Completely Reverse My Arthritis
Permanently
- Arthritis Caused by This Childhood Trauma
There
are many risk factors for osteoarthritis – age, gender, bodyweight,
and certain jobs – this we already know!
But
now the British Journal of Sports
Medicine has added yet another factor, one that you probably
never thought about.
And
this risk factor happened at a young age.
According
to the most recent research, injuries in early adulthood can also cause osteoarthritis later on in life.
Healthcare
information from 149,288 subjects between 25-35 years old was collected. The
group was split in two. One group had had knee injuries at some point in their
lives and the other group was injury free.
The
research revealed that those with knee injuries were 5.7 times more likely to develop arthritis in the knee in the
subsequent 11 years after the initial injury. And after 19 years, the risk was
3.4 times higher.
In
total, in the following years, 11.3 percent of the injury group was diagnosed
with knee arthritis compared to 4 percent in the
non-injury group.
They
also found the location of the injury in the knee affected their chances of developing arthritis. For example, injuries
to the knee exterior like cuts and abrasions are unlikely to cause knee arthritis in early adulthood.
The
risk of knee arthritis was found to be higher in those that had suffered tears
to cartilage and other inner tissues. Cruciate ligament injuries increased the
risk by 19.6 percent, meniscal tears increased the risk by 10.5 percent, and
kneecap fractures by 6.6 percent.
Researchers
estimated that it was probably because of the biomechanical loading patterns
that change in the knee joint after injuries to it – in other words it is
caused by a weight imbalance as one side of the knee is forced to carry the
weight of both sides.
As
a result, the scientists recommended proper rehabilitation and a slow return to
fitness after any injury.
Completely
Reverse My Arthritis Permanently - Arthritis Joints Cured with These Silk Mats
If
you’re suffering serious arthritis and your
cartilage and bone have begun wear away, you’re probably on the waiting list
for joint replacement surgery.
But
there could be another simpler and safer medical procedure on the horizon, as
reported in the journal ACS
Applied Materials & Interfaces.
A
procedure that requires little more than a specific silk mat to heal your joints.
Indian
and British researchers constructed and tested materials that can replace your
damaged cartilage and bone—and can even help new cartilage and bone to grow.
Their
most successful experiment involved the construction of mats from silk proteins
and bioactive glass fibers. Then they add your own cells in the mix.
They
spin these mats with layers that resembled the softness of cartilage and the
hardness of bone.
Because
there are cells mixed in with the synthetic material, once it is implanted in
your joint, the cells begin to duplicate while the synthetic material degrades
with time.
In
this way, the mats allow your body to create new cartilage and bone to replace
the old damaged ones.
This
has not been tested on humans or animals yet… but it could give hope to people
with severe joint damage who don’t want to undergo replacement surgery.
Completely
Reverse My Arthritis Permanently - Arthritis Pain Eased by This Special Type of
Walking
All
kinds of physical activity are helpful for people suffering from arthritis—and they’re not
just about loosening up your joints.
According
to a study published in the journal Clinical
Interventions in Aging, one specific type of walking has now been
proven more effective than other methods.
Researchers
from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston compared two types of Arthritis
Foundation programs:
–
Walk with Ease, a walking program, and
– Breaking the Pain Chain, a program during which participants learn lifestyle
methods to manage their pain.
They
recruited 163 arthritis sufferers and assigned them to
either one of the two programs.
Breaking
the Pain Chain consisted
of a 190-minute seminar to teach participants strategies and tools to identify
pain triggers and manage their pain.
Walk
with Ease is
a 6-week walking program. It focuses on developing a walking plan that will
meet your needs, stay motivated to go out walking, manage your pain, and learn
to exercise safely.
Researchers
found that people in the Walk with Ease group had more confidence, were
emotionally more upbeat, experienced less pain, and reported less health
distress than participants in the Breaking the Pain Chain group.
If
you suffer arthritis, I highly recommend you contact an arthritis foundation in
your area to see if there is a Walking with Ease program available—though going
out regularly for a walk may be just as beneficial.
This post is from the Arthritis Strategy Program. It was
created by Shelly Manning,a
former arthritis sufferer and a health consultant.
