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<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re looking to build muscle, you\u2019ll find plenty of info out there extolling the virtues of lean meats and fish. But what if you\u2019re vegetarian or vegan? Is it possible to maintain muscle on a plant-based diet? And can you build muscle on a vegetarian diet?<\/p>\n
Traditional muscle-building diets are stacked with recommendations for a protein-heavy menu: steak and eggs for breakfast, salmon for lunch, shakes after the gym, and chicken for dinner.<\/p>\n
That may be well and good if you\u2019re a meat eater, but what if you\u2019re following a plant-based diet? What then? What can you eat to build muscle when you don\u2019t eat meat?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re one of the\u00a08 million American adults\u00a0who chooses to eat a\u00a0vegan\u00a0or vegetarian diet, then you\u2019re probably used to people making comments about your diet already.\u00a0Do you get enough iron and calcium? Do you have to take supplements? Where do you get your protein?\u00a0Vegetarians and vegans have heard them all.<\/p>\n
Yes, you can make\u00a0mistakes on a vegan diet, but even\u00a0the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics\u00a0says that an \u201cappropriately planned\u201d vegetarian diet can support your health and help you drop pounds. But what about muscle?<\/p>\n
The myth of vegetarians as weak still exists in some quarters, but don\u2019t try telling that to\u00a0Carl Lewis,\u00a0Venus Williams, and NFL defensive end\u00a0David Carter. So what should you be eating if you want to build muscle as a vegetarian or vegan? And do you need to supplement your diet?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Does\u00a0being a vegetarian affect muscle growth? Nope. You can build muscle even if you give up meat, according to a 2002 study comparing a set of meat-eating and vegetarian weightlifters. Both groups consumed equal quantities of calories, and the results found that\u00a0\u201cincreases in muscle strength and size were not influenced by the predominant source of protein.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew Ruscigno, M.P.H., R.D., shares that view. He\u2019s been a vegan for over 20 years and is co-author of the book No Meat Athlete.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as you\u2019re eating enough food to fuel the amount of training you\u2019re doing, then a plant-based diet can provide all the energy and nutrients required to train at any level,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
An endurance athlete and lead dietitian at the plant-based nutrition clinic Nutrinic in Los Angeles, Ruscigno says the most important thing is to ensure your diet is balanced and made up predominantly of unprocessed foods.<\/p>\n
\u201cA healthy diet should contain whole grains, beans, and lots of vegetables, especially leafy greens,\u201d he says. \u201cIn fact,\u00a0plant-based diets could be beneficial for athletes\u00a0as they\u2019re high in antioxidants,\u00a0which may help speed up recovery\u00a0\u2014 and the sooner you recover, the sooner you can work out hard again!\u201d<\/p>\n
Beachbody provides\u00a0vegan\u00a0and\u00a0vegetarian\u00a0meal preps for programs like 21 Day Fix, too, and they\u2019re designed to provide the right macronutrient balance for a healthy diet.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The reason many muscle-building diets include lots of lean meats is because they contain protein. When you work out, especially when you\u2019re doing resistance training such as lifting weights, you create microscopic tears in your muscles.<\/p>\n
Protein supplies essential amino acids, which help repair and rebuild your muscle fibers so you gain strength and build muscle.<\/p>\n
While meat is a good source of\u00a0protein, there are also plenty of quality vegetarian options. Eggs, milk, and yogurt are all protein-rich, as are some\u00a0nuts\u00a0(particularly peanuts and almonds), seeds, and legumes \u2014 including beans, lentils, and split peas (aka\u00a0pulses). Vegan\u00a0Shakeology\u00a0is a source of plant-based protein, too.<\/p>\n
However, while you should be including protein in your diet to build muscle, there\u2019s no need to get too hung up on it. \u201cProtein is often overemphasized for athletes,\u201d says Ruscigno.<\/p>\n
He cites the importance of other nutrients, like iron, which helps transport oxygen around the body to keep you feeling energized, and\u00a0carbohydrates, which provide energy. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to get these from a plant-based diet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vegetarian sources of iron include beans, nuts, dried fruit,\u00a0whole grains\u00a0(such as brown rice), fortified breakfast cereals, and\u00a0dark-green leafy vegetables, like kale. When it comes to carbohydrates, opt for\u00a0healthy, minimally processed sources\u00a0such as whole grains, beans,\u00a0fruits, and vegetables.<\/p>\n
Complex carbohydrates are filling and packed with additional nutrients and fiber, and they release energy into the body much more slowly than processed carbs, such as white bread and pastries.<\/p>\n
Refined carbs, which are stripped of natural fiber, can cause spikes in blood sugar, leaving you feeling hungry. (Though there\u2019s a place for those when you need energy, like,\u00a0right now\u00a0during training and competitions!)<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the million-dollar question: How much protein do I need to build muscle? If you look at some of the people you see hitting the weight bench at the gym, you\u2019d think your diet should be all protein, all the time.<\/p>\n
But you probably need less protein than you think you do.\u00a0A 2015 analysis\u00a0found that Americans are consuming well over the recommended daily amount for the average healthy adult.<\/p>\n
(The Recommended Dietary Allowance, which is\u00a00.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, is not the set amount you should eat daily; it\u2019s the minimum amount you need to stay healthy.)<\/p>\n
Those who are training regularly may need to consume more protein, so Beachbody recommends 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day when people are active.<\/p>\n
For a 150-pound person, that\u2019s about 89 grams of protein per day (one kilogram equals 2.2 pounds). If you\u2019re following 21 Day Fix or Portion Fix, you\u2019ll have a set number of red containers that will determine your protein intake, so there\u2019s no need to count grams.<\/p>\n
According to Ruscigno, that should be an easy number to reach. \u201cWhen you\u2019re taking part in physical activity, you need more calories,\u201d he says. \u201cThe athlete\u2019s diet doesn\u2019t need to be radically different from a regular healthy diet: You\u2019re just eating more of it, and, therefore, more protein.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can build and maintain muscle mass on a meat-free diet. Whether you\u2019re vegetarian or vegan, you can meet your needs while still eating a balanced diet. Yes, you do need protein, but you don\u2019t need to overload on it or overlook other key\u00a0macronutrients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019re looking to build muscle, you\u2019ll find plenty of info out there extolling the virtues of lean meats and fish. But what if you\u2019re vegetarian or vegan? Is it possible to maintain muscle on a plant-based diet? And can you build muscle on a vegetarian diet? Traditional muscle-building diets are stacked with recommendations for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}