10 Tips for a Plant-Based Diet On a Budget

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

There’s a common misconception that a plant-based diet is an expensive diet. Take a walk around your local Whole Foods store, and you might start to agree once you get to the checkout line and see your grocery bill.

But chances are that it’s not the fruits and veggies racking up your bill. Fake meat and cheese products and pre-packaged foods tend to be the big-ticket items for vegans and vegetarians. And ironically, meats are typically the most expensive items on the average omnivore’s shopping list.

Regardless, sticking to a plant-based diet can but a strain on your wallet if you don’t know how to shop and what to buy. Here are our top ten tips for eating plant-based on a budget and getting the most value from your healthy meals.

1. Plan Meals and Stock Up

Just like planning a vacation or taking a test, it helps to prepare in advance for the best results. Impulse shopping leads to overspending, so take some time once per week to decide on your weekly meals and write a grocery list. Some great vegan cookbooks can help you get started with meal prep, so pick one up for inspiration and guidance.

The bulk section of the grocery store is a vegan’s and vegetarian’s best friend. This is the place where you can stock up on legumes, rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and other dry goods for a much lower price than you’d find in small packaging.

2. Try Alternative Groceries Stores

Think outside the box, or rather the “big box stores,” as you approach grocery shopping in a more mindful way. Sure, you may find deals at Walmart and your regional grocery store chain.

But there are many other places to shop for plant-based foods as well. Try dollar stores and discount retailers for dry goods and ethnic grocery stores for produce.

Local Asian and Middle Eastern shops are great places to find unique fruits and vegetables, rice, legumes, tofu, and spices. Not only are these shops affordable, but they may even introduce you to new plant-based foods that add variety to your diet.

3. Stick to the Staples

Food trends come and go, but trendy foods are notorious for breaking the budget. Instead of following the latest superfood trend, stick to the staples that you know will give you the nutrition your body needs.

A healthy plant-based shopping list starts with oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, lentils, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Learn to Love Leftovers

Leftovers have gotten a bad reputation over the years as being soggy, stale, and downright unappetizing. But food waste is far too common, and wasting food is a sure way to break your budget.

As you plan meals, make dishes that allow for leftovers, that save well, and learn to love them. Taking your leftovers for lunch the next day will help you save money and also discourage you from eating out and splurging on less healthy foods.

5. Buy Generic Options

You may swear by certain brand names for your favorite running shoes or tech devices, but consider buying generic when possible in the grocery store.

Supermarket house brands tend to be a fraction of the cost of the more well-known brands, and the quality is often the same. Flip the containers around to compare ingredients of generic versions to name-brand versions before you buy, though, just to make sure.

6. Grow Your Food

Whether you’re looking for a new hobby or just a guaranteed way to cut chemicals and GMOs out of your diet, growing your own food is a great habit to get into.

You can start small by growing some herbs on your windowsill. If you’ve lucky enough to have a backyard, pick up a gardening book or talk to an expert at your local gardening store to learn about which vegetables and fruits grow well in your region.

If you don’t have backyard access, look for community gardens nearby that rent out small plots of land for seasonal use.

7. Shop at Farmers Markets

Of course, you can also leave the growing up to the experts and reap the benefits of their bountiful harvests. Farmers markets are a wonderful way to eat healthily, support local businesses, and gain an understanding of where your food comes from.

8. Carry Snacks

When midday hunger strikes, are you prepared, or do you stop by the convenience store for the quickest and easiest snack? Stick to your meat-free diet and your budget by carrying snacks with you throughout the day.

Some of the best vegan snacks that are portable include hummus with veggies, spicy roasted garbanzo beans, and snap peas with lime and mint.

9. Be Beverage Conscious

Just because most beverages are technically vegan by definition doesn’t mean that they deserve a place in your healthy and budget-conscious diet. Skip sugary juices and sodas that do nothing but rot your teeth and add to your waistline.

Instead, squeeze some fresh lemon or lime in pure water for a tasty twist on hydration. Non-dairy milk can often be found in generic form, and non-dairy creamer can be added to coffee at home to replace your expensive Starbucks habit.

