How could eating fast food make us sick and vulnerable to disease?
And more importantly, how could this be legal? My assumption as a young man growing up was that food sold anywhere had to be nutritious and safe to eat, or else they wouldn’t be able to sell it…I assumed I was protected.
I grew up and learned that’s not how it works, but I think there’s a tendency to fall into the trap of following the masses, and assuming that if our neighbors and and respected colleagues are doing it, it has to be good, right? If you’re reading this, you know better, and the bottom line is that we are 100% responsible for our own lives, which includes arming ourselves with knowledge.
The article goes on:
“In all my research on health and nutrition, I kept hearing the same things over and over and it clicked. I knew I needed to try eating vegan,” says Chong, the American-born daughter of Jamaicans, her father being half Chinese and half African-American.
“At the time, the change was about losing weight, not being healthy.”
And it worked. The West Ashley High School graduate, who is now 23, has shed 130 pounds off her 5-foot-2 frame, going from 252 pounds to 119.
Back in the day, I initially looked into eating more plants for these reasons, then I became aware of the severity of the mistreatment of animals and became even more committed to this path. Compassion towards all sentient beings is part of my path, but it doesn’t have to be yours. That’s the beauty of being a vegetarian, you can choose your own reasons for doing so… and there are plenty to choose from!
I like to reiterate this point:
You don’t have to be 100% vegetarian to get on board.
Every little bit counts towards your health and the health of our overall society. This doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal.
And it’s not very compassionate to judge others if they don’t do exactly as we think they should, this creates contraction, not openness. It’s uninviting and straight-up ugly. More plants and more love please.
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.”
It appears that some of this talk was sparked by PETA’s provocative ad campaigns over the last few years, which claim, among other things, that vegans and vegetarianshave better sex. This has prompted many other popular publications, such as Men’s Health, to “investigate” the claims about improved sex drive.
Through investigating these claims, I came up with three main findings.
First, many articles like to hide behind the elusive claims of non-cited “researchers.”
Second, there is very little research being published on diet and how it relates to sexual performance. If there is research being done it tends to relate to males and sperm motility rather than females (which goes in line with the gender and sexual discrimination our society is still fighting against).
1) The first two findings, don’t relate as much to the gist of this article, but are comments that I believe merit mentioning. For the first finding, I won’t say much other than providing this advice: try to be an inquisitive and informed reader. It’s disappointing to repeatedly read the words, “studies show,” or “according to this Journal,” only to find no link, no specific cited study, or no such evidence in the scientific world.
There may be no ill-intent by those writers but without sources, the information effectively is hear-say.
2) For the second finding, that very little research is being done in this area, it is time that our culture starts to look into issues related to sex from more than just a male perspective.
Sperm motility is not the only way to measure changes in sexual fertility or libido and the historically agent-male identity should not be the standard of measure. Until more research is done in this area from many sides, advertisers and individuals will continue to make unsubstantiated claims, knowing they won’t be investigated.
3) But the third finding, of healthy lifestyles relating to sexual performance, is where there is actually (maybe) some substance. Are vegetarians and vegans completely off-base by claiming that sex can be improved through vegetarianism? No. But the reason isn’t directly because of what they don’t eat. Rather, it’s about what they do eat and the lifestyles they tend to lead.
With most of the research out there being male-centric, unfortunately we start with a study that measured sperm viability and motility in regards to Vitamin C supplementation. The study had an extremely small sample size of only 13 subjects.
Though this study had major limitations with that sample size, there was an extremely significant finding that Vitamin C supplementation dramatically increased sperm viability and motility in men who were previously found to be infertile. This is in line with other scientific theories on Vitamin C.
So, if one were to extrapolate that to eating foods high in Vitamin C, you could improve your sexual reproductive capabilities as a male through eating more fruits and vegetables.
Therefore, foods that facilitate blood flow and vascular relaxation could lead to better sex.
And this could be found with foods rich in one amino acid: L-arginine.
L-Arginine is a precursor that sets into motion nitric oxide synthesis, which promotes vascular relaxation. Foods such as oats and other whole grains, tend to be high in L-arginine. Still, there have not been many studies done directly relating to L-arginine to sexual arousal. Nor have there been studies directly measuring whole grain consumption and sexual performance.