A Brief Background on
the Author
Like you, Shelly
Manning also suffered from arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis. This was due
to her weight and desk job. Her condition eventually took a toll on her
relationship with her (former) husband.
It was when she went
to Hong Kong that she met Janerdquo, an old woman who owned the restaurant
where she ate. Janerdquo supposedly offered her a bowl of a weird-smelling
soup, which helped ease her joint pain. She ate there each day for 10 days
until she was completely healed from arthritis.
Shelly Manning
decided to research this natural remedy and to create a step-by-step treatment
plan to others who are suffering from different types of arthritis, such as
gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and psoriatic
arthritis.
That’s why she
created “The Arthritis Step By Step Strategy.” According to her claims, this
unique strategy will get rid of joint pain and stiffness, repair your damaged
joints, and treat the underlying cause of your arthritis.
Shelly teamed up with
Christian Goodman, the owner of Blue Heron Health News, a publishing company
that aims to help people to take responsibility for their own health by using
natural health alternatives for preventing arthritis in fingers and knees
naturally.
Overcome
Acid Reflux Naturally - Fatal Acid Reflux – Thousands Die Every Year
We
often ignore acid reflux as an innocent annoyance.
Yes,
it’s painful, it can keep you up at night and it can ruin a good meal.
But
we seldom give attention to just how widespread and dangerous acid reflux is.
Using
app-based technology, researchers asked 71,812 respondents to report which acid reflux symptoms they have experienced
and had experienced in the last week. Some of the symptoms included heartburn, acid reflux, regurgitation, abdominal pain,
constipation, and nausea.
44.1
percent of the respondents reported having had experienced acid reflux symptoms at some point in their
lives, and 30.9 percent reported experiencing them in the past week.
Furthermore,
35.1 percent of respondents reported being on some form of drug for their condition,
but more than half the drug takers stated they still experienced frequent reflux symptoms, showing that the condition
is also unlikely to be successfully treated with the best drugs currently
available.
And
it’s also a fact that treating one condition (either heartburn or high blood pressure) helps with both
conditions.
But
what is the connection between the two conditions and how can you kill two
flies (high blood pressure and acid reflux) with one swing. That’s the
subject of today’s feature article.
At
first glance, hypertension and heartburn seem to be completely unrelated
health problems. Hypertension is the condition of the heart
and arteries; heartburn comes from our stomach and
digestive system, right?
To
understand the connection, you have to widen your horizon and both look at your
body as whole as well as considering the underlying cause for both conditions.
First
let’s look at acid reflux. It happens when the muscles
above your stomach (sphincters) can’t stop the acidic fluid in your stomach
from flowing up into your esophagus. The acid then irritates the esophagus
causing the horrible pain.
Although
you may be well aware that some food triggers heartburn and therefore consider it purely
a digestive problem, over 80% of those with acid reflux report their acid reflux is worse when they’re under a
lot of stress and consider that one of the main causes for their condition- and
for good reason.
The
First issue is blood flow. When you experience stress, your body directs the largest
portion of its blood supplies for the skeletal muscles such as arms and legs.
This
is nature’s way of getting ready to either fly or fight once attacked by the
enemy. This limits the blood flow to the intestines (including the stomach) and
slows down the digestion. Your body also sends clear messages to the digestive
system to slow down the digestion so no energy will be wasted on that when it’s
needed for flight or fight.
Once
your digestion slows down, food remains longer in the stomach and begins
fermenting, causing excessive gas. The pressure pushes the
undigested food as well as the stomach acid up into the esophagus.
The
lack of internal blood flow also causes a weakening of the muscles that are
supposed to protect the esophagus, adding to the acid flowing up more easily.
The
Second way stress causes acid reflux comes down to our human nature
of bad habits. When we’re experiencing a great deal of stress, people tend to increase their
consumption of alcohol, tobacco and comfort food (such as fatty or sugared foods and heavily processed foods
like those using white flour).
These
types of foods are guaranteed triggers of acid reflux. Even people who normally
do not have acid reflux can trigger a bout of reflux by eating a few slices of
pizza.
