How To Build Muscle On A Vegetarian Diet

Vegetarianism means different things to different people. Let's sort out the confusion. For some people, vegetarianism is a rapidly growing lifestyle based on health, ethical, ecological or religious concerns. For many Indians and other third world countries a vegetarian diet is the only choice they have. Some are more concerned about animal welfare, and choose this lifestyle for ethical reasons. Others emphasize ecological concerns and point out that vegetarianism has a lower impact on the environment, since less water, land, and energy are needed to feed a person on a vegetarian diet than on an animal-based diet.

More people in the world may be vegetarians for religious reasons than for any other. Hindus and Buddhists, for example, may choose to not eat meat because of a belief that the soul of lesser creatures eventually matures into the soul of a human after many cycles of reincarnation. Interestingly, Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in America.

Perhaps the differences among people calling themselves vegetarians are the most striking. First, there are differences in what they will eat. A vegan is the strictest form of vegetarianism and doesn’t eat or use any animal products, so in other words it excludes eating meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. An ovo vegetarian does not eat meat, fish, poultry or dairy products, but does eat egg products. A lacto vegetarian does not eat eggs, but will eat dairy products.

Some choose this diet for health reasons. It is easier to consume a low fat diet if you do not eat meat. The American Diatetic Association confirms that a vegetarian diet may be healthful and aid in the prevention of several diseases (including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer). This is reason enough for many.

Is it possible to build muscle as a vegetarian?

Whatever reason it is that you want to become a vegetarian, you should know that it is possible to build muscle and obtain a more sculpted body eating a raw food diet. But there is no way that you can build muscle on a vegetarian diet without ample amounts of protein! Vegetarian or not, a high protein diet is an important component for muscle building. Protein helps with building and repairing muscle. When working out you are actually overloading your muscles and breaking down muscle tissue. In order to repair and build muscle cells you will need to consume sufficient protein to facilitate muscle growth.

Good sources of protein for vegetarians include legumes, nuts (almonds), seeds, tofu, whole grain breads and cereals, as well as soy based products. Semi-vegetarians eat fish. This is also a great source of protein.

As a vegetarian, in order to gain weight and add some size, you want to be eating every 2.5/3 hours to ensure that you are consuming plenty of calories. This is fundamental for gain weight. You need to be consuming more calories then your body requires. So, in between larger high calorie meals you want to have snack foods like peanut butter and celery sticks, jam on toast, a handful of peanuts or almonds, and so forth.

If you are struggling with eating the amount of food which is required to build muscle and to gain weight, then learn how to increase your appetite so you can eat more. Also, due to the more limited food choices it’s important that vegetarian boyduilders get creative in the kitchen to add some pizazz to veggie dishes.

Muscle building supplements for vegetarians?

Vegetarians and vegans are going to have to make the most of supplementation in order to get healthy calories and nutrients. A high quality protein supplement will help to ensure you get enough protein in your vegetarian diet. If you don't have enough protein in your diet you can NOT build muscle. It really is that simple.

Additionally, a person undertaking a vegetarian diet should consider supplementing with creatine to fuel intense workouts by providing you with extra energy and for ATP production. With the demands of heavy weight training the body is placed under extreme stress and your body can't produce enough ATP quick enough to support the demand of high intensity training. This is why creatine production is extremely important for muscle building.

Although creatine is naturally produced in the body, mostly in the liver, it's can also be obtained in fair amounts through food sources such as red meat and fish, however most vegetarians abstain from animal products including meat and fish, making creatine monohydrate an essential bodybuilding supplement for vegetarians.

Iron in the vegetarian diet

Iron is an essential mineral for our health - it regulates cell growth and is an important component of many proteins and enzymes. When you have an iron deficiency the human body does not have enough healthy red blood cells and you may struggle with fatigue, lowered immunity and mental fogginess.

Vegetarians are at greater risk of iron deficiency anemia than non-vegetarians. Being underweight is also an established risk factor for developing anemia. This is a condition that can be treated with an iron supplement. That being said, if you're getting enough iron from the right foods every day, you shouldn't need a supplement.

There is some evidence that suggests that iron absorption from vegetables is fairly low, so vegans and vegetarians would be highly advised to increase their iron intake upto 1.8 - 2x the RDI with dried beans and dark green leafy vegetables, which are especially good sources of iron.

Recommended Raw Food Cookbook

If you are contemplating to start a vegetarian diet alongside bodybuilding then you would be well advised to buy yourself a good raw diet cookbook such as The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon, which will provide information on tasty vegetarian dishes, new cooking techniques, and tips in combining raw food dishes.

In Conclusion

The weight lifting principles for a vegetarian bodybuilder are the same. If you focus on getting the sufficient calories and protein requirements from a vegetarian bodybuilding diet, then you will be well on your quest to size.