There is a study showing that people with hypertension, though, tend to have less availability of L-arginine in their system, thereby leading to less nitric oxide production. The factor of hypertension decreasing potential sexual ability adds another variable, heart health, to the mix.
A strong volume of research is out there on the effects cardiovascular disease can have on sexual activity. As mentioned above, it’s all about blood flow. If you don’t take care of your heart and cardiovascular system, you may end up being more disappointing (and disappointed) in bed.
And this is the key when it comes to dietary claims about sexual performance. Vegans and vegetarians tend to have better heart health, not only from avoiding meat and dairy (processed as we do here in the US), but, more significantly by consuming more fruits and vegetables high in vitamins and antioxidants.
One can consume meat and still take care of their heart given that they do so mindfully and take other measures to live healthy (eat fruit, exercise, etc.). It’s not the act of being vegan or vegetarian, it’s the act of taking care of your heart through being mindful of what you put in your body.
In summary, none of these studies directly suggests that a vegetarian or vegan diet is the key to sexual prowess. What studies do hint at though, if you squint your eyes and look really closely, is that a heart-healthy lifestyle should lead to better blood flow, better stamina, and maybe improved fertility. With that said, it is important to acknowledge that a lot of this is conjecture as little research is out there directly linking diet to sexual activity.
What about all those “superfoods” that are supposed to heighten sexual desire, fertility, and performance?
Chia seeds and maca powder are two of the most common ones. While many individuals report benefits from taking these, again, very little research has been done to explore them. Chia seeds are high in zinc, which has been linked to increasing male fertility. Maca powder is a Peruvian root said to increase mental clarity and improve libido.
But as with other such substances, any claims made by advertisers in the US do not have to be FDA approved. Most of the studies done with these substances are in animal models. Yes, the libido of male rats (again, males) tends to improve with these substances. But little to no studies have measured the impact in humans.
On the other hand, if we’re looking at animal models, you may as well go to a classic drosophila model too. And there we can find studies like this one linking high protein diets to increased fertility.
I’m not saying they don’t work, I’m just saying we don’t have much scientific evidence that they do. And if we’re going to use animal models to advocate for supplements and veganism, don’t ignore the other animal studies being done that show differing sexual enhancers, such as high protein consumption.
The moral of the story ends up the same. Live a healthy lifestyle and be mindful of eating a balanced, heart-healthy diet.
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.”
Anyone can benefit from a vegan detox diet…however, bodybuilders and athletes have more to gain from detox than the average person. Many aches and ailments you suffer from are due to toxicity, which directly affects your performance and recovery.
Whether you’re experiencing headaches, itchy skin, joint problems, or a lack of energy, toxicity is likely to blame. These factors decrease your performance in the gym and prevent you from getting the results you crave.
The main goal of a vegan detox is to eliminate toxins and poisons from your body so you can perform at your highest potential. It’s nearly impossible to avoid environmental toxins like lawn fertilizers, food toxins like chemical preservatives, and product toxins like hairspray.
Ingested toxins can’t be broken down by digestive enzymes, your liver, or your immune system, so they build up until you do something about it. As a vegetarian bodybuilder, you depend on your body to work like a well-oiled machine at all times.
Bodybuilders who want to gain muscle mass or who want to get ripped have a lot to gain from a vegan detox. If you’re looking to build muscle mass, detox will help nutrients and protein reach your muscles more efficiently. Without toxins in the way, nutrients from the vegan foods you consume can better find their way through your intestines and blood stream.
According to bodybuilder, Henry Chervenka, fat melts way faster when you detox, and it helps you get ripped faster too. “This is because the detox not only cleanses your small and large intestine, but also cleanses the chemicals and filth in your fat cells.” Once you get the toxins out of your fat cells, your cardio and lifting workouts can burn fat the way they’re supposed to.
In an interview with Iron Man Magazine, Ori Hofmekler, author of The Warrior Diet, explained that:
“Detoxification is part of the equation that defines life. Survival depends on the balance between two critical processes: material coming in and material coming out. If either of those processes is impaired, the body loses its capacity to sustain health.”
There are countless detox diets on the market these days, so what makes a vegan detox diet more effective than the other ones out there? If you’ve already committed to a vegan lifestyle, then your answer is obvious. However, vegan detox diets are even beneficial for bodybuilders who occasionally eat meat.