There
are many types of stress that can cause high blood pressure: emotional, mental,
sensual, physical, etc. And all these same types of stress can also cause
heartburn.
One
of the types of stress that’s often ignored by people is physical stress caused
by health problems or pain.
It
takes a tremendous amount of energy, for example, for your body to fight off
the common flu. While white blood cells fight against the invading bacteria,
your body releases truckloads of stress hormones into your system.
The
constant pain of acid reflux will also trigger an intense release of stress
hormones. Your body doesn’t care where the pain comes from. It doesn’t matter
if you were hit in the head with a bottle or if acid is flowing into your
esophagus. Pain is pain- and to conquer the pain your body enters the same
fight or flight reaction described above. A natural result is that your body
must be loaded with stress hormones.
And
one of the first automatic responses from your body when loaded with stress
hormones is to raise the blood pressure. Therefore, long
lasting stress of any kind causes chronic high blood pressure, which triggers
more stress hormones to be released that then cause higher blood pressure as
well as increased acid reflux. A chronic health circle has been created.
Applying
just a little bit of common sense tells us that if we manage to improve our
acid reflux, our high blood pressure should go down as well
and the other way around.
The
good news is that my friend and senior writer here at Blue Heron Health News,
Scott Davis, has discovered an extremely simple method that works for pretty
much everybody to overcome acid reflux
Since
the two conditions are so connected, dealing with one condition will improve
both. But dealing with both conditions together will increase the success of
correcting both conditions. So I urge you to check this out.
New
study reveals how heartburn, condition that most people consider annoying but
not really dangerous, can lead to cancer.
What’s
more, relying on drugs for acid reflux to prevent complications from chronic
heartburn is futile, reports a recent study.
A
condition that people with frequent, uncontrolled heartburn are developing more
and more is Barrett’s esophagus, and it is marked by an alarming change in the
cellular structure of the lining of the esophagus.
Untreated,
it can lead to adenocarcinoma, a form of esophageal cancer.
What’s
more frustrating, is that drugs commonly prescribed to stop reflux don’t seem
to have any effect in preventing Barrett’s Esophagus or the resulting
adenocarcinoma.
The
only way to eliminate the damage that is done to the esophagus is to eliminate
the reflux in the first place, which proton pump inhibitors don’t always do.
They do help with symptom control, but not the underlying cause.
Scientists
urge that to prevent the complications, eliminating the cause in the first
place will be critical.
This
post is from Scott Davis’ Acid Reflux Solution. This program helps you to cure
your heartburn and acid reflux by using natural remedies to quickly heal your
stomach without dangerous medicine or risky surgeries. It can also help you to
remove some disorders of acid reflux such as constipation or IBS.
The branched-chain
amino acids (BCAA) are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They are considered
essential amino acids because human beings cannot survive unless these are
present in a daily diet. And of course, plant-based bodybuilders and athletes can’t build
muscle without them.
Vegan
BCAA is entirely plant-based, whereas standard formulas
might actually have some, if not all, of their aminos sourced from duck
feathers or human hair. NOW Foods and CleanMachine have vegan BCAA (others are listed at the bottom
of this article).
BCAA are the primary force behind muscle
repair and building.
They
have multiple properties that enhance the growth process above and beyond
normal amino acids.
5 Benefits of Vegan BCAA
They not
only stimulate muscle growth, but they also create an anabolic environment in
the body, providing energy to muscles and helping the body burn fat and build
muscle simultaneously, as well as improve recovery and reduce muscle soreness.
1. Boost Hormones
Of all
the methods we provide each month to help you get big, boosting the levels
of hormones in your body that lead to muscle growth while minimizing those that
chew it up might seem overly complicated. But when combined with resistance
training, BCAA supplementation increases testosterone and reduces cortisol to
create a favorable anabolic environment.
We also
know from studies that leucine stimulates insulin release, further increasing
the capacity for growth.
2. Nutrient Partitioning
The
benefits to your “get-ripped” phase don’t stop at preserving muscle.
