Fat has been made out to seem evil over the last few decades, but more and more people are realizing that it’s not evil.
You need at least some fat to be healthy.
When you first switch to a vegan diet, a lot of your food sources of fat disappear. This can lead to cravings and actual health side effects.
I’ve created a large nutritional database for vegan foods using data from the USDA. Then, I sorted by amount of fat per serving.
The table below is the result, which contains 25 high fat vegan foods.
| Food | Serving | Energy (kcal) | Fats (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macadamia nut | 0.5 cup | 481 | 50.77 |
| Pine nuts | 0.5 cup | 454 | 46.15 |
| Brazil nut | 0.5 cup | 438 | 44.62 |
| Hazelnut | 0.5 cup | 424 | 41.01 |
| Walnut | 0.5 cup | 383 | 38.15 |
| Sunflower seeds | 0.5 cup | 409 | 36.02 |
| Peanuts | 0.5 cup | 414 | 35.95 |
| Sesame seeds | 0.5 cup | 413 | 35.76 |
| Pecans | 0.5 cup | 342 | 35.63 |
| Coconut meat | 0.25 coconut | 351 | 33.24 |
| Cashew | 0.5 cup | 393 | 31.75 |
| Pistachio nuts | 0.5 cup | 344 | 27.87 |
| Almonds | 1/2 cup | 313 | 26.96 |
| Avocado | 1 avocado | 227 | 20.96 |
| Durian | 0.5 durian | 442 | 16.04 |
| Hemp seeds | 3 tbsp | 166 | 14.62 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1 cup | 285 | 12.42 |
| Soybeans | 1 cup | 254 | 11.52 |
| Oats | 1 cup | 607 | 10.76 |
| Chia seeds | 3 tbsp | 146 | 9.22 |
| Flaxseed | 2 tbsp | 110 | 8.68 |
| Buckwheat groats | 1 cup | 567 | 4.44 |
| Chickpeas | 1 cup | 269 | 4.25 |
| Amaranth | 1 cup | 251 | 3.89 |
| Quinoa | 1 cup | 222 | 3.55 |
| Rye grain | 1 cup | 571 | 2.75 |
The biggest trends are easy to spot:
- All types of nuts and seeds are high in fat.
- Coconut and avocados are good vegetable sources of fats.
- Certain legumes like soybeans and chickpeas have a good amount of fat.
- Some grains (oats, rye, quinoa) have reasonable levels of fats.
Finally, while not on the table, cooking oils (olive, coconut, grapeseed, etc.) are all essentially 100% fat.
The only thing to really watch out for is your ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids, which can be an issue if your nut intake is high.
I’d suggest reviewing my post about vegan sources of omega 3 & 6 fats to find a good balance.