Ask world-class vegetarian bodybuilders and athletes like Bill “Mr. Universe” Pearl, gold medalist Carl Lewis, MLB first baseman Prince Fielder, Iron Man world champion Dave Scott, or mixed martial arts fighter Mac Danzig what they think about that.
According to a Colorado State University study, athletes gain the most from carbohydrates stored in the body. When you get your carbohydrates from vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, your body breaks them down and stores them in your muscles as glycogen. This glycogen supplies energy, thereby boosting your workout performance.
The concepts of “vegan” and “detox” are practically go hand in hand. Vegan diets are raw, pure and natural. The whole point of a detox is to bring your body back to it’s original raw, pure, and natural state. It is only in this state that you can train harder, lift heavier, and endure longer.
Benefits
Cleans out wastes and toxins from the body
Reduces your risk of future exposure to toxins
Provides your body with additional nutritional boosts while cleansing
Allows your organs to rest between workouts
Stimulates the liver to drive toxins out of the body
Promotes toxin elimination through the kidneys, intestines, and skin
Improves circulation of the blood
The Best Time
Fitness experts recommend detoxing at least once a year, although three or four times a year is optimal. Medical director of Helios Clinic, Dr. Peter Bennett, N.D, suggests beginning a detox plan as soon as you begin to notice symptoms of sluggishness, fatigue, or other unexplained symptoms.
Before changing your diet, make sure to cut out all refined sugars, saturated fats, coffee, and alcohol, which are obvious obstacles to your fitness goals. Minimize your usage of personal care products and household cleaners that have a chemical base to increase the effectiveness of your detox.
Upon Waking (7:00 AM) Large glass of filtered water with cucumber slices (in the water) and a dash of cayenne
Breakfast (8:00 AM) Green-Apple Juice (Serves 1): JUICER: 2 kale leaves, handful spinach, 1 stalk celery, small handful parsley, and 2 tart apples. Serve over ice. BLENDER: Same recipe, but add 4-8 ounces water and a handful of ice.
Morning Snack (10:00 AM) Herbal tea, 1 cup raspberries or other berries
1 Hour Later (11:00 AM) Large glass of filtered water with cucumber slices (in the water)
Lunch (12:00 PM) Mango Summer Salad 1 cup brown rice
Mid-Afternoon Snack (2:00 PM) Large glass of filtered water with lemon wedge Hummus with sliced veggies
Pre-Dinner Snack (4:00 PM) Herbal tea; 15 raw almonds
Dinner (6:00 PM) 3 cups lightly steamed broccoli ½-1 cup cooked quinoa ½ cup cooked lentils Large glass of filtered water with lemon wedge
Before Bed (8:00 PM) Chamomile or other herbal tea
Tips to Enhance Your Experience
Drink at least two or three quarts of water each day
Take deep breaths to allow oxygen to fully circulate through your system
Use a dry brush on your skin to remove toxins from your pores
Incorporate martial arts and yoga into your fitness routine
What to Expect After
Sudden changes in diet can sometimes result in withdrawal symptoms, although relatively minor. Many bodybuilders take natural vitamins to supplement their diets, although nutrients should be consumed through food as much as possible. After the initial shock dissipates, you’ll likely feel more energized and overall healthier.
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.”
Truth: In fact a recommendation to lose weight more slowly might interfere with the ultimate success of weight-loss efforts.
Myth: It is important to assess the stage of change or diet readiness in order to help patients who request weight-loss treatment.
Truth: Readiness does not predict the magnitude of weight loss or treatment adherence among persons who sign up for behavioral programs or who undergo obesity surgery.
Myth: Physical education classes, in their current form, play an important role in reducing or preventing childhood obesity.
Truth: It is actually about 21 kcal in a man in his mid-30s.
The following are facts about obesity:
1. Heritability is not destiny; moderate environmental changes can promote as much weight loss as the most efficacious pharmaceutical agents available.
2. Diets (i.e., reduced energy intake) very effectively reduce weight, but trying to go on a diet or recommending that someone go on a diet generally does not work well in the long-term.
3. Regardless of body weight or weight loss, an increased level of exercise increases health, and physical activity or exercise in a sufficient dose aids in long-term weight maintenance.