Branched-chain aminos have also been associated with the simultaneous reduction
of fat and the growth of muscle in a phenomenon known as nutrient partitioning,
which may be the most promising of all the recent findings on BCAA. In this
scenario, BCAA are stealing energy from fat cells and giving it to
undernourished muscle tissue.
3. Fuel for Your Muscles
Leaning
out is a balancing act of losing fat and keeping muscle, usually involving a
calorie-restricted diet. This mild state of starvation means you’re often in an
energy deficit, which can induce an alarming amount of muscle shrinkage because
catabolic enzymes will break down muscle protein just to get to the BCAA.
Cautionary Tale: A while back, I made the mistake
of trying to lean out through drinking raw vegetable juices, living off veggies
and protein shakes, and not supplementing BCAA. I dropped almost 15 pounds of
muscle in four weeks. Do you know how long it took me to build that? Much
longer than four weeks.
This
happened because there wasn’t enough fuel for my muscles while training (even
though I trained light during this time), resulting in an energy shortage. If I
had taken these supplemental aminos, they would have filled the energy-gaps to
avoid the reduced muscle growth and shrinkage. To make things worse, I only
lost seven pounds of fat. Not a good trade off!
4. Pain Killers for Muscle Soreness
You’ve
no doubt experienced soreness after training that grew worse as the days
progressed, known as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Although there are
different schools of thought as to why that happens, BCAA seem to significantly
help reduce the condition.
5. Recover Faster, Train Harder
Let’s
point out the obvious: the faster you recover from a workout, the more quickly
you can get back in the gym. Dr. Carwyn Sharp, professor of exercise physiology
at the College of Charleston, says he recommends BCAA to his athletes
before and after training because they enhance the repair and growth of muscle.
This
applies to everyone, regardless of whether your goal is size, power, or
endurance. “With optimal recovery, you can train with more volume and
intensity, which equates to greater adaptations,” he adds. In short, that means
more muscle growth.
Most
vegans won’t be able to get enough BCAA sufficient
for building mass through food intake only. Vegetarian bodybuilders have the option of eating eggs, dairy, and whey protein powder, and
don’t necessarily need to take BCAA supplements (I don’t typically).
In
short:
·Take
5-10 grams with breakfast
·Take
5-10 grams immediately before, during, and immediately after training
·Take
5-10 grams before bed
Note: Whey protein has the highest level of BCAA
compared to all other available types of protein powder.
Most
amino acids come from meat protein sources, and generally speaking, getting
enough aminos and protein is one of the more challenging aspects to bodybuilding as a vegetarian.
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.”
Many
of the fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders today are hesitant to go vegan due to the fear of compromising
their fitness goals. However, the only obstacle they face is the lack of education about vegan bodybuilding.
The
YouTube video
below is about Joshua Knox, a recreational bodybuilder that
works at Google, who tries going vegan for a week.
After
reflecting on the experience and noticing how easy it was, Joshua tried going plant-based for thirty days.
That turned into over 1.5 years. He talks about how following a vegan bodybuilding diet lead to massive strength
and endurance gains.
Joshua
also cites health benefits like how his cholesterol went from 196 to 120
in a short period of time. Even if you’ve seen this before it’s certainly worth
watching again.
The
vegan lifestyle has always been considered a
hindrance to bodybuilding due to many unverified opinions from media and
society. A quick reality check will help you differentiate fact from fiction in
the vegan bodybuilding space:
Myth 1 — “All
vegan foods are healthy.”
Not
all vegan food items are healthy, including junk food such as chips, French
fries, ice cream, etc. Healthy preparation is equally important, even for veg
food items, and should be considered along with the food type (e.g., whole
foods should be preferred over processed foods).
Myth 2 — “Essential
vegan food is more expensive than meat.”
Myth 4 —
“Vegan food does not have enough proteins/essential nutrients.”
Absolutely
false! A balanced vegan diet covers all the essential macro
and micronutrients you need to achieve your bodybuilding goals. Many athletes and bodybuilders are now turning to vegan diets primarily because it offers the same
benefits without the dangers of a meat-based diet, including heart disease for red meat eaters.