With these ten tips in mind, you CAN and WILL save money while eating the healthy foods you love and living the best life possible. Keep a journal of your expenses and eating habits for a month to compare and see the difference for yourself!

10. Vegan Protein Powder

I saved the best for last. Supplements are a multi-billion-dollar industry that primarily offers highly effective advertising and placebo effect. Protein powder is one of the exceptions to that rule.

A good multi-sourced vegan protein powder packs a nutritional punch. It provides a spectrum of amino acids needed for muscle growth, and they are super-convenient to prepare and take with you on the go.

Eating on a budget may be a challenge, but it certainly doesn’t have to stop you from reaching your health and fitness goals. Now go get after it!

For more ideas about plant-based diet on a budget, watch this video - 3 Budget-Friendly Vegan Meals For Beginners | Full Day Of Eating

 

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 – Plant-Based Diet on a Budget

 

How Yoga Builds Muscle

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants  

Yoga builds muscle and was originally designed for men by men.

 

Thousands of years ago during its creation, yoga was originally designed by men, for men, and practiced only by men. So why are there only two or three guys in the average yoga class today? Oddly enough yoga practicing men (in America) are categorically considered to be effeminate.

 

This post explores this phenomenon, and also offers why I think vegetarian bodybuilders can benefit from a yoga practice. It promotes a balanced perspective on health, strength, and aesthetic.

 

Bodybuilders tend to think the only way to get in great shape is to lift heavy weights for hours on end. Although this is one effective path, we can also integrate yoga to accelerate the process.

 

As Jessie Brazil, a yoga instructor and certified fitness associate at the Health Fitness Corporation, told “Men’s Health” magazine, “The thing with yoga is that it’s counterintuitive to a guy’s natural way.

 

A guy sees it as stretching. He doesn’t see it as a workout.”

 

According to a 2012 “Yoga Journal” survey, less than one in five people in any American yoga class is male.

 

Approximately 82.2% of American yoga practitioners are women and only 17.8% are men.

The top five reasons for doing yoga were: flexibility (78.3%), general conditioning (62.2%), stress relief (59.6%), improve overall health (58.5%) and physical fitness (55.1%).

 

If you ask me, those are some great reasons to start a yoga practice. Unlike other exercises that target specific body parts, yoga is a full-body workout that stretches and strengthens pretty much every muscle in ways that lifting free weights cannot. So why is there still a stigma about yoga for men?

 

Reasons Guys May Avoid the Mat

 

·         Yoga is too slow

·         Yoga feels silly and feminine

·         Yoga will impose its “New Agey” religion on me

·         Not flexible enough

·         Women might think “what a creep”

·         Time is better spent lifting weights

 

How Yoga Builds Muscle

 

Numerous studies by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, have shown that yoga is beneficial for lower back pain, improved back function, lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, reduced anxiety and depression, improved overall fitness, and heightened strength and flexibility. For male bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, one of yoga’s biggest perks is injury prevention.

 

“If men do other activities, like baseball, running, cycling, weight-lifting, they’ve probably got tight hamstrings, tight hips, you name it,” commented Laura Bukhart, a yoga instructor from San Francisco. “They’ll find that yoga can help them stretch out those areas so that they’re better prepared and less likely to hurt themselves later on.”

 

Baron Baptiste, yoga pro and former assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, points out that men who strength train often breeze past those hard-to-train muscles, like the knees and lower back. “Over-training in any one sport can cause repetitive stress and other more serious injuries. Yoga is a full-body workout that creates both strength and flexibility. You need to have both. One without the other is a recipe for disaster,” Baptiste advised.

 

Poses to Develop Strength

 

·         Arm balance poses to flex smaller muscle groups (try crow pose and side plank)

·         Inversion poses to challenge under-used muscle groups (try shoulder stand and plow pose)

·         Holding standing poses to strengthen the leg muscles (try triangle pose and tree pose)

 

Yoga Helps Us Breathe, and Relax

 

Work is stressful, relationships are stressful, and finances are stressful. Join the club. But do you honestly feel less stressed out after clocking in a few miles on the treadmill or pounding out reps in the weight room?