4. Continuation of conditions that promote weight loss promotes maintenance of lower weight; obesity is a chronic condition requiring ongoing management.
5. For overweight children, programs that involve the parents and the home setting promote greater weight loss or maintenance than those that are school or out-of-home structured settings.
6. Provision of meals and use of meal replacement products promote greater weight loss.
7. Some pharmaceutical agents can help patients achieve clinically meaningful weight loss and maintain the reduction as long as the agents continue to be used.
8. In appropriate patients, bariatric surgery results in long-term weight loss and reductions in the rate of incident diabetes and mortality.
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 – Weight Loss Facts and Myths
Broccoli should be a staple in your diet for many reasons, and here’s a good article on how broccoli fights cancer.
The evidence has been mounting to the point where even the American Institute for Cancer Research advocates limiting red meat intake and eliminating processed meats altogether from our diets. Plant-based diets are recommended by the AICR and other health professionals all over. And it’s not just about the anti-oxidants as has been assumed in the past.
Research performed at Cornell University and published in the Journal of Nutrition, suggests that it is not enough to gain anti-oxidants from supplements. Rather, from consuming whole fruits and vegetables, there is a synergistic effect from combining the naturally occurring anti-oxidants with the phyto-chemicals inherent in natural foods. In fact, it is estimated that one-third of all cancer deaths in the US could be prevented through including more fruits and vegetables in our diets.
The evidence suggests that antioxidants or bioactive compounds are best acquired through whole-food consumption, not from expensive dietary supplements.
While that study advocates for simply including more plants in our diet, a paper published this year from research conducted at Loma Linda University, took it a step further advocating for the protective effect of vegetarian diets compared to non-vegetarian plans.
Comparing dietary data from nearly 70,000 participants, researchers found significantly lower incidence of cancer in vegetarian participants vs. non-vegetarian participants. Within the different vegetarian diets compared (Vegan vs. Lacto-ovo Vegetarian), vegan diets showed a significantly more protective effect as well. In particular, vegan diets showed significant preventive results against female-specific cancers.
Researchers are not in argument on whether or not a vegetarian diet is protective against cancer. This is clear. The data has delivered the verdict. Yes, it is. However, the reasons for why are still unclear.
Some suggest that the lower BMI commonly found in vegetarians compared to non-vegetarian populations could be a confounding factor as obesity is a predictor of chronic illnesses such as cancer. Also, in vegan populations, Vitamin D deficiency could negate some of the protective effects of a vegan diet in cancer. That’s why it is an important Vitamin to monitor in vegan and vegetarian diets. Still, the evidence across the board, has shown the additional benefits of a plant-based diet when obtaining anti-oxidants and phytochemicals from naturally occurring sources.
With the lower incidence of cancer, the positive impact on the environment, and the American Dietetic Association supporting the nutritional and preventative benefits of well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets, it’s no wonder there is an increase in advocacy for plant-based diets today.
Can I Get a Witness???
Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates
Vegetarian diets seem to confer protection against cancer. Impact: Vegan diet seems to confer lower risk for overall and female-specific cancer than other dietary patterns.
Fruit and vegetables are known to contain a complex mixture of phytochemicals that possess potent antioxidant and antiproliferative activity and show additive and synergistic effects. The phytochemicals interfere with several cellular processes involved in the progression of cancer.
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.
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.”
“I’ll stick to my meal plan as soon as I find time to go shopping.”
“I like the idea of a vegetarian diet, but meal planning overwhelms me.”
How many times have you told yourself something like this?
I’m busy. You’re busy. We’re all busy.
Whether it’s family, school, or work, we all have our excuses for not making time for fitness. But if health and living the good life is a top priority, treat it as such. And the reality is…you won’t ever magically find time, you have to make time.
To live a healthy lifestyle, you’re going to have to make time.
Real talk folks…how you spend your time simply breaks down to priorities. Your priorities dictate your actions. Your actions dictate our character.
I’m not asking you to choose between the gym and your family or job. But if health and fitness are important to you, the people in your life will understand, if they don’t, it’s selfish of them to want to hold you back from actualizing the best version of yourself you can be.
Few of us actually enjoy the costly and time-consuming task of grocery shopping.
