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Despite
the overwhelming success of so many vegetarian athletes and bodybuilders making
headlines lately, there are still lots of people who question the merits and feasibility
of the vegetarian fitness lifestyle.
The American
Dietetic Association asserts that vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals
during all stages of life, including athletes. And a look back through history
tells us that the best athletes in ancient times swore by vegetarian diets.
Yet
many questions and concerns continue to prevent athletes from adjusting their
meals and phasing out meat to live healthier lifestyles and
enhance their performance.
Rooted
in science and proven effective by some of the top athletes and bodybuilders on
the planet, here is a defence of the vegetarian fitness lifestyle and how you can
start living it too.
What Is
Vegetarianism?
In
its most basic sense, a vegetarian is a person who doesn’t eat meat. This
means avoiding foods that consist of or that have been produced from
products that come from any part of an animal.
However,
there are several variations of vegetarianism, so it’s important to make a few key
distinctions. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat dairy and eggs, and lacto-vegetarians
eat dairy but not eggs. Meanwhile, ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy and vegans don’t eat any of either of these foods.
A Vegetarian
Times study determined that 22.8 million people, representing 10
percent of adults in the U.S., mostly (but not entirely) follow a vegetarian diet. Approximately 7.3 million people,
representing 3.2 percent of American adults, strictly stick to vegetarian meals.
However,
these figures have been increasing by the year, and a more recent survey
estimates that around 16 million people in America have gone totally meat-free.
Vegetarianism and
General Health
In
terms of both general health and physical fitness, there are clear, undisputed
advantages associated with the vegetarian lifestyle.
Although
there are some overweight and obese vegetarians in the world today, those who
do not eat meat are generally healthier and have a lower risk of
disease.
In
“Meat Intake and Mortality: A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People”
published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers concluded
that red and processed meat intakes are directly connected to increases in
total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality.
Health
benefits of vegetarianism include lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, fewer digestive disorders, and lower incidences of
obesity and diabetes. Other studies reference
greater resilience to renal disease, dementia, diverticular disease, gallstones, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Animal-based
foods are often high in acidity, which is a known cause of inflammation.
Meanwhile,
fresh and organic fruits and vegetables fuel the
body with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are easy to digest and provide
energy.
Many
types of meat sold in America are packed with hormones and antibiotics to
sustain factory farming practices with no regard for their impact on human
health upon consumption.
Vegetarian
Bodybuilding Diet - Vegetarianism and Fitness
But
the benefits of vegetarianism go far beyond general wellness and disease
prevention. In fact, a meat-free diet can give athletes a competitive
edge that helps them perform and compete better than their meat-eating
counterparts.
For
endurance athletes, performance is largely driven by fueling the body
with carbohydrates, which can easily and healthily be obtained through
plant-based sources.
As long as a
vegetarian diet isn’t unnecessarily restrictive, it can provide athletes with
all the nutrients needed to perform and compete.
Furthermore,
“Physical Fitness and Vegetarian Diets: Is There a Relation?” published
in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that
“athletes who consume diets rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains receive high
amounts of antioxidant nutrients that help reduce the oxidative stress associated with heavy exertion.”
Female
athletes, in particular, may be hesitant to cut dairy products out of their
diets because calcium is essential to maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis.
Fortunately, there are lots of plants that are packed with calcium, including
broccoli, bok choy, collards, kale, and Chinese cabbage.
Regardless
of gender, the benefits of a vegetarian diet are so overwhelming that this
lifestyle is worthy of consideration by all athletes.
The
fat, protein, and carbohydrate balance associated with vegetarian diets can
help endurance athletes maximize body glycogen stores and ultimately
boost performance during periods of heavy training.
A
2016 study published in Nutrients concluded that vegetarian
endurance athletes’ cardiorespiratory fitness is greater than that measured in
omnivorous.
This
exemplifies that not only does a vegetarian diet not compromise performance
outcomes, but it can actually enhance the level of aerobic capacity in athletes
and help them compete for longer periods of time.
Arguments Against
Vegetarianism
But
despite all these proven health benefits, vegetarianism sometimes gets a bad
rap, especially in terms of supplying enough protein to athletes to facilitate a
competitive fitness lifestyle.
Some
studies, including a recent one published in the International Journal
of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, have found little to no
difference in the athletic performance of vegetarians and omnivores. This fact
makes some athletes hesitant to make significant dietary changes for perceived
minimal gains.