While
many of us go to the gym to build lean muscle and get into great shape, we
often do not see the results as planned. Why? This is largely because working
out alone is not a sufficient method to achieve the desired result.
Muscle
building is a time-consuming process that requires the right combination of
training, diet, and rest, none of which can be left out. It’s like a recipe —
after all, what would bread look like without flour?
Here
are a few explanations of the science behind muscle growth to help you
fine-tune your routine:
Our
muscle cells are made up of fibers that are the basic unit of contraction. To
build muscles, you have to put greater stress on these fibers than what your
body is used to. A heavy workout, especially with high load and low reps
exercise, damages these muscle fibers, initiating the muscle repair process.
The
repair process takes place when you rest after a workout. The body treats this
as an injury and overcompensates by increasing the thickness of repaired muscle
fibers, leading to muscle growth called hypertrophy.
Since
these muscle fibers are essentially proteins, growth will occur when the body
synthesizes enough proteins, with the help of food items consumed. Therefore,
it is very important to supply the body with enough proteins to aid muscle
rebuilding. The body also needs carbohydrates to facilitate the process.
Hormones
such as testosterone also play a role in bodybuilding by stimulating the
protein building process. While the male body produces enough testosterone
naturally, some bodybuilders use steroids to induce synthetic hormones in the
body to accelerate the muscle building process. This practice should be
avoided, as it does more harm than good for the body.
Not
providing enough rest to the body can actually reverse the intended effect. It
can put the body in a destructive state, with irreversible damage to the
muscles. The rebuilding process peaks around 24-48 hours after the resistance
exercise. As such, each muscle should rest two to three days before repeating.
“Macros” Explained
Macros
(macronutrients) such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are the essential
fuel for bodybuilding. Good knowledge of various types of nutrients, including
their role in muscle development, can help you create a perfect diet plan for
any bodybuilding goal.
Protein:
One
of the most important and clearly the most popular macronutrient for muscle
building is protein, which is needed for building, repairing,
and maintaining muscle fibers. Proteins are comprised of amino acids, some of
which are naturally produced in the body (non-essential amino acids), while
others have to be supplied through our diet (essential amino acids). Amino
acids are further discussed later in this article. Some types of proteins are
absorbed much faster and easier than others.
Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates
are the source of energy you need in order to hit the gym. Some people avoid
carbs under the assumption that carbs make them fat. However, a certain level
of carbohydrates is essential to perform routine exercise, because deficiency
of carbohydrates can make the body resort to breaking down proteins for energy
source.
The
two types of carbohydrates are simple carbohydrates, the quick energy source
readily usable by the body, and complex carbohydrates, slow-burning energy
sources that take longer and are more work for absorption by the body. The YouTube video below does a great job of explaining the
science behind carbohydrates.
Though
fats are unpopular among bodybuilding community, a controlled consumption can
actually be useful for the body. Since fats are the densest form of energy,
they are used to fuel the body’s day-to-day activities. The two types of fats
are:
Saturated fats: These come from
animal fat products such as cream and cheese, and fatty meats such as beef.
These should be avoided as they contain cholesterol and increase the chances of
heart disease.
Unsaturated fats: These are the
healthy form of fats that actually provide energy and help with absorption of
essential vitamins. Common items such as nuts and seeds, olive oil, avocado,
and canola oil are a good source of unsaturated fats.
Micronutrients:
Fiber:
Fibers
are low-calorie foods that can help you feel full during the diet period. It
slows down the digestion process, thus delaying hunger and keeping your calorie
count in check. Furthermore, it helps in the absorption of protein, making an
indirect contribution to bodybuilding.
Water:
Drinking
enough water to keep your body hydrated is essential for many reasons.
First,
it helps in clearing toxins and metabolic wastes from the body in the form of
urine. A high-protein diet leads to accumulation of toxins such as urea and
ketones, which are washed away with water.
Second,
water helps in the transfer of nutrients to the muscle cells of the body, a
very important task in bodybuilding.
Third,
during a workout, your body loses a great deal of water in the form of sweat,
and drinking more water replenishes this.
