Vegans - what do you eat for fat?

Question

I've been having trouble hyperventilating. I've been told that I don't have enough fat in my diet. I hadn't realized the only fat I was eating was a little flax oil on my salads - if even that. I started eating avacados and it has helped some. I do still have hyperventilation episodes, just not as often. I have started eating a little salmon because of the fat. I am a healthy vegan. I don't eat junk and I eat very little soy. Any ideas? Thanks.

Answer 1

Maybe you are just having panic attacks.

Vegans don't eat salmon thus you are not a vegan.

Nuts and oils have good fats..I would think that a "vegan" would sort of know that.

Answer 2

I drink hemp milk,

it's high in fat and tastes really good!

Also,

edamame beans are a great source, as well as almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc.

Answer 3

Penuts, penuts, penuts

Also Olive Oil on you salad

All healthy kinds of fats

Answer 4

Nuts are a good source of fat.  If you saute veggies in olive oil or do a stir-fry in toasted sesame oil, you're getting fats in your diet.  You can also do a vegetable marinade or "rub" with olive oil and seasonings and grill your veggies.  Maybe bump the amount of soy you consume and have soy milk or "creamy" soups (unless you're allergic).

Vary your diet, too--I hope you're eating more than just salads!  Hummus (chickpea dip) has some fat and is delicious to boot!

And, as I'm sure you know, fish is not vegetarian, much less vegan.

Answer 5

Nuts, seeds, some fruits like avocados and coconuts, and oils are all good sources of fat.  There's no reason why you should have to add salmon to a balanced vegan diet; you can achieve sufficient fat intake without it.

Pick up a copy of "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, both registered dietitians, to answer your question more thoroughly.  It's pretty much the bible of vegan nutrition.

Answer 6

Nuts! You can put them on salad for crunch, Seeds, like sesame seeds, I had a veggie sandwich with some that was very good.  Avocados, sandwiches, and salads are always better with avocado. Soybeans, they are a great snack. You can also make a salad with them.   Salad dressings, with olive oil, or other veggie-oils.   I like to stir-fry with veggies and tofu, and sesame oil, yummy.  Whole foods has a great website, and they have good recipes too.  You can also go in the store and they might be able to help you find vegan snacks to boost fat.

Answer 7

WHO told you Hyperventilating(also sometimes called Panic Attack) was caused by too little Fat in your diet? There are many reason for this problem STRESS(mental & physical), Allergies are 2 biggies that come to mind.  I actually will have a attack if I have more than a tiny amount of MSG, Aspertane, Coffee or pure chocolate(Excitotoxins)

Good Fats: RAW Nuts & Seeds (Hemp, Pumpkin, Sunflower),Nut or Seed Butters, Avocados, E.V. Olive Oil, Raw Cold PressFlax Oil, Raw Cold Press Hemp Oil, Raw Coconut Oil (for cooking & baking)

I hope this of help.

Slainté (to your health)

Answer 8

i am a vegetarian, but thought i'd help anyway....

i eat a lot of nuts.....cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, anything really! pine nuts are high in good fats, so you might want to try integrating those.

i also use a lot of olive oil in my cooking.  it's a very healthy way to add fat to your diet.

Answer 9

There is some fat ontent in almost everything a vegan eats. Just look at Alec Baldwin! He is fat.

Answer 10

There's fat in nearly everything - you don't really need meat to get fat (though there's plenty of fat and grease in meat).

Try making dressing for your salads - oils are pure fat. Olive oil is great, for instance. I drizzle olive oil onto greens. Olives in general have a high fat content.

Avocados are fantastic and very high in fat. I use a butter knife and I spread very ripe avocado on bread as if it were butter.

Nuts of all sorts and types have lots of healthy fats - almonds, walnuts, pistachios.

The healthy fats in salmon - omega 3's - can be found in flax seeds and many other vegetarian fats, and sometimes in greater quantities. Flax seed oil has the greatest concentration of omega 3's than any other source, as I have learned.

If you are eating your flax seeds whole they may not be getting digested. Grind them up to release the oils, or use flax seed oil. Flax seeds also go stale very quickly so refrigerate them to prevent the omega 3's from breaking down. On top of that, using it in baking and frying can break the omega 3's down as well. Maybe just use flax seed oil as a supplement - have a spoonful or two every day.

As a side note, I'm not sure how not eating enough fat can cause hyperventilation. If you're eating a balanced vegan diet you should be getting WAY more than enough fats. Maybe the reason you were told to eat more fat is because fat helps the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins? A vitamin deficiency can lead to unusual symptoms in some people.

Answer 11

I am not a vegan, but you should try to eat some nuts. They have a lot of fat and calories.

Answer 12

Interesting question.  I did the veggie thing for about a year and I also had a oil deficiency -- it was one of the reasons I quit since I was doing it for health reasons and I didn't feel like eating french fries for the fat content.

Peanut Butter??

But most vegans would say that eating salmon is a bit of a no-no.....

Answer 13

Legumes, which would include soy products.