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Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants
It’s
a myth that you can’t get your macros in a vegan bodybuilding diet.
If you eat enough of the right calories and protein,
train hard, and get enough sleep, you will build muscle as a vegetarian or vegan.
Plant-based nutrition clearly has long-term
health benefits compared to consuming meat the way traditional
bodybuilders do. Nevertheless, many bodybuilders hesitate in making this positive
lifestyle switch because they have been misinformed, and old paradigms take a while to
shift.
Therefore,
I will address the following concerns/questions:
·
Can
you build muscle from a whole food plant-based diet?
·
What
foods should be consumed to gain muscle mass?
Can Muscle Be
Gained via a Vegetarian Bodybuilding Diet?
Most
definitely, yes. Consider these four different variations of vegetarianism:
·
Lacto-ovo
Vegetarians (diary and eggs are permitted)
·
Lacto-vegetarians (dairy is
permitted)
·
Ovo-vegetarians (eggs permitted)
·
Vegan (no animal
products permitted)
These
two are technically not vegetarian, but I still consider them part of the
“family”:
·
Pescatarians (fish is
permitted)
·
Flexitarians (some meat
is permitted)
Each
sub-group has its own unique challenges to build muscle mass. It is important for vegetarian bodybuilders to be aware of their
respective challenges. The main points are to consume enough calories and protein and
assess any deficiencies in order to build muscle successfully.
For
instance, it’s easier to build more muscle mass from a lacto-ovo
vegetarian bodybuilding meal plan than a vegan one. Egg protein offers substantial nutritional
benefits (dairy, not so much). Vegan bodybuilders can still build muscular bodies without question, but they
will have the hardest time building size.
Calories
Vegan diets in particular tend to be low in calories
for obvious reasons (e.g. a salad vs. a 1/4 pounder with cheese). To
build muscle mass with vegan macros, you have to pay special attention to
calorie intake. That is, you need to consume more calories than you
metabolically burn during and after exercise.
The
macronutrients within your diet are the main energy providers, and the amount
of energy required depends on your exercise regime, exercise efficiency,
gender, genetics, and non-exercise habits.
McArdle
(2010) reported that a cohort of male bodybuilders increased muscle mass and
size and reduced % body fat on a diet of about 18-23 calories/per pound of body
weight per day.
The
higher end of the calorie intake was highlighted in highly trained athletes
compared to novice bodybuilders; again, experimenting with your calorie intake
to build muscle is highly recommended, along with
consuming the right macro/calorie ratio.
A
suggestion is to experiment with the amount of calories that you consume, as
this will be a major factor in terms of muscle gain. Reduced calories = reduced
muscle gain, and increased calories = increased % body fat.
It’s
also very important to regularly assess your % body fat, as an increment could
mean that you’re eating too many calories or the wrong types of macros.
Protein
Proteins
are hugely important for any vegetarian bodybuilder and have the following
functions within the body:
·
Supports
growth and maintenance of body tissues
·
Synthesizes
enzymes, hormones, and other peptides
·
Builds
antibodies
·
Maintains
fluid and electrolyte balance
·
Repairs
exercise-associated muscle damage
·
Provides
energy and glucose
A solid
alternative to using whey protein are pea and soy protein. Soy proteins are
a quick and dramatic method of boosting your overall protein content, and they
are very convenient to use.
For those of us
who aren’t vegan bodybuilders, egg protein is arguably the best option, as it is more
predictable than whey protein in terms of ingredients. Some plant-based
nutrition companies produce their own brand of mixed plant and grain proteins
to build muscle.
An
article from Men’s Health states:
“The protein in
eggs has the highest biological value—a measure of how well it supports your
body’s protein needs—of any food, including our beloved beef. Calorie for
calorie, you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to
achieve the same muscle-building benefits.”
Again,
do your homework via some solid research, as this process will help you with
your unique dietary needs whilst building muscle. Other options include pea and
hemp proteins, which are also high in proteins and easy to digest and absorb.
A well-balanced, protein-rich diet is the key for building muscle mass, but caution
should be applied if you are predominately getting your main source of macros
from processed or junk foods, e.g. noodles, potato chips, and sugary sweets.
Such
products are extremely counter-productive to muscle growth and in the long
term, will cause major health implications and increase % body fat due to the
high simple carb and fat content.
