Cutting out meat and dairy doesn’t mean cutting out fat – and it shouldn’t. Fat keeps you full, supports your brain, and helps your body absorb key vitamins. The good news is that some of the best fat sources on the planet happen to be plants.
Here’s what to actually eat.
Takeaways
- Avocados, nuts, and olive oil are your go-to everyday fat sources.
- Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts give you plant-based omega-3s.
- An algae-based supplement is the simplest way to cover your DHA and EPA needs.
- Swap sunflower and corn oil for olive or rapeseed oil where you can.
Avocados and Olive Oil
These two do a lot of heavy lifting. Avocados are one of the fattiest plant foods you can eat in a good way. They’re packed with heart-friendly monounsaturated fats, fiber, and potassium. Use them on toast, in salads, or blended into sauces.
Olive oil is just as useful. It works as a cooking fat, a salad dressing base, or a finishing drizzle. Both are easy to build into daily meals without much effort.
Nuts and Seeds
Walnuts, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds – these are calorie-dense, filling, and genuinely nutritious. A small handful of nuts as a snack or a tablespoon of seeds stirred into oats goes a long way.
Walnuts and seeds like flax and chia are especially worth eating regularly because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which support brain and heart health. Also ground flaxseeds are one of the easiest additions you can make to your diet – they’re cheap, tasteless, and can mix into almost anything.
Omega’s
Plants provide a form of omega-3 called ALA, which your body uses as a starting point. But your brain and heart also need two other forms – DHA and EPA – and the body’s ability to convert ALA into those is limited.
Fish get their DHA and EPA from algae. So if you skip the fish, going straight to an algae-based supplement is the most straightforward fix. Also t’s cheap and easy to get. According to the Vegan Society, average adults should try to aim for at least 250mg of DHA per day – something a standard algae supplement covers easily.
Daily Improvements
Ground flaxseed or chia in your morning oats. Take a handful of walnuts or almonds during the day. Half an avocado at lunch a few times a week. Try to prioritise Olive oil for cooking. And supplement yourself with algae omega-3’s consistently.
That’s it. No complicated meal planning required.
