High energy vegetarian foods ...
for
growing kids, active teens, athletic types and anyone else with a fast-paced metabolism
by Bonnie Kumer, RD
Book store shelves are stocked with "Eat more, weigh less" nutrition books, but little is written on healthy ways to increase your caloric intake. Vegetarian diets, particularly vegan diets, tend to have low calorie intakes because of their low fat and high fibre contents.
There are many cases where "high octane" foods are required
to accommodate high energy demands. Those engaged in physical sports have increased
energy needs ranging from 2000 to 6000 calories per day. Others such as pregnant
women may easily meet their energy needs but may not necessarily meet nutrient
requirements unless some attention is given to nutrient-dense foods. Even children,
with limited stomach capacities have high nutrient requirements.
A plant
centred diet contains mostly vegetables, whole grains and fruits which can be
too low in calories and other nutrients and too high in fibre to meet a child's
protein needs, particularly during the preschool years. Calories may also be a
concern for growing boys between the ages of 12 to 15 years because their nutrient
requirements are twice as high than at other times of their adolescence. In my
nutrition practise, I have also seen a few vegetarian adults with high metabolisms
who look like they could benefit from more "Good square meals".
So to help those children and adults looking for healthy fuel, here are some nutritious
menu suggestions and tips that won't leave you hungry:
Big breakfasts
· granola-type cereal with soy milk, dates, figs, and other dried or fresh
fruit.
· banana soy milk smoothies with tahini or almond, cashew or
sunflower butter added
· nut butter, such as almond or cashew, with
banana on whole grain toast and juice
· pancakes with sliced fruit,
walnuts, non-hydrogenated margarine and maple syrup
· whole grain
muffins with tahini & honey spread, banana and juice
Lay it on for lunch
· hummus in pita pocket with tabouli salad
· tofu or tempeh
paté on whole grain bread
· sliced avocado with tofu cheese
in a pita pocket
· cold or hot tofu burger, vegan mayonnaise on a
whole wheat bun
· almond butter, cashew or peanut butter with banana
or apple butter
· falafels, Jamaican vegetable patties, perogies,
or roti
Substantial soups
When you are in a hurry, packaged soups can
be turned into a substantial meal - try dressing them up with the following high
calorie items:
· cooked beans - kidney, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Always
have some in the fridge. They last approximately 4-5 days.
· have
a container of brown rice precooked in the fridge - it will last approximately
5 days
· cooked potatoes and pasta will add calories to your soups.
· 1/2 an avocado, 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice and fresh squeezed
lemon juice goes great in black bean soup mix.
Note: Soups have a tendency
to fill you up due to the high water content. Focus more on increasing the sandwich
volume than the soup.
Satisfying salads
If having a tossed salad, make
sure you add avocado, olives, nuts and seeds.Suggestions for high calorie salads:
· cold chick pea salad
· avocado salad
· pasta
salad
· potato salad
· rice salad
· bean salad
· marinated tofu salad
Dinner entrées
How to increase
your calories:
· in stirfrys, be more generous with canola or olive
oil & nuts or serve with a peanut sauce.
· increase your pasta
entrées and the portions - if you do not eat cheese, serve with ground
almonds on top.
· incorporate a wide range of different pastas, making
sure to increase the whole grain variety.
· pesto sauces with pine
nuts make a wonderful high calorie pasta dish.
· add chickpeas to
your tomato sauce and serve on pasta.
· drizzle canola or olive oil
over your rice entrées and top with ground nuts.
· add tofu
or tempeh.
Rich restaurant choices
· Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
- falafel, hummus, baklava, Baba ghanoush, tahini sauce
· Greek -
eggplant moussaka, hummus, baklava
· Indian - All-You-Can-Eat buffets
are great when you are hungry. But watch out! They can be very high in oil
· Italian - large portion of pasta with olive oil, pesto, bruschetta
· Chinese - noodle dishes, vegetable fried rice dishes; ask them to add
almonds, cashews or tofu
· European - potato perogies
·
African - potato/chickpea roti with rice
· Mexican - burritos, tacos,
enchiladas, refried beans and tortillas
Snack foods
· granola bars
or granola-type cookies
· dried apricots, prunes, dates, figs, and
raisins
· mixed dried nut and fruit mixture
· avocado
with lemon
· banana slices with nut butter
· whole grain
muffins, nut loaves, cookies using moderate amounts of sugar and oil
·
corn chips with dips - guacamole, hummus, bean dips, tempeh paté, tofu
dip
· banana soy milk smoothies with added tahini, peanut butter or
cashew butter
Additional helpful hints
· Always be aware when you
are hungry. Do not let yourself become preoccupied and let too much time pass.
· Carry snack foods on you such as nuts, dried fruit, trail mix, bananas,
whole grain muffins and cookies.
· If you forget to make your lunch
- buy it. Don't wait until you come home.
· Think a day ahead what
you will eat. Plan your meals ahead of time.
· Always have frozen
veggie type foods on hand for unplanned dinners such as veggie burgers, tofu lasagna
and bean burritos.
Bon's Appetite, Bonnie Kumer RD, Vegetarian Nutrition Consultant
(416) 929-8533