Determining how
many macronutrients you need: A quick way to keep a track of your
macronutrients is to measure the required calorie intake for your body and then
distribute those calorie intakes among the three macronutrients (i.e.,
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.)
An
average person needs 15-16 calories per pound of bodyweight for maintenance —
for example, a 160 lb. individual would need ~2500-3000 calories per day. And
these calories can be converted to macronutrients by weight using the following
conversion factors.
·Proteins:
1 gram = 4 calories
·Carbohydrates:
1 gram = 4 calories
·Fats:
1 gram = 9 calories
However,
this requirement depends on many different factors for each individual, and
there is no one fixed answer for everyone. A few key factors that
determine the macronutrient consumption rate are listed below:
Age:
In general, the body’s macronutrient requirement goes down with
age.
A child needs more macronutrients during the growth phase of their body than an
average adult needs for the maintenance of their body. During old age, the
body’s metabolism slows down, thereby compromising its ability to digest
macronutrients. Undigested macronutrients accumulates as fat in the body.
Gender:
Men
typically require higher amount of macronutrients than women do, because they
have a larger body (both height and weight) and more muscle mass. However,
pregnant women and lactating mothers have increased metabolic needs that
require additional protein intake.
Body type
A
lesser known but very important factor to determine your macronutrient requirement
is your genetics. Depending upon your metabolism rate, your body can be
classified as one of the three categories below:
Ectomorphs: These are hard
gainers whose bodies just refuse to bulk up due to a fast metabolism, which
burns calories very quickly. The ratio of macronutrients that ectomorphs
typically need to hit is 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 20
percent fat. They need to consume on average 750-1000 calories more than their
maintenance calories to bulk up.
Mesomorphs: This is the
ideal body type to have, as it reacts perfectly to diet and workout routine. An
ideal diet for mesomorphs would be around 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent
protein, and 30 percent fat. Since their metabolism is not as fast as
ectomorphs, for bulking up, their body needs just 500 more calories than that
for maintenance routine.
Endomorphs: These are the
people generally referred to as overweight. They appear large, with fat
accumulated around their waist area. Due to a slow metabolism, their body accumulates
fat very quickly, and they have to make a conscious effort to keep a check on
their calorie intake. They should keep their carbs to a minimum, with an ideal
ratio of 25 percent carbs, 35 percent protein, and 40 percent fat. Food intake
should be 200-500 calories lower than maintenance calories.
Protein
consumption based on fitness targets: Since most of your body parts are
made of protein, you need a constant supply of protein to maintain the overall
health and function of the body. However, if your fitness goal is to bulk up or
lose weight, you need even more protein because of the accelerated muscle
breaking and rebuilding process.
Vegan Bodybuilding
Diet
Plant-Based
Nutrients vs. Animal-Based Nutrients
“Animal-based
protein is the same as plant-based proteins” — this is a very common
misconception that can be debunked with readily available facts.
Your
body does not absorb the protein directly in its current form. Instead, when
you consume a high-protein meal, it is broken down into its constituent amino
acids in the stomach. These amino acids are then transported via your
bloodstream to various parts of your body to aid in muscle tissue maintenance,
repair, and growth.
The
body then selectively combines these amino acids to form different proteins to
make up most solid matter in the human body, including eyes, nails, hair,
muscles, skin, heart, etc.
There
are about 20 known amino acids that mix up and twist together to make up to
50,000 different kinds of protein. These are divided into two categories based
on their synthesis mechanism:
·Around
10 of these amino acids are naturally produced by the body. These are called
non-essential amino acids.
·Remaining
amino acids cannot be manufactured internally by the body. These are called
essential amino acids, since they have to be supplied by a balanced
protein-rich diet.
The
primary purpose of consumed proteins is to supply the body with essential amino
acids. While both plant- and animal-based proteins can provide essential amino
acids, they primarily differ in amino acid profile. This profile determines the
rate at which the absorbed amino acids are put to use in our body.
Animal-based
proteins containing “substrate” amino acids are more readily available for our
own protein synthesis, since these amino acids are similar to those found in
humans. Plant-based proteins contain simpler amino acids that need more work
from our body to be converted to usable forms.