According to family physician Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of the bestselling book, Eat to Live, “We are spending less than half as much of our incomes on food today than we did 40 years ago, but we spend three times as much on medical care. Instead of buying good-quality, healthful food, we eat ourselves into chronic diseases that cost a fortune to control with drugs, and the drugs don’t work very well and have side effects too.”
Carolyn Scott Hamilton, author of The Healthy Voyager’s Global Kitchen, says, “Cook once and eat thrice is my motto. I cook up a big pot of beans and a bit pot of rice and use them throughout the week in different ways.”
Buy these vegetarian-friendly foods in bulk, whenever possible:
Whole grains
Nutritional yeast
Veggie burger mix
Beans and lentils
Nuts and seeds
Vegetable broth mix
Tea
Instant hummus
2. Meal Planning Apps
If you’re like most people these days, you’re addicted to your smart phone. It’s time to put that device to work for you! Here are a few meal planning apps worth checking out:
Don’t have time to research meal ideas in cookbooks, or even online? Let the research come to you! Sign up for vegetarian newsletters like ours (sidebar on the right), or from your favorite sites to have vegan bodybuilding recipes delivered to your inbox.
If money is less of an issue than time, you could look into a meal planning service like Veggie Meal Maker, Go Meals Go or Food on the Table. Just make sure these services are designed by a legitimate nutritionist with vegetarian foods in mind, so you’re getting the nutrition you need without being ripped off.
4. Prep the Night Before
A good portion of a vegetarian’s time is spent with a knife and a cutting board. As you find yourself preparing more vegetarian meals, you’ll start to get a feel for what can be prepared in advance. Get a nice set of plastic containers and zip lock bags, and get to work the night before so that you can start the next day off right!
Salads and protein-packed smoothies can be a vegetarian’s best friend. These are quick and easy options to keep you going throughout the day. And with all the vegan recipes you can find here and online, you can keep things new and fresh to add a little vibrancy to your meal plans.
6. Schedule Workouts
You didn’t miss your 9am business meeting or your 4pm parent-teacher conference, did you? The things that are really important to us we tend to schedule so that there’s no way we miss it. Same concept here. Make your dedication to fitness and your body a must!
Whether you keep track of your days on a paper desk calendar or on a smart phone app, schedule your workouts as you would anything else in your day. Instead of erasing your calendar entries after workouts, jot down how many reps you did and what your max weight was. Calendars are not only a good tool to keep you on schedule, but they also help you keep track of your progress by motivating you.
7. Interval Training
Most of us don’t have time for two hours a day in the gym anyway. Interval training is one of the best ways to shake-up your bodybuilding routine, maximize fat loss, and get your heart rate up.
With just 30-45 minutes a day, three times a week, you’ll achieve better results at a faster rate without taking as much time as traditional cardio. A recent University of Guelph study in Canada found that interval training done on alternate days for two weeks can increase a woman’s metabolism by 36%.
Figure competition coach, Terrance Stokes, offers the following recommendations for high intensity weight training:
Use weights that only allow about 6-8 repetitions
Choose compound exercises, plyometrics, or exercises that involve using your body weight
Group the exercises together in a circuit type fashion with minimal rest between sets – repeat these circuits multiple times (10 minutes to 45 minutes depending on your conditioning)
8. Family Fitness
Living an active lifestyle is tough if you’re the only one doing it. Knock out two birds with one stone by making fitness a family affair. It’s time to make “family time” and “fitness time” synonymous.
Instead of plopping down on the couch to watch TV after dinner, suggest a family walk around the neighbourhood. Stay active on weekends by heading to the backyard or local park for a good ole’ fashioned ball game, coupled with quality time.
9. Twenty Minutes is Better
Yes, twenty minutes is better than nothing, and some days you feel on top of your game and you don’t feel like crushing a workout. While other days you simple don’t have the time for a sixty-minute session. No biggie.
Just take a moment to thank yourself for working out at all and honouring your body with good health. And remember, even your worst workouts help you stay on track and keep the momentum going forward, both physically and mentally.
Summary
Believe it or not, you don’t need to be in the gym to get a good workout. Turn “downtime” into workout time to take advantage of those spare moments that get away from us too quickly.
Do calf raises while standing in line, do lunges to get from one room of your house to another, and practice yoga poses during commercial breaks.
