Vegan Nutrition with Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D.

Dina Aronson, MS, RD is a vegan dietitian whose specialties include chronic disease prevention, vegetarian/vegan nutrition, and lifestyle management. She is the founder and director of VeganRD.com, a nutrition consulting company. Active in many vegetarian nutrition organizations, Dina was the recipient of the American Dietetic Association's Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award in 2002.

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I went vegan 2 years ago and since then I've gained about 20 pounds. I was expecting to lose weight, not gain. Is this common among vegans or am I the only one? -- Annie

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Dear Annie,

It is relatively common to see weight changes when we make a drastic change in our diets. After all, we are used to eating a certain way, and we fall into those habits and most of us keep our weight pretty much in the same range. When that changes, it is harder for us to gauge how much we are eating, and we can err on the side of either too little or too much, either of which may occur upon changing to a vegan eating plan.

That said, in my experience, seeing a 20-pound weight gain over two years after switching to a vegan diet is quite rare. First, I would ask you to consider factors other than the fact that you've stopped eating animal products. Have you had extra stress in your life, causing you to eat more? Have you started any medications that may have increased your appetite? Have you gone through hormonal changes, such as pregnancy or menopause? Have you had to cut back physical activity for any reason?

If all else has remained constant, then it's time to look at the amount of calories you're getting from food and beverages. Weight gain will occur when we take in more calories than we burn. So, moving more and/or eating fewer calories is the goal. However, we don't want to compromise on nutrition either, so I recommend a visit with a dietitian who specializes in vegan diets, so you can look at exactly what you're eating and figure out ways to improve your calorie balance while ensuring that you're getting enough of all nutrients.

If you're eating a wide variety of healthy foods, chances are that the bottom line is simply too much food. Those I know who have gained weight after going vegan have shared one common trait: They are so excited about their new way of eating, and so happy about how delicious the food tastes, that they overindulge. I remember one client who was reluctant to go 100% vegan because she adored ice cream. But once she tasted the newer soy-based frozen desserts, she wholeheartedly gave up dairy. But something else happened… her usual ½ cup serving of regular ice cream turned into a daily 2-cup serving of Soy Delicious! Sometimes we can get carried away by the exciting new foods we are eating. If this sounds familiar, take a look at your portion sizes (particularly of the less nutritious foods) and ask yourself whether they are realistic, or maybe a little too big.

Since I don't know what/how much you're eating, I can't tell you what the exact issue is, but in general, here are some mistakes that vegans can make that will lead to weight gain:

Overdependence on nuts, nut butters, and seeds. These are an important part of a healthy vegan eating plan, but because these foods are relatively dense in calories, it's not hard to overdo. Strive for 2-3 servings per day. One serving is 1 ounce of nuts or seeds, or 2 tablespoons of nut butter.
Too many dried fruits. Dried fruits are encouraged on a vegan diet because they are an excellent source of fiber and trace minerals. But they're also a concentrated calorie source, mostly from sugar, which won't fill us up and may make us even more hungry! So limit your dried fruit intake to 2 servings per day (a serving is about ¼ cup loosely packed), and have it with other foods such as hot cereal or in salads.
Eating too many refined carbohydrates. When dining out, a vegan is usually quite limited as far as food choices. But one type of food can almost always be found: refined carbs. Bagels, breads (especially breads - Italian bread, French bread, dinner rolls, sourdough bread… the list goes on), pasta, cereals, egg-free cookies, etc. are everywhere, and it's easy to choose too many of these types of foods. Unfortunately, they provide little in the way of nutrition but a lot of calories. Plus they're not very filling. A typical large deli or bagel shop bagel has about 400 calories, and a dinner-sized bowl of pasta can have 1000 or more. Solution: save these foods for times when there really aren't any other choices, and try to go easy on portions. Seek healthier food choices when you dine out, and use fewer of them at home. When you're out, look for salads, fresh fruits, bean-based dishes, soyfoods, whole grains (like oatmeal or grits), or even a vegan bar, such as a Luna or Clif bar or granola bar (Nature Valley has several vegan flavors and they're pretty easy to find).
Change in cooking style. Many vegan dishes start with oil in a pan. This is fine, but all that oil can add up. If you're using a lot of oil to sauté your vegetables and tofu, try to cut back. Fats are important in the vegan diet but it is easy to overindulge: one tablespoon of oil contains 120 calories. Along these same lines, check out what you're putting on your salad. Salads are healthful vegan staples, but it's too easy to overdress the salad and end up getting more calories than you bargained for in the dressing.
Beverages. There are delicious, nutritious vegan beverages to be had: soy-based drinks, fruit juice, vegetable juice, smoothies, etc. But one cup of grape juice, for example, provides 150 calories; that's even more than what's in soda! It is so easy to get too many calories from drinks, because they go down so fast and don't fill us up. If you're trying to lose weight, limit your beverages to water, seltzer, fortified soy milk, vegetable juice, and no more than 8 oz fruit juice per day (eating the whole fruit is better than drinking the juice). Make smoothies with whole fruit and soy milk (and ground flax seeds!), and make that your meal, rather than your beverage accompanying your meal.
Underdoing vegetables. Old habits are hard to break, and most omnivores' idea of a serving of vegetables is a small pile on your plate. Vegans need to BASE their meals around vegetables. Eat cup after cup of vegetables, and round out your plate with legumes, whole grains, and fruits. This will help balance out calories.

To figure out about how many calories you need, use this online calculator. To lose about 1/2 pound per week, subtract about 200 calories from the total, and increase your exercise by 20 minutes per day.

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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