In
addition, one needs to consume more variety of plant foods to get all essential
amino acids compared to lesser variety of animal foods for the same purpose.
However, plants come with added benefits of vitamins, minerals, fibers, and
antioxidants.
Being
a vegan does not mean the same boring diet every day. That said, vegan or not,
bodybuilding diets tend to be boring and repetitive. A well-planned vegan
bodybuilding diet is a great way to enjoy a variety of food options and to meet
all your nutritional needs simultaneously. Here, we discuss what you need to
know about a highly effective plant-based diet.
Protein
sources:
Almost all vegan foods contain some amount of protein, but the key here is to
choose the most effective food items for proteins. Soy products are the most
common source, along with chickpeas, lentils, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, broccoli,
walnuts, whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and corn.
Calcium
sources:
Milk and dairy foods are highest in calcium. However, dark green vegetables,
such as turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli, are good plant sources
when eaten in sufficient quantities. Fruit juices and soy milk are also rich in
calcium.
Omega-3
unsaturated fatty acids: These are essential for the heart, brain, skin, and
joints. A few of the commonly available sources of fatty acids include canola
oil, soy oil, walnuts, ground flaxseed, and soybeans.
Iron: A lack of red
meat can cause deficiency of iron, a common concern among vegans. Good plant
sources of iron include dried fruits, whole grains, nuts, green leafy
vegetables, seeds, and pulses. Foods rich in vitamin C should go along with
iron, as vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron in the blood. Green leafy
vegetables are rich in both of these.
Vitamin
B12:
One of the important vitamins not easily available in vegan food is vitamin
B12. An easy way to meet this deficiency is to consume vitamin B12 supplements.
It’s also found in fortified nutritional yeast, some supermarket cereals, and
fortified soy and rice milks.
Vitamin
D:
Another missing vitamin in vegan food is vitamin D. A quick and easy way to
generate vitamin D in the body is to get exposure to the sun for 15 minutes per
day. However, if you have an indoor job with little or no time for exposure,
vitamin D supplements are the way to go.
Eating
Habits
Now
that you know the science behind bodybuilding and the nutrients that can make
it happen for you, it is time to roll up those sleeves and make a plan for your
fitness goals. Remember that a disciplined execution of the plan is equally
important as the plan itself.
Meal
frequency: Although
this topic is up for debate, some experts say you should eat every two to three
hours to constantly replenish the body’s nutrient levels. Besides the three
main meals of the day, eating protein-heavy snacks in between is beneficial for
bodybuilding.
Conversely,
other experts say it doesn’t matter, as long as you meet your targeted
macronutrient totals for the day. What should you do? Try one method for 90
days and see if it’s working for you. Different things work for different
people.
Don’t
skip meals:
This is more targeted for those who compete at a high level. Skipping meals is
a bad idea because it may alter your body’s nutrient absorption mechanism —
e.g., if you don’t supply the body with enough carbohydrates on time, it will
start using proteins for energy. This could mess up your muscle growth process
due to deficiency of proteins.
Distribution
of nutrients: Post-workout
meals should be heavier on carbohydrates, while later meals of the day should
have more protein content in them. This is because the body will convert
excessive carbs to fat if you sit around all day. That said, try to have a
consistent ratio of macros with each meal throughout the day.
Drink
lots of water: When
you are not eating, the body is digesting previously consumed food, allowing
for the absorption of nutrients into the body. Water is essential for this
process, so the body should be drinking up during non-meal times.
Knowing
the disadvantages of non-vegan food compared to vegan food: It is hard to
resist the temptation of meat, as it is considered an easier source of protein
in one’s diet, though not an ideal one for multiple reasons. Besides damaging
the environment and causing animal cruelty, some of its harmful effects on
health can be a warning sign for vegan bodybuilders and even meat-eaters.
High
levels of saturated fat and cholesterol content in some cuts of meat increase
the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Processed
meat is usually loaded with sodium, which is a serious concern, as it often
leads to high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure.
The
most common form of meat, red meat, takes longer to digest, and excess
unabsorbed meat can affect the liver.