There’s
a common perception that meat is required to bulk up and increase muscle and
strength; however, vegetarian athletes continue to thrive on plant-based foods
and targeted supplementation.
Concern
about certain nutrient deficiencies, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and iodine, prevent some athletes from cutting meat
from their diets.
But
based on research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic
Association, a vegetarian diet can meet the current recommendations for
each and every nutrient needed in the human body.
Yet,
poorly planned vegetarian diets can be detrimental to athletes, as in the case
of a young vegetarian athlete who developed rhabdomyolysis, which was studied
and published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation.
“A vegetarian diet,
per se, is not associated with detrimental effects in athletes, but an optimal
protein intake should be achieved through careful planning with an emphasis on
protein-rich plant foods,” the researchers concluded.
Some
people initially experience weakness and fatigue when they cut meat out of
their diets, which is another argument against restricted diets like
vegetarianism.
However,
these symptoms are common with any kind of dietary change at first and will
subside with good nutrition knowledge and well-balanced meals.
Vegetarian
diets can make dining out inconvenient and social gatherings awkward, which is
why it’s so important for vegetarians to establish a network of support and
have access to reliable nutrition information rooted in science to defend their
convictions.
While
fruits and vegetables can be easily obtained at local farmer’s markets, food manufacturers have
created pre-packaged versions of vegetarian foods that can be shipped from
halfway around the world. This requires excess packaging and does nothing to
reduce one’s environmental footprint.
Vegetarian diets can
be just as unhealthy as meat-based ones if they revolve around industrially
produced food preserved with chemical additives.
Meanwhile,
it may actually create a lesser environmental impact to eat meat in geographic
locations with large wild animal populations that require no grocery store
packaging or long-distance shipping.
This
can be a valid argument for people who live in remote places, are members of
indigenous cultures, or who are on the fence about vegetarianism because of
environmental discrepancies.
But
as we will explore in the sections that follow, the health and fitness benefits
of adopting a vegetarian diet far outweigh the adverse ones.
Vegetarian
Bodybuilding Diet - Building Muscle Without Meat
Many
athletes and bodybuilders are concerned about their ability to gain muscle while
only eating plant-based foods.
Protein
is the muscle-building macronutrient that most athletes are concerned with, and
since the protein in vegetables is different than that contained in meat,
vegetarians may need at least 0.45 grams of protein per pound of body
weight per day.
However,
more protein is required to fuel the bodies of hardworking athletes. The
recommended amount for adults undertaking resistance or endurance exercise
is more like 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
With
the right knowledge and a little guidance, it’s easy to
add muscle-building foods to your training diet without including
meat. Athletes can be more efficient with their meals by choosing foods that
contain multiple macronutrients at once (i.e. protein, carbs, and fat).
One
example is quinoa, which contains nine amino acids that the
body can’t produce on its own and complex carbs for enhanced energy. Legumes,
including beans, peas, and lentils, are rich in protein, fiber, potassium,
iron, magnesium, and folate.
An added bonus is that legumes boost insulin response and
enhance nutrient absorption, which are both essential for muscle growth.
Nuts are packed with protein, calories, fiber, and healthy fats.
Green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach contain vitamins, calcium, and
folic acid to enhance muscle concentration. And fruits build muscle with a
healthy mix of complex carbs, fiber, and minerals.
Increasing Strength on Plants
For competitive athletes, it’s simply not enough to have a
perfectly sculpted muscular physique. Heightened levels of strength are also
required in a wide range of sports and to support a healthy body in a more
general sense.
Endurance is an integral part of building strength because
extended sets and reps with increased weight are required to become stronger
over time.
A study involving 55 endurance runners who ate
ovo-lacto-vegetarian diets and regular Western diets revealed that the intake
of nearly all vitamins and minerals was higher in the vegetarian group and that
the vegetarians’ intake exceeded all nutritional recommendations.
Another big conclusion was that high nutrient density vegetarian
diets are more than adequate to cover the nutritional requirements of endurance
athletes.
To increase strength, the body relies on oxidative
metabolism to create energy. Oxygen is essential for muscle fiber growth,
and through a process called aerobic metabolism, oxygen is transported to
working muscles.
Mitochondria (inside the cells) use oxygen in the body to
convert the macronutrients of proteins, carbs, and fats into adenosine
triphosphate to support muscle contractions.
