Why am I always hungry all the time on a whole food plant based diet? Answer: you probably need to take in more calories. Calories are fruit and more nutrition is vegetables.
Don’t forget you need to get a certain amount of daily calories. If you crave processed or refined carb snacks, fats and sweets, try eating more fruit. If you crave salt, eat more green salads.
It takes a little diligence in the beginning (until you get the hang of it) to make sure you get all the calories you need to get you through the day. Don’t forget that if you were overweight on the standard American diet, you were getting too many calories and that’s what your body is used to.
You might have to count them up for awhile in the beginning until you get used to eating this way. For example, I found that I need about 2,000 calories a day to feel right. This amount maintains my current weight of 158 lbs. In other words, I don’t gain weight, I don’t lose any and I have enough energy throughout each day to function.
If you feel tired that might be your body’s way of telling you that you need more calories. You should learn how many are in the plant based whole foods you are consuming. When you don’t get enough of the right calories, your body will be in the starvation mode and you won’t lose any weight. It will do its best to hold on to the weight ensuring you won’t starve to death.
If you crave snack foods like chips and candy all the time, chances are you need to consume more calories in the form of fruits and things like beans, brown rice and potatoes…
Legumes and whole grains have fiber that makes you feel full and because of their complex carbs make you feel satiated. Complex carbs take longer to break down so the energy they give off lasts longer or is more stable, unlike simple sugar from fruits that gives you almost immediate energy and gets used up within minutes instead of hours.
You can visit Supertracker at the USDA to figure out your daily calorie requirements. It’s worth the effort so you have a target or calorie guide to go by to plan your meals.