Excess
consumption of meat can increase iron intake in the body. This can lead to
excessive iron content in the brain and may increase the risk of developing
Alzheimer’s disease.
Answering Common
Concerns
Whole vegan food
vs. processed vegan food:
Once
you decide to go vegan for environmental, ethical, and/or health reasons, it is
extremely important to stick to the right kind of vegan food. Eating processed
fast food like pasta, burgers, cookies, etc., even if they are vegan, defeats
the health aspect of this commitment. You should instead stick to plant-based
whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc.
Sugar
content in processed food is much higher than whole foods, which makes it
difficult to keep a count of your calorie intake.
Whole
foods generate less waste for the environment. A simple example will
demonstrate this. A processed box of vegan cookies requires many more resources
from the environment than a bag of apples (e.g., trees for paper and packaging,
electricity for baking, etc.)
Whole
foods make you feel fuller for a longer duration, thus mitigating your craving
for more food. You are likely to feel hungrier after eating a box of cookies
than after eating an equivalent number of apples.
Need of protein
shakes with vegan diet: If you are a vegan bodybuilder or
athlete, you will need to incorporate vegan protein powder into your meal
plan. Why? It is virtually impossible to hit your target amounts of protein
from vegan food alone.
Especially
if you’re a guy like me who weighs 225-230 lb. — can you imagine the amount of
beans and quinoa I would have to eat?
That said, if you are
a garden variety vegan (pun not intended) who doesn’t train hard in the gym,
then a whole food, plant-based diet doesn’t necessarily need protein powder
supplementation.
Getting Started
Congratulate
yourself for reaching the end of this lengthy article. If you are reading this,
then you are really motivated to leave meat and make the commitment to a
healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Making a sudden switch to a vegan
bodybuilding diet can be difficult and often impossible for daily meat-eaters.
One
way to transition to a vegan bodybuilding diet is to gradually reduce the meat
in your diet while increasing fruits and vegetables. Here are a couple of tips
to help you get started:
Get connected. Find vegan
bodybuilding communities online. There is power in numbers and it will help
keep you accountable. Reach out, ask questions and let others help you with
your journey. Remember, they have been where you are and can relate.
Get motivated. It is difficult
to give up meat just for kicks. A habit change that affects your lifestyle
requires much more motivation. So read up on why you want to be a vegan (you
have probably started on this already). Key areas to study include animal
rights, personal health benefits, its effect on the planet, etc.
Ramp up. Each week,
increase the number of meatless meals in your diet. Find ways to include fruits
and greens such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and collards in your daily
meals. You can also try one or two veg recipes in your weekly meal plan and
gradually increase the number with time.
Substitute meat
with veg products. Take your preferred recipes and substitute the
meat with something vegan. For example, make fajitas using extra-firm tofu
rather than chicken. You will be surprised at how many dishes taste very
similar with these simple substitutions.
Branch out. Scan the
Internet for vegan menus. Buy or borrow vegan cookbooks. Check out ethnic
restaurants to sample new vegan cuisines. The more variety you bring to your
vegan diet, the more likely you’ll meet all your nutritional needs.
Tell friends and
family.
If you are serious about being a vegan, tell your friends and family about it.
Discuss your reasons and commitments on this issue. This commitment will give
you additional motivation, since it is easier to cheat oneself than to cheat
others.
Vegan Bodybuilding
Meal Plan
(inspired
by Robert Cheeke’s vegan bodybuilding meal plan)
·Burrito
with rice or quinoa, greens, beans, and avocado
·Small
green salad with omega 3-6-9 EFA Oil
·16
ounces of water
Meal
#4
·Almond
or peanut butter with sliced apples
·16
ounces of water
Meal
#5
·Large
green salad with steamed green vegetables and tempeh
·Bowl
of carrot/ginger soup
·16
ounces of water
Meal
#6
·Almonds
·Vegan
protein shake
·16
ounces of water
Estimated
Totals:
·Total
Calories = 4,000
Total grams protein = 200g
Total grams of carbohydrates = 660g
Total grams of fats = 70g
Total water consumption = 104 ounces (factoring in water for protein drinks
too)
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.”