 

Unlike other exercise regimes, yoga has a greater focus on the breath and the awareness of your mind. Focusing on the breathe is the one of the simplest forms of meditation. Breathing meditation has a unique way of clearing your mind of the noise that clouds it and creates stress.

 

Taking a class with like-minded yogis creates a subconscious accountability that prevents you from slacking or giving up halfway through. According to Yoga Journal‘s Andrew Tilin, “Yoga can also teach a guy who’s overwhelmed by his many responsibilities that the best way to get things done is by being present—focusing on one thing at a time.”

 

Sexual Health

 

The ancient yogis and holy men who first practiced yoga were sexually active throughout their entire lives. Considering these guys lived a long time, yoga was an essential part of keeping them healthy enough for sex. In fact, certain yoga poses, known as Asanas, can help keep your equipment running smoothly to prevent sexual dysfunction in the future.

 

Sexual energy naturally manifests as vibrations, which originate in the spine. One style of yoga, known as Kundalini, has shown to raise the level of this vibration and unblock energy channels. This helps your sexual energy flow like it’s supposed to and allows you perform at your highest level.

 

Yoga Benefits for the Bedroom

 

·         Increased energy

·         Prevention of erectile dysfunction

·         More flexibility and confidence to try new positions

·         Less muscle pain during sex

·         Stronger legs and buttocks, resulting in better orgasms

 

Poses to Improve the Male Libido

 

·         Butterfly pose – tones the male sexual energy and creates flow through the organs

·         Seated forward bend – increases mobility and stimulates sexual energy

·         Runners lunge – strengthens pelvic floor and helps you maintain stamina

·         Bridge pose – energizes pelvic muscles and strengthens legs and core

 

“Manly” Styles of Yoga

 

As more men have begun to incorporate yoga into their fitness routines, several “manly” styles of yoga, geared specifically towards guys, have emerged.

 

One of these programs, known as Broga, hosts workshops and classes in gyms, schools, businesses, prisons, and police departments to reassure guys that yoga is a socially-acceptable workout increase the number of men practicing yoga around the world.

 

Another program, DDP Yoga, was developed by wrestling star, Diamond Dallas Page for athletes who suffered long-term injuries due to high impact supports. Page’s yoga workout DVDs are available for sale on his website.

 

Summary

 

Despite the male-to-female ratio in most yoga classes today, it’s time to move past outdated stereotypes and recognize yoga’s amazing health benefits for the modern man. Michael Lechonczak, a Manhattan yoga instructor who contributed to the book, Real Men Do Yoga, explained, “These guys coming to yoga have to be ready for the next level, be ready to let down their defenses. They have to have heart.”

 

As with any new fitness routine, start with easy pose modifications and work your way up to full poses and hold times as you gain strength. Strength in the weight room doesn’t necessarily equate to strength on the mat. I got my ass kicked the first 10 times I walked into a yoga studio.

 

Although yoga builds muscle, contrary to a typical bodybuilding mindset, it’s not a competition.

 

Your yoga practice is all about you, so comparing yourself to other yogis is arbitrary. Instead, mindfully compare your practice today to your previous practice to gauge your progress and improve upon your weaknesses. When it comes to fitness, self-awareness, and better sex, yogis have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

 

Watch this video to find out how yoga builds muscle - Best Yoga Postures To Build Muscle

 

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 – How Yoga Builds Muscle

 

6 Bodybuilding Exercises to Avoid

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

No pain no gain? It’s important to make a distinction between pain that creates a positive effect and injurious pain.

 

You may want to avoid certain bodybuilding exercises simply because they don’t produce a positive effect.

 

First, I know there are bodybuilders and fitness experts who swear by some of these muscle building exercises listed below. Truthfully, I think magazines run out of material to write about and have to create new workout routines/exercises to maintain readership.

 

Different things work for different people, so please don’t get offended if you feel like I’m slamming part of your bodybuilding routine.