A study that compared vegetarian and conventional
hypocaloric diets found that maximal oxygen consumption increased by 12
percent in the vegetarian test group, compared with no change in the
non-vegetarian group.
But lifting weights at the gym is just one part of the
muscle-building and strength-building equation. Studies have shown that those
who eat vegetarian diets also recover significantly faster after
exercise. Rest periods are crucial to gaining and sustaining muscle and
strength for the long-term.
Considerations of Weight and Fat Loss
It’s a simple fact that vegetarians tend to weigh about six
to 10 pounds less on average than people who eat meat. But evidence
suggests that an athlete’s resting metabolic rate (RMR) and thermic effect of a
meal (TEM) measurement also rests in vegetarians’ favor.
In a study involving 12 male vegetarians and 11
non-vegetarians of similar body fat and fitness, researchers found that both
RMR and TEM were lower in the vegetarian men.
This finding provides support as to why vegetarians have lower
body weight and both fat than omnivores. If shredding fat or losing weight is
part of your overall fitness goals, then vegetarianism is definitely worth a
try.
Vegetarianism and the Planet
While some athletes choose to become vegetarian because of their
health and fitness, others make the decision based on environmental
convictions.
There’s been a big push in America and around the world
to reduce one’s individual carbon footprint, and eating habits like
cutting out meat and choosing locally grown foods can do a lot to achieve this
goal.
Raising animals to be slaughtered for meat is a huge contributor
to resource depletion and the prevalence of droughts.
Furthermore, the deforestation of earth’s forests and rainforests is
largely due to cutting away native vegetation to raise animals that need to
feed on grains and soy.
Meat-free diets help athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness buffs
do their part to preserve this amazing planet we call home.
Is Vegetarianism Really More Humane?
This is a debate that comes up time and time again, and
honestly, there are both pros and cons to consider.
Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by
the way its animals are treated.” Although humans have a moral and ethical
obligation to eliminate pain and suffering among animals and extend
humanity to all living things, some argue that humans are part of the
cycle of life that revolves around predatory/prey relationships.
Philosopher, author, and long-time vegetarian Andrew F. Smith,
who wrote A Critique of the Moral Defense of Vegetarianism, asserts
that there is no morally defensible argument for vegetarianism and that it’s
not even actually possible to truly be a vegetarian because even plants consume
animals.
Smith also argues that plants have biochemical reactions that
are not unlike those as animals and feel pain too, so it is no more humane to
kill and consume plants than animals.
Factory farming involves another moral issue that many
people have an issue with and that drives them to vegetarianism. It involves a
total disregard for the wellness of animals as living beings, and by avoiding
meat products, vegetarians can show their support against this inhumane
practice.
Some philosophers believe that a plant-based diet can
actually enhance compassion and empathy through mindful eating over
time as well. By eliminating meat products from the diet, people may naturally
begin caring more about animals, the environment, and even other people.
Mindful eating makes us more conscious about where our meals
come from and require us to think about the foods we choose to put in our
bodies. Consciously taking one being’s life to fill the stomach is morally
questionable when other viable options are available.
However, it’s important for vegetarians to resist the urge to
adopt a holier-than-thou stance, but simply do the right thing for their
bodies and be aware of what personally feels right and wrong.
By adopting this mindset, athletes can live a healthier and more
fulfilled lifestyle that they can feel good about from the inside out.
Conclusion
Upon review of many medical studies, it’s easy to see why
science continues to support the vegetarian fitness lifestyle for all types of
athletes and bodybuilders.
The evidence is compelling when fitness buffs are able to break
away from stereotypes and misconceptions to consider the facts and the
promising potential of meat-free diets.
Of course, every athlete and bodybuilder is unique and has
different nutritional requirements to stay on top of the game. However, the
vegetarian fitness lifestyle is definitely worth a try, even if it only means
reducing the number of meat-based meals eaten every day.
Every little bit counts, in terms of general health, athletic
performance, the environment, and the fate of humanity.
For
more ideas on vegetarian bodybuilding diet, watch this video - HIGH PROTEIN VEGAN MEALS | 5 Recipes =
173g Protein
Author
Bio:
Chris
Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.
V3
Vegetarian Bodybuilding System is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users with optimal diet and
exercise. This system is designed for vegans and vegetarians only.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian
Bodybuilding System claims “I know a plant-based diet is good for
athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to prove it.”
To
find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – Vegetarian
Bodybuilding Diet
