and maybe eat some vegan gluten free ice cream.

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Answer 5

oatmeal

brown rice

quinoa

beans beans beans

tofu

edamame

soy milk

Lots of nuts and seeds!!!  Snack on them all day (peanuts, cashews and almonds are my favorite, you may like *walnuts or macadamia* nuts too)