 

1) Behind-the-Neck Pulldown or Behind-the-Neck Barbell Shoulder Press

 

Unless you have exceptional shoulder flexibility that allows for full range of motion, behind-the-neck exercises are very unnatural positions to be in and compromise our safety and known for creating injury. They also put a ton of strain on the neck as well.

 

They are an outdated exercise popularized by old school bodybuilders like Arnold, and I have a couple friends who do well with these, but for the average person I wouldn’t recommend it. Personally, I like to do them occasional using really light weights just to stretch out, but I never use heavy weights for behind-the-neck exercises.

 

2) Ab Machines

 

My biggest issue with ab machines is that they reduce activation of the lower back, which is meant to flex along with the abs. This will increase the risk of injury.

 

Here are some good alternatives for building nice abs:

 

·         Heavy squats and deadlifts. Both of these exercises are incredibly effective ways to train your entire core, and will do a lot for your ab development.

 

·         Weighted Cable Crunch. I believe weighted ab training is very important because most of us, even when we’re lean, don’t have defined, rippling abs that really pop. Weighted training is the most effective way to fix this, and the weighted cable crunch is, hands down, my favorite weighted ab exercise.

 

·         Captain’s Chair Leg Raise. This is one of my favorite core exercises. It works the abs and obliques, and you can even add weight by snatching a dumbbell in between your feet.

 

3) Smith Machine

 

Some simple googling will render a few studies that scientifically suggest this machine kinda sucks. It completely removes the stabilizer muscles from lifts and forces an unnatural range of motion. The result is sub-par gains in both size and strength, which becomes obvious if you try to switch to free weights.

 

So do yourself a huge favor and use primarily free weights while training, and rarely supplement with Smith Machine exercises.

 

Watch this video – GYM FAIL! Weirdest exercise ever!!

 

4) Pec Deck Fly Machine

 

Let me first jump out in front of this one and say that I enjoy using this exercise for a pump, and it’s nice for mindful strength training routine, but it doesn’t allow for enough weight to properly overload your pecs to build any serious strength or muscle mass. It also increases the risk of hyper-extending your shoulders as you lower the weight backward.

 

My best advice in building a strong chest is performing at least 5-8 heavy presses, especially incline presses.

 

5) BOSU Ball Training

 

This must be one of the most popular exercises instructed by trainers I’ve ever observed; usually directed towards women. Just an honest observation. It’s unclear how or why this trend started, but the reality is that you won’t see a whole lot of experienced bodybuilders actually utilizing these.

 

It has been said BOSU ball training is supposed to recruit more muscle involvement, but I did a little research and couldn’t find anything substantial backing this claim up. Here is a buffet of BOSU ball exercises to try if you’re still interested.

 

6) Partial Squat

 

This will flat out ruin your knees, and when you’re 50-60 you’ll be feeling it. Now, there are some advanced warriors who really know there stuff and can utilize this build crazy amount of strength without question. However, this isn’t for the average person, no should it be a staple in your routine.

 

Squats done with good form (go deep or go home) will strengthen your knees instead of damage them, and are often used to rehabilitate injuries.

 

These are bodybuilding exercises to avoid in general. To be fair I have seen some experienced pros train with some of them in a seemingly effective manner. If you’re going to do so, train cautiously and discover what works best for you.

 

For topics related to bodybuilding exercises, watch this video - 10 Muscle Building Mistakes (KILLING GAINS!)

 

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 – Bodybuilding Exercises at Home

 

How to Gain Muscle Fast at Home……. Exercise Less

 

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants

I’ve recently come across the most controversial and innovative method of gaining muscle fast that I’ve seen to date. It goes against almost everything I’ve been taught my entire life about strength training.

 

To be clear, it demonstrates that rapid increases in both strength and muscular mass could be produced without the use of “growth” drugs or supplements, and no “new-and-improved” diet plan.

 

The method I’m referring to was discovered by Arthur Jones, called the Colorado Experiment. It’s important to note that the experiment was conducted in Fort Collins, Colorado, under the supervision of Dr. Elliot Plese in the Colorado State University’s Department of Physical Education Laboratory.