No matter where you are, you have one set of weights with you at all times: your own body weight. Technology can be a burden in our lives, but it can also help with meal planning in a pinch.
I probably don’t need to remind you, but life is never going to be less busy, but it is what you make of it. So plan ahead when you can, make the most of each present moment, and see the results you crave in your future.
More Meal Prep and Training Resources
If you got something out of this post, I think you’ll want to see what we have put together with our V3 Bodybuilding program.
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.”
Chris Ballester is an Aussie vegetarian bodybuilder who gets it.
And by that I mean he looks muscular, and more importantly, he looks vibrantly healthy.
My shape has improved drastically since becoming vegetarian. So for me I can honestly say the advantages have been putting on lean muscle mass and having a lot less fat around the midsection.
Being vegetarian is the way of the future for many reasons. It might take awhile, but I think we will see many more vegetarian athletes in the years to come.
Name: Chris Ballester City/State/Country: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Age: 28 Height: 5’7″ (175cm) Type of competing: Fitness model Weight/Competition Weight*: 163lbs (74kg)
*I have only recently started competing. I did not diet for my first comp as it was a spur of the moment decision to enter. As such I pretty much maintain this weight/shape year round at this stage.
In 2010 I started to transition to vegetarian, by slowly cutting out meat and then fish from my diet. Growing up as a heavy meat-eater I found this approach worked for me. I eventually became a vegetarian on 2 January 2013 and haven’t looked back.
I became vegetarian because I’ve always loved animals and I don’t want to hurt/kill them. I was brought up eating animals like most people, so I thought it was normal when I was younger. However, you get to a point in life where you have to make your own path, and decide for yourself what you believe is right.
I think that goes for anything in life. I could never hurt an animal so I definitely couldn’t eat them. That’s my way of thinking now… I can’t just ignore/pretend that I don’t know about the suffering. I had to take responsibility for my own actions and align my behavior to my ethics.
When and why did you start to compete?
I have only just recently started competing as a friend of mine was competing so I thought I would give it a go. However I plan on competing more in future. I love being able to promote a vegetarian diet through my example rather than preaching to people etc.
I think being vegetarian has also given me a drive to try to succeed as I feel in a way I’m viewed as the underdog and I have something to prove.
People are usually surprised when I tell them I’m vegetarian. People I meet including friends and family are always quite interested and supportive, which is great.
Describe your diet while preparing for a competition:
I tend to stick to the same diet pretty much all year round at the moment. I don’t really bulk or cut as such I prefer to stay in a maintainable condition. I like maintain my shape and be healthy and not go to extremes.
I do make adjustments as I learn more etc. However I would generally lower my carb intake if I felt I needed to improve my shape for a comp or photos etc.
Favorite food in your prep diet:
I really enjoy quorn products for dinners and cashews for snacks. I also don’t mind the odd protein bar to help with my sweet tooth and bananas after I train. This is same off season.
Describe your diet off season:
Generally, I eat a high protein diet like a typical gym goer, however I try to limit most of my carb intake to breakfast and after I train, so I can stay fairly lean all year round.
I take protein powder (whey and rice protein), BCAAs and Glutamine for breakfast, before I train and also after I train. These are my top 3 supplements I would recommend for anyone to consider including vegetarians/non-vegetarians. I find these help me to recover so I can train most days.
Describe your training for a competition (favorite exercises, weekly training schedule, etc):
Monday – Basketball (social competition) for cardio
Friday – High intensity interval training/weights (30 minute session)
Saturday – Back/abs
Sunday – Shoulder/arms
My sessions are usually around 45 minutes to an hour maximum. My favorite exercises at the moment are hanging leg raises (abs) and dumbbell bench (chest).
Describe your training off season (favorite exercises, weekly training schedule, etc):
I do change things up from time to time, but generally I am fairly consistent with my training all year round.
I honestly think that it will only get more popular as time goes on. Being vegetarian is the way of the future for many reasons. It might take awhile, but I think we will see many more vegetarian athletes in the years to come.
You should definitely do it. You will feel great, both physically and mentally. I’m now in the best physical condition of my life, by far! There are also so many options to choose from with regard to protein etc and types of food that you won’t miss out on anything. My other advice would be let your body/actions do the talking.
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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.”