There
is evidence to suggest that increased body fat hinders muscle growth via an
increase in insulin resistance. Insulin controls the glucose levels within your
body, which is highly anabolic and needed for muscle growth.
Conversely,
if you are eating a lot of leafy salads, stir fries, fresh fruit, and vegetable-based
meals, you might be falling short with the macronutrients
required. To build muscle on a vegan bodybuilding diet, you
must add healthy fats or proteins with every vegetable consumed during each
meal.
Try
to eat six small meals per day following these simple rules, and combine your
carbs with beans, legumes, chick peas, tempeh, soya beans, quinoa, brown rice, and tofu to boost the protein
content of the meal.
Also,
think about adding beans and lentils, avocados, nuts, flax seeds, and walnuts
as an excellent source of free fatty acids, and avoid vegetable
oils and hydrogenated and hidden trans fats.
Natural
peanut butter is also a brilliant source of essential free fatty acids and an
excellent boost to your calorie intake, which again is the forward for packing
on that desired muscle.
Essential
free fatty acids help with fast muscle recovery from high-intensity exercise,
help with hormone production, increase metabolism, and support a healthy
cardiovascular, immune, and brain function.
Vegan Macros
According to the Pros
Robert
Cheeke (founder of Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness) offers some great
advice about macro-nutrient percentages:
“The exact percentages
may change daily based on diet. They also vary per individual based on factors
such as your food preferences, your rate of metabolism (your body’s ability to
burn fat), and your specific athletic goals.
“Though it may not be
common to consume a lot of food, eating every two to three hours, for athletes
training up to hours a day, it becomes a higher focus and a bigger part of
everyday life. It’s not extremely challenging either, it just takes some
dedication, focus, planning and preparation.”
“I personally enjoy
eating frequently throughout the day. My meals tend to be a bit smaller and I
get to incorporate a lot of variety, flavors and themes because I am eating
more frequently than just three or four meals a day.”
Deryn
Macey (strength and conditioning coach) said she needed to switch to
high-protein whole grains to dial-in her vegan macros:
“I have no problem
with white rice but with my new goals, it doesn’t provide the right protein to
carbohydrate ratio for me.
“Switching to grains
like bulgur, barley, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and other higher protein
grains will help me stay within my carbohydrate goals while still hitting 160
grams of protein.”
Shannon
Clark (certified personal trainer) reminds us that salads alone won’t cut
it:
“If you’re the type of
vegetarian who gets full on things like brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, legumes,
beans and lentils, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and avocados, you’ve given
yourself a good chance to build some muscle.
“On the other hand, if
you’re a vegetarian who feasts mostly on salad, stir-fry, fresh fruit, and
other vegetable-based dishes, you’re likely falling short on your macro needs.
For every vegetable you eat, pair it with a healthy fat and protein-packed
side. This provides the balance of nutrition you need!”
Monitor More Than
Vegan Macros
Macronutrient and
vitamin deficiencies have to be monitored, not only for building muscle
but also for general well-being. Add non-heme iron to your diet by including
spinach, kale, and collard, which are dark leafy green vegetables.
Don’t
be afraid to mix and match your food choices by adding dried peas, beans,
lentils, artichokes, and dried fruit, which again are rich in iron. Iron
supplementation and vitamin B12 is recommended, especially for females
during the menstrual cycle (Powers, 2012).
Calcium
is required for bone maintenance and plays a vital role in muscle contractions.
In the short term, low calcium intake causes muscle cramps, and can hinder
performance at the gym (Wilmore & Costill, 2012). Long-term neglect can
cause a weak bone structure and osteoporosis.
It
is common knowledge that dairy produce is high in calcium, so for the
lacto-vegetarian, this is not an issue. However, vegans can consume sufficient
calcium from spinach, green collard, kale, broccoli, and almonds.
If
you are in doubt that your diet is lacking in calcium, there are plenty of
calcium supplements to choose from to give it a boost!
Lack
of zinc can hinder growth and development across the body, suppress your
appetite, and reduce testosterone levels. A recommended 40mg of zinc per day
boosts testosterone, which is the hormone required for muscle growth and
development.
Pumpkin
seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, and fortified oatmeal are high in zinc, so add
these foods to your varied vegetarian diet.
For
more ideas about vegan macros, watch this video - VEGAN BODYBUILDER
& NUTRITIONIST'S SUPER HEALTHY DIET **MACROS REVIEWED**
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 –
Vegan Macros for Bodybuilding