 

Incredibly, the participants mentioned in the Colorado Experiment produced large scale increases in muscular mass while simultaneously reducing fatty tissue.

Yeah, what the…??? What?!

 

The formula:

 

·         normal health (prerequisite)

·         high-intensity exercise

·         no warm up sets

·         no rest between sets

·         high-repetition sets (20-10)

·         execute only one set per exercise, and go until failure

·         brief workout sessions

·         reasonably balanced diet

 

Tim Ferriss, author of the “The 4-Hour Body” and king of unconventional tactics, modifies this method in the following ways to gain 34 pounds in 28 days:

 

·         lower frequency (maximum of twice per week)

·         three minutes between exercises

·         performing every repetition slowly, counting five seconds up and five seconds down, to eliminate momentum and ensure constant load

·         focusing on no more than 4-7 multi-joint exercises (leg press, trap bar deadlift, overhead press, Yates bent row, dips, incline machine benchpress, etc.)

·         exercising your entire body each workout to elicit a maximal hormonal (testosterone, growth hormone + IGF-1) response

·         eating large quantities of protein with low-glycemic index carbohydrates like quinoa

·         dropping calories by 50% one day per week to prevent protein uptake down-regulation

·         exercising less frequently as you increase strength and size, as your recovery abilities can only increase 20-30%, while you can often increase fat-free muscle tissue up to 100% before reaching a genetic set-point

 

Sometimes to gain muscle, you need to exercise less.

 

Have you ever wondered why for the past three to six months the countless hours you put into the gym are yielding hardly any gains? It’s common to label that as a “plateau,” but that concept is a huge misconception deserving its own article.

 

Chances are, you’re overtraining. This statement is contrary to the “how to breakthrough a plateau” workout routines cited in bodybuilding and fitness magazines. Those sources generally encourage you to train even longer, and power your way through to see gains again. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t work hard in the gym, but the frequency of training is where the solution lies.

 

There’s a “sweetspot” of frequency and intensity of training that stimulates muscle growth and strength. However, the ability to recover from a workout session is inherently part of that process.

 

Great strength is a result of two factors:

 

1.      individual genetic potential (fixed)

2.      intense training, without overtraining (adjustable)

 

However, the prerequisite is balanced health.

 

An unbalanced, unhealthy person simply cannot reach the limits of their potential strength. It’s possible to improve a sick individual with various chemicals. However, when you try to turn a healthy person into a superhuman with anabolic steroids, there’s always a price to pay somewhere along the line simply because it creates a chemical imbalance in the body.

 

Scientifically speaking, there is no such thing as a “super chemical balance.” If your chemical balance is normal, you are in a state of complete health, and if not, you are in a state of sickness to some degree.

 

As Arthur states:

 

“Yet the widespread bias in favor of such so called ‘growth drugs’ borders on hysteria. Even suggesting that the use of these drugs is anything less than necessary automatically labels you a fool in some circles. And there is certainly no doubt that a lot of people are being fooled on this subject; but you can NOT fool your endocrine system, and when you add an unrequired chemical for the purpose of disturbing a normal balance, you are NOT improving the situation.

 

“Pointing to recent strength records as proof of the value of such drugs actually proves nothing. The fact remains that the single strongest human recorded in history established his records ling before the drugs were ever used. Paul Anderson established records prior to 1958 that have never been approached and androgenic-anabolic drugs were apparently first used in athletic circles in 1960.

 

“Bob Peoples established a deadlift record thirty years ago, lifting nearly 800 pounds at a bodyweight of approximately 180; today, a very few individuals have reached or passed that level of performance…but most of them weigh nearly twice as much as he did, and some of them weigh more than twice as much.”

 

For more ideas to gain muscle fast at home, watch this video - BUILD REAL MUSCLE AT HOME (NO GYM NEEDED)

 

The Chris Experiment

 

After reading the Colorado Experiment and Tim Ferriss’s “From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks,” I’ve been inspired to use some of their tactics and create a bodybuilding experiment of my own (with some adaptations).

 

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 – Gain Muscle Fast at Home