I saw the post on Facebook to ask the nutritionist questions. My question is: How many grams of fat would you recommend a vegan eat?
I’m 5’8″, female, 24 years old, with an active lifestyle. I mainly eat nuts, seeds, nut butters, and avocados as fat sources. What would that look like over a day’s spread? 1 avocado + 1-2 oz. nuts? Or is that too much?
I’ve heard that there are a couple of vegan diets that are either high fat and not much fruit, or lower fat and high fruit. Is there any reasoning to that? – Kristina W.
Being a vegan makes no difference for your nutritional intake needs. The upper recommended limit for fat intake is 35% of calories. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, that’s about 75 grams of fat daily at most, with only 20 grams of it saturated fat. Here’s how that would look (in grams of Fat) for a healthy vegan day:
30 grams – 1/2 C. nuts & seeds
15 grams – Half of an avocado
10 grams – Whole grains (oats, quinoa, amaranth)
10 grams -Prepared foods (veggie burgers, soy foods)
10 grams – Cooking or condiment (dressing, egg-free mayo)
Fruit offers insignificant fat so it’s possible to meet your calorie and protein based goals without much fat. Try to make beans your primary protein source rather than nuts, seeds and/or prepared foods. – Debbie J., MS, RD
Do you have a question about your diet or nutrition?
Ask our dietitian by submitting your question to nutrition@lafitness.com or simply ask it in the COMMENTS section below. To learn how to follow the “Ask Our Dietitian” Q&A CLICK HERE!