How Do I Gain Weight on a Vegan Diet?

Strange as it may sound, some vegans seek to gain weight. Whether because of a fitness regimen or health reasons, people on a vegan diet often need to increase their body mass. Not all vegans are stereotypically skinny and wasting away. There are even vegan body builders. The same principle of weight gain applies as with an omnivorous diet: Eat more calories than you use. When not consuming animal fats and proteins, however, there are special considerations to be made.

Basics

Knowing some basic nutritional information is essential to gaining weight as a vegan. Consume more calories in a day than you burn, and you gain weight. Consume fewer calories in a day than you burn, and you lose weight. Consuming the right type of calories is also important. Eating lots of simple sugars will put on weight, but that is not very healthy. Get your calories from protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.

Protein

Eating lots of protein is key to putting on muscle mass. Consuming between 1g and 2g of protein for every pound of lean muscle mass does the trick. Take your total body weight, subtract the amount of your weight that comes from body fat, and then eat 1g of protein for every remaining pound, every day. Nuts and beans and other legumes are protein-rich vegan foods. Get a wide variety of amino acids, which help build muscles.

Fat

Getting enough fat is important, especially for vegans. Healthy oils (such as flax seed oil, which is rich in omega fats) and nuts provide abundant amounts of unsaturated fats. Small amounts of saturated fats are necessary as well. Find these in coconut milk and oil.

Calorie Loading

Eat more calories in a day than you burn. Drink lots of protein shakes, put nuts and oils into your food and eat calorie-dense fruits and vegetables such as avocados, bananas and raisins. Complex carbohydrates provide energy and calories. Eat lots of whole wheat bread, potatoes and whole grain pasta.

Exercise

Regular exercise is important, no matter why you're gaining weight. Without exercising regularly, all your excess calories will turn to fat. You need to build lean muscle mass to